White Lake delisting group gets grant to study ex-celery farm site MLive (7/6) In Muskegon, Mich., the group that played a key role in getting White Lake removed from an international list of toxic hot spots is turning its attention to a marsh that feeds the lake.
Restoration project begins on Little Rapids section of St. Marys River UpNorthLive (6/29) A celebration was held Tuesday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., by residents and representatives of the many groups that put together a project to restore the Little Rapids portion of the St. Marys River.
Port Huron CSO work looks to 5 year extension The Times Herald (6/4) The city of Port Huron, Mich., wants a second extension on its deadline to stop discharging nearly 309 million gallons of combined sewage and storm water each year into the Black River.
Overview
Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are severely degraded geographic areas within the Great Lakes Basin. They are defined by the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (Annex 2 of the 1987 Protocol) as "geographic areas that fail to meet the general or specific objectives of the agreement where such failure has caused or is likely to cause impairment of beneficial use of the area's ability to support aquatic life." The U.S. and Canadian governments have identified 43 such areas; 26 in U.S. waters, 17 in Canadian water (five are shared between U.S. and Canada on connecting river systems). Collingwood Harbour, in Ontario, is the first of these 43 sites to be delisted.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, as amended via the 1987 protocol, directs the two federal governments to cooperate with state and provincial governments to develop and implement Remedial Action Plans for each Area of Concern.
Areas of Concern Map International Joint Commission (IJC) A clickable map of all the Great Lakes' AOCs and their information tables.
Great Lakes Areas of Concern U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) Information on U.S. AOCs including current RAP status, scheduled meetings, progress and achievements, beneficial use impairments, research, publications, community involvement and funding partners.
Resources on the Areas of Concern Great Lakes Commission This web site provides a "virtual library" of information on the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC) program and associated Remedial Action Plans (RAP). The site includes links to RAP documents and AOC web pages; contacts for each AOC; resources on delisting the U.S. AOCs, including existing delisting targets and documentation for AOCs that have been delisted; workshop proceedings; funding sources; and other AOC resources.
U.S. Areas of Concern Program Annual Meeting The annual Areas of Concern (AOC) conference will convene participants from the 30 U.S. AOCs. The conference is intended for all parties involved in efforts to restore the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern, including members of local AOC groups, state and federal agency staff, LaMP participants, academic partners, consultants, and others interested in the AOC program.
TEACH Great Lakes: Water Pollution Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to a human activity: sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, and more...
Areas of Concern Special Report International Joint Commission (IJC) This April 2003 report was produced under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 to the Governments of the United States and Canada and the State and Provincial Governments of the Great Lakes Basin.
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, 1978 Expresses the commitment of each country to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.