Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
NASA/Terry Virts · Public domain · source
Name	Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Caption	The Great Lakes basin
Date signed	1972; revised 1978, 1987, 2012
Parties	United States; Canada
Treaty type	Environmental agreement
Language	English; French

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a binational environmental agreement between Canada and the United States focused on restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Negotiated in the context of rising concerns about pollution in the St. Lawrence River, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior, the agreement established cooperative mechanisms involving federal and subnational actors including the Environmental Protection Agency (United States), Environment and Climate Change Canada, and provincial and state partners. It has been revised through major amendments in 1978, 1987, and 2012 to respond to emerging issues such as persistent organic pollutants and invasive species like the sea lamprey.

History and Development

The origins trace to pollution crises in the 1960s and early 1970s affecting Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River fire, and public advocacy catalyzed by works like Silent Spring and actions by policymakers such as Pierre Trudeau and Richard Nixon. In 1972 negotiators from Ottawa and Washington, D.C. produced an agreement negotiated alongside parallel initiatives including the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (United States) and the expansion of Environment Canada. Early implementation intersected with regulatory frameworks such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 and regional efforts led by entities like the International Joint Commission. Subsequent negotiations in 1978 and 1987 responded to scientific findings from institutions including the United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Canadian laboratories at the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Objectives and Provisions

The agreement sets objectives to reduce inputs of nutrients and toxic contaminants to protect water quality in Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior and connected waters such as the Detroit River and Niagara River. Provisions address point and nonpoint sources regulated under statutes like the Clean Water Act and Canadian counterparts such as the Fisheries Act (Canada), and include annexes dealing with persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances, eutrophication, and contaminated sediment management in areas of concern like the Detroit River AOC and Hamilton Harbour. The framework mandates development of remedial action plans by stakeholders including provincial bodies like Ontario Ministry of the Environment and state agencies such as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Governance and Implementation

Binational governance is led by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation-adjacent mechanisms and the bilateral Commissioners from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Environmental Protection Agency (United States), supported by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board, the Science Advisory Board, and coordination with the International Joint Commission. Implementation engages multilevel partners including the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, tribal governments like the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, indigenous organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations, municipal authorities including the City of Toronto, and nongovernmental organizations like the Great Lakes Commission, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defence (Canada), and Freshwater Future.

Environmental and Public Health Impacts

The agreement has influenced reductions in contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, and hexachlorobenzene, with measurable declines documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, and academic research from universities including the University of Michigan, University of Toronto, McMaster University, and Cornell University. Improvements in fish tissue advisories and recreational water quality have affected stakeholders from commercial fishers in Sodus Bay to marinas in Chicago. However, challenges persist with legacy pollution in sediment hotspots like the Fox River (Green Bay) and emerging concerns about contaminants of emerging concern monitored by programs at the Great Lakes Observing System and research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Scientific Monitoring and Reporting

A networked monitoring regime combines data from federal agencies such as the United States Geological Survey, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory with contributions from academic centers including the University of Wisconsin–Madison Great Lakes WATER Institute and the Michigan State University water resources programs. Key indicators include nutrient loads measured in the Maumee River and algal bloom tracking coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite programs, invasive species surveillance for zebra mussel and Asian carp coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and contaminant trend analyses published by journals like Environmental Science & Technology and Journal of Great Lakes Research. Reporting obligations produce biennial progress reports and targeted updates used by policymakers in bodies such as the Great Lakes Commission and international fora like the United Nations Environment Programme.

Major Amendments and Milestones

Notable milestones include the 1978 protocol on supplementary objectives; the 1987 amendment emphasizing contaminated sediment remediation and the identification of 43 areas of concern including Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay; and the 2012 revision that incorporated adaptive management, ecosystem-based approaches, and annexes addressing nutrient reduction and nonpoint sources developed with input from stakeholders including the International Association for Great Lakes Research and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. Other milestones involve cooperative actions such as binational commitments to reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Erie influenced by research from the Ohio State University and policy interventions in the Farm Bill and Ontario agricultural programs.

Category:Environmental treaties Category:Great Lakes