Home
like us on Facebookfollow us on Twitter
News Calendar Great Links Site of the Month E-mail Lists Information Center About GLIN Search
The Great Lakes Environment Economy Education Maps and GIS Tourism
Tourism Maps and GIS Education Economy Environment Great Lakes
About the photos (©Mahan, except for satellite photo)

Environment Topics

Air and Land
Air Quality
Coastal Management
Ecosystem Management
Habitat
Islands
Land Use
Sustainable Development
Wetlands

Water
BeachCast
Conservation
Levels and Hydrology
Quality
Quantity and Use
Rivers and Lakes
Watersheds

Flora and Fauna
Biodiversity
Endangered Species
Forests
Invasive Species
Invasive Mapping
People
Plants
Wildlife

Pollution
Air Toxics
Areas of Concern
Human Health
Pollution Prevention
Soil Erosion
Toxic Contamination

References
Agencies & Organizations
Environmental Justice
Laws and Policy
Sanctuaries and Reserves
Research
Weather and Climate

Legislative Tracking
Great Lakes Priorities
Legislative News

Lake Conditions

Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan
Lake Ontario
Lake Superior
Also: Lake St. Clair
  Areas of Concern (AOCs)
in the Great Lakes Region

What's New | Overview | General Resources | Education | Lake Erie | Lake Huron
Lake Michigan | Lake Ontario | Lake Superior | Connecting Channels
Programs | Publications | Related Resources

 
What's New
Nipigon Bay cleanup complete, says Environment Canada, but where’s the promised sewage treatment plant?
TVOntario (9/30)
Environment and Climate Change Canada has reported that it has completed "all required actions" for the cleanup in Lake Superior's Nipigon Bay — the only Canadian Area of Concern mentioned as having all remediation work complete. But locals tell a different story.

Two Michigan rivers enjoy major environmental cleanup milestones
MLive (9/8)
Although several impairment benchmarks are yet to be cleared for each river, actual cleanup work on two Michigan Rivers, St. Clair River and River Raisin, is nearing completion.

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.

Fish scooping helps launch Bear Lake-Muskegon Lake restoration work
MLive (5/16)
Work is under way on a habitat restoration project that's critical to moving Michigan's Muskegon Lake closer to being removed from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

Search GLIN for more news items about    

Back to Top


 
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.
 
View a map of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern

Back to Top


 
General Resources
Human Health and the Great Lakes
U.S. EPA Region 5 / Great Lakes Commission
Featuring information on hot topics like drinking water and fish consumption, Human Health and the Great Lakes provides complete and up-to-date information about issues of human health in the Great Lakes region. Also contains a comprehensive glossary of Great Lakes terms and several links to related online resources. Based on data taken from the EPA's Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) studies.

Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin
Environment Canada
This site provides a map with links to background and updates for all of the AOCs in the Great Lakes Region.

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.

Back to Top


 
Education
TEACH Great Lakes: Areas of Concern (AOCs)
Find out about the causes of pollution in the AOCs and what is being done to restore and clean up these areas.

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...

Back to Top


 
Lake Erie
Ashtabula River Area of Concern
Black River Area of Concern
Cuyahoga River Area of Concern
Maumee River Area of Concern
Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern
Rouge River Area of Concern
Wheatley Harbour Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Lake Huron
Collingwood Harbour Area of Concern
Severn Sound Area of Concern
Spanish Harbour Area of Concern
St. Clair River Area of Concern
St. Marys River Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Lake Michigan
Grand Calumet Area of Concern
Kalamazoo River Area of Concern
Lower Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern
Manistique River Area of Concern
Menominee River Area of Concern
Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern
Muskegon Lake Area of Concern
Sheboygan River Area of Concern
Waukegan Harbor Area of Concern
White Lake Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Lake Ontario
Bay of Quinte Area of Concern
Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern
Oswego River Area of Concern
Port Hope Area of Concern
Rochester Embayment Area of Concern
Toronto and Region Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Lake Superior
Deer Lake Area of Concern
Jackfish Bay Area of Concern
Nipigon Bay Area of Concern
Peninsula Harbour Area of Concern
St. Louis River Area of Concern
Thunder Bay Area of Concern
Torch Lake Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Connecting Channels
Clinton River Area of Concern
Detroit River Area of Concern
Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern
Niagara River Area of Concern (New York)
Niagara River Area of Concern (Ontario)
St. Clair River Area of Concern
St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (New York)
St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (Ontario)
St. Marys River Area of Concern

Back to Top


 
Programs
Michigan Statewide Public Advisory Council
Great Lakes Commission
The Statewide Public Advisory Council is comprised of citizens representing each of Michigan's 14 Areas of Concern (AOCs).

Back to Top


 
Publications
Areas of Concern Delisting Principles and Guidelines
US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
The intent of these listing/delisting guidelines is to serve as indicators of use impairment for Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

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.

Back to Top


 
Related Resources
GLIN: Air Toxics in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Beneficial Uses in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern
GLIN: Environmental Research in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs)
GLIN: Remedial Action Plans for Great Lakes Areas of Concern
GLIN: Superfund Sites in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Toxic Contamination in the Great Lakes Region

Back to Top


 

 
News | Calendar | Great Links | SOTM | E-Lists | Info Center | About GLIN
The Great Lakes | Environment | Economy | Education | Maps and GIS | Tourism

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Great Lakes Information Network
Updated: December 27, 2016
Selected Photos: Copyright ©John and Ann Mahan
Contact Us | Search | Site Index
© 1993-2015