Areas of Concerns (AOCs)
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Areas of Concern
About AOCs
- Information about Binational and Canadian Areas of Concern
is maintained by Environment Canada
- What is an
AOC and a
RAP?
- AOC/RAP
Resouces
Oswego AOC Delisted
Oswego River Area of Concern Becomes First U.S. AOC to be Delisted!
In an effort to clean up the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes, the United States and Canada, in Annex 2 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, committed to cooperate with State and Provincial Governments to ensure that Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) are developed and implemented for all designated Areas of Concern (AOCs) in the Great Lakes basin.
Forty-three AOCs have been identified: 26 located entirely within the United States; 12 located wholly within Canada; and five that are shared by both countries. Two Canadian AOCs have been delisted and one U.S. AOC has been delisted leaving 30 AOCs remaining on the U.S. side of the border.
RAPs are being developed for each of these AOCs to address impairments to any one of 14 beneficial uses (e.g., restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, dredging activities, or drinking water consumption) associated with these areas. USEPA has assigned RAP Liaisons for AOCs. Sediments have been identified as serious problems in many AOCs. AOC Principles and Guidelines have been finalized for formally delisting these areas as beneficial uses are restored.
- Ashtabula River, Ohio
- Black River, Ohio
- Buffalo River, New York
- Clinton River, Michigan
- Cuyahoga River, Ohio
- Deer Lake, Michigan
- Detroit River, Michigan
- EighteenMile Creek, New York
- Grand Calumet River, Indiana
- Kalamazoo River, Michigan
- Lower Green Bay and Fox River, Wisconsin
- Manistique River, Michigan
- Maumee River, Ohio
- Menominee River, Wisconsin
- Milwaukee Estuary, Wisconsin
- Muskegon Lake, Michigan
- Niagara River, New York
- Oswego River/Harbor, New York
- Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania
- River Raisin, Michigan
- Rochester Embayment, New York
- Rouge River, Michigan
- Saginaw River and Bay, Michigan
- Sheboygan River, Wisconsin
- St. Clair River, Michigan
- St. Lawrence River at Massena, New York
- St. Louis River and Bay, Minnesota and Wisconsin
- St. Marys River, Michigan
- Torch Lake, Michigan
- Waukegan Harbor, Illinois
- White Lake, Michigan