EPA Document No. 905/9/89/001
                    GLNPO Report No. 1-89
    Five Year Program
Strategy for the Great
         Lakes National
        Program Office
               FY 1989-1993
              United States Environmental
                   Protection Agency

                       Great Lakes
                 National Program Office
                 230 South Dearborn Street
                   Chicago, Illinois 60604

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Five Year Program Strategy
     for the  Great  Lakes
  National Program Office

           FY 1989-1993
                T-I al Protection
                '*-'- (5PL-16)
                 Street, Room 1670
                60604
      United States Environmental Protection Agency


          Great Lakes National Program Office
             230 South Dearborn Street
              Chicago, Illinois 60604

               December 1988

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\
             UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                        GREAT LAKES NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE
                               230 SOUTH DEARBORN STREET
                                 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60604
  We are very pleased to present this Five Year Strategy for the Great Lakes National Program
Office (GLNPO) to the  many government, private sector, and citizen organizations that share
our dedication to the Great Lakes. This new strategy presents an outline of GLNPO's
operating plan for responding to the  1987 revisions to the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement (GLWQA) with Canada and for responding to our new statutory mandate, provided
by the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act. It also reaffirms our commitment to
ongoing programs  initiated under previous agreements with Canada.

  The GLWQA obligates both  the United States and Canada to take vigorous measures to
"restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem!' In simple terms, this goal means ensuring that the waters of
the Great Lakes are safe for swimming and other recreational activities, that biological
populations in the Great Lakes are healthy, and that Great Lakes  fish are safe to eat. This
goal is shared by organizations that participate in environmental management decisions in the
Great Lakes Basin and by U.S. and Canadian  residents throughout the region.

  As we begin our llth  year, GLNPO is taking on responsibilities in new and challenging
areas such as demonstrating techniques for control or removal of contaminated sediments
located in geographic Areas of Concern, developing ecological objectives for the  Lakes, and
developing  Lakewide Management Plans for the control of Critical Pollutants. But as we take
on our new and difficult responsibilities, we will retain our commitment to efforts in earlier
areas of emphasis such as phosphorus reduction, water quality monitoring, and the
measurement of contaminants  in fish tissue.

  In all  of these activities, GLNPO will continue to work in partnership with other
organizations at the Federal, State, and local levels. The cooperative and collective efforts of
these organizations are vital to the U.S. in meeting its commitments under the GLWQA and to
the unique  resource the U.S. and Canada share and treasure: the Great Lakes.
          Valdas V.IAdamkus
  Great Lakes National Program Manager
                                                             Carol M. Finch, Director
                                                         Great Lakes National Program Office

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Preface
             This document presents a five year strategy for the Environmental
             Protection Agency's (EPA's) Great Lakes National Program Office
             (GLNPO). The strategy has two  principal purposes:

             • To inform other EPA programs, Federal agencies, the Great Lakes States,
               and the public of GLNPO's goals and how they will be addressed;  and
             • To provide a long-term strategic framework for GLNPO, within which
               annual budget and workplan priorities can be established.

             Chapter 1 of this document provides an overview of the Great Lakes
             National Program Office and its  role in relation to the governmental
             organizations that influence environmental management decisions within
             the Great Lakes Basin, both in the U.S. and in Canada. Chapter 2
             provides an overview of the Great Lakes ecosystem and an historical
             perspective on water quality problems in the Great Lakes Basin. Chapter  3
             describes water quality problems within the Great Lakes Basin  and
             establishes priorities for addressing those problems. Chapter 4 summarizes
             Federal and State environmental programs that work in the Great Lakes
             Basin and presents a review of their significant recent  accomplishments.
             Chapter 5 describes the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water  Act that
             define GLNPO's statutory charter to coordinate the U.S. response to  the
             Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Chapter 6 provides an  overview of
             the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and, in particular, describes  the
             revisions to the Agreement enacted in 1987. Finally, Chapter 7 presents
             GLNPO's five year strategy for addressing the priorities defined in the
             Agreement and for fulfilling its statutory mandate.

             This five year strategy updates the "Five Year Program  Strategy  for the
             Great Lakes National Program Office 1986-1990" published in June of 1985.
             It incorporates new responsibilities provided under the Clean Water Act
             Amendments of 1987 and the revisions to the Great Lakes Water Quality
             Agreement signed by the U.S. and Canada in November of  1987.

             This strategy mentions some of GLNPO's interactions  with other
             environmental programs undertaken by EPA, other Federal agencies and
             the States. The many contributions of these other offices and agencies  are
             vital to meeting the goals  of the Great Lakes Water  Quality Agreement.

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Chapters 1, 4, and 7 indicate some of GLNPO's cooperative endeavors
with other organizations. It is beyond the intent of this strategy, however,
to mention in detail planned Great Lakes or other activities of these
organizations.

The strategy  was developed with the assistance of many organizations that
work with  GLNPO toward achieving the objectives of the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement,  including: EPA's Headquarters  offices and
Regional offices in New York (Region II), Philadelphia (Region III), and
Chicago (Region V); the Great Lakes States;  other Federal agencies,
including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA),
the Army Corps of Engineers,  the Soil Conservation Service, the  U.S.
Coast Guard, and the  Fish  and Wildlife Service;  and public interest groups
that work on Great Lakes  issues.

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Table  of  Contents
             1.  The Great Lakes National Program Office                         1
                 1.1 Intra- and Interagency Coordination                                4
                 1.2 Environmental Surveillance  and Monitoring                         6
                 1.3 Remedial Demonstration Projects                                   7
                 1.4 Great Lakes Research                                             8
                 1.5 Future Directions for GLNPO                                     9

             2.  The Great Lakes Ecosystem                                      10
                 2.1 Characteristics of the Natural System                              10
                 2.2 Water Quality in the Great  Lakes                                 13

             3.  Current Great Lakes Water  Quality Problems                     16
                 3.1 Eutrophication and Oxygen Depletion                             16
                 3.2 Use Impairment in Areas of Concern                              17
                 3.3 Lakewide Toxic Pollution                                         18

             4.  Regulatory and  Remedial Programs                               31
                 4.1 Program Descriptions                                            31
                 4.2 Program Achievements                                          34

             5.  The Clean Water Act                                            38

             6.  The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement                       41
                 6.1 Overview                                                      41
                 6.2 Role of the International Joint Commission                        42
                 6.3 Role of the Parties                                              44
                 6.4 Summary of the Water Quality Agreement                         45

             7.  A Five Year Program Strategy                                    48
                 7.1 Overview                                                      48
                 7.2 Eutrophication                                                 49
                    7.2.1 Background                                               49
                    7.2.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Eutrophication                  50
                 7.3 Toxic Pollutants                                                 52
                    7.3.1 Background                                               52
                    7.3.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Toxic Pollutants                 54
                 7.4 Surveillance and Monitoring                                     56
                    7.4.1 Background                                               56
                    7.4.2 Limnology                                                 57
                    7.4.3 Fish                                                      58
                                                                                   111

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Table of  Contents,  continued
                      7.4.4 Sediments                                                    58
                      7.4.5 Pollutant Loadings                                             58
                      7.4.6 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Surveillance and Monitoring      59

                  7.5 Environmental Management Plans                                   62
                      7.5.1 Background                                                   62
                      7.5.2 Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern                    62
                      7.5.3 Lakewide Management Plans                                   63
                      7.5.4 Point Source Impact Zones                                     55
                      7.5.5 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy -
                           Environmental Management Plans                              65

                  7.6 Remedial Activities                                                 67
                      7.6.1 Background                                                   67
                      7.6.2 Contaminated Sediments                                      68
                      7.6.3 Ground Water                                                68
                      7.6.4 Air Deposition                                                69
                      7.6.5 Geographic Information  System                                69
                      7.6.6 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Remedial Activities               70

                  7.7 Research                                                          74
                      7.7.1 Background                                                   74
                      7.7.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Federally Funded Research        76

                  7.8 Technology Development and Transfer                               77
                      7.8.1 Background                                                   77
                      7.8.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Technology Development
                           and Transfer                                                  79

                  7.9 International/Interagency/Intra-agency Coordination                  80
                      7.9.1 Background                                                   80
                      7.9.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — International/Interagency/
                           Intra-agency Coordination                                     81

                  7.10 Public Education and Involvement                                  83
                      7.10.1 Background                                                 83
                      7.10.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — Public Education
                             and Involvement                                            83
IV

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List  of  Tables  and  Figures
                                                                               Page
             Table
                1     Comparative Hydrologic Features of the Five Great Lakes            12

                2     A Summary of Water Quality Problems Identified in
                     Areas of Concern                                            19

                3     Great Lakes Public Health Fish  Consumption Advisory 1987         23

                4     Summary of Reporting Requirements and Milestones
                     Added by the 1987 Water Quality Agreement                     43
             Figure
                1     States and Provinces Bordering the Great Lakes System             11

                2     Organochlorine and Lipid Concentrations in Herring Gull
                     Eggs Taken from Port Colborne on Lake Erie                      14

                3     Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin                    20, 21

                4     Locations of Known Toxic Pollutant Problems in the
                     Great Lakes Basin                                          28, 29

                5     Reported Municipal Phosphorus Loadings to the
                     Lower Great Lakes                                            35

                6     Federal Agency Participation in Great Lakes Research               75

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CHAPTER 1
The  Great  Lakes
National  Program  Office
                          An Overview of GLNPO and Its Role in Relation to
                          Governmental  Organizations that Influence
                          Environmental Management of the  Great Lakes Basin
            The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) was created in 1978 to
            oversee the United States' fulfillment of its obligations under the Great
            Lakes Water Quality Agreement with Canada. In 1987, the Clean Water
            Act formally recognized the Great Lakes as a valuable national resource
            and established a statutory mandate for a Great Lakes National Program
            Office. This mandate includes responsibility for coordinating the United
            States' response to the  Water Quality Agreement. The goal of the Water
            Quality Agreement is "to restore and maintain the physical, chemical, and
            biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem." This emphasis on
            a comprehensive ecosystem approach to water quality management,
            embodied in the Agreement, is the cornerstone of GLNPO's operations.

            The Agreement's emphasis on an ecosystem approach to environmental
            management resulted from a  growing understanding of the many
            interrelated and interdependent factors that govern the ecological health of
            the Great Lakes. Evaluating environmental management decisions and
            priorities from an ecosystem-wide perspective  provides a geographically
            broad, systemic view of the interactions among the physical, chemical, and
            biological components  of the ecosystem and recognizes that human uses of
            land and  water are central factors affecting the integrity of the Great
            Lakes. This characteristic of the Agreement dictates  that GLNPO be
            concerned with all types of environmental management decisions in the
            Great Lakes Basin, including those that affect the Lakes indirectly. At the
            State level, the Governors of the eight Great Lakes States  have formally
            recognized and endorsed the need for an  ecosystem  approach to
            environmental management in the Great  Lakes Basin by agreeing, in a
            charter, to treat the Lakes as a single ecosystem and by establishing
            uniform goals  for their States to meet.

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Located in Chicago, Illinois, GLNPO has a staff of scientists, engineers,
and other professionals who work with staff throughout EPA, the Great
Lakes States, other Federal agencies,  Environment  Canada, the Ontario
Provincial Government, the International Joint Commission, colleges and
universities, and public interest organizations toward advancement of the
goals and objectives set out in the Agreement.  GLNPO staff participate in,
coordinate, and facilitate actions by all of these organizations to ensure
that environmental management decisions within the Great Lakes Basin
uphold the objectives of the Agreement. GLNPO  staff also monitor
conditions in the Lakes and the progress of U.S. programs in implementing
the Water Quality Agreement.

Environmental management decisions within the U.S. Basin are made  by a
broad range of Federal, State, and local governmental organizations. Many
organizations therefore work together as well  as independently toward  the
simultaneous attainment of both  the goals of the Agreement and the goals
of Federal and State environmental programs. While the specific objectives
and priorities for programs at the various levels of government may differ
from each other, and  from the Agreement to some extent, all share the
fundamental goal of protecting and maintaining a  high level of
environmental quality.

Roles  and responsibilities for Great Lakes management vary at different
governmental levels. Within EPA, Headquarters program offices set
national policies and  define programs for cleanup and protection of
environmental resources.  At the Regional level, line divisions implement
permitting and enforcement programs or, where authorities have been
delegated, assist  States in  administering these programs. In addition to
implementing Federally-mandated statutory programs for air, surface water,
drinking water, and hazardous waste, States also administer  their own
environmental management programs, working together with local  county
and municipal governments. GLNPO participates in the planning and
policy development activities of EPA Headquarters and Regional programs
and of many State and local programs, supporting the goals and
objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Actions taken by any one of the  governmental organizations throughout
the Great Lakes Basin may have  implications for water quality in the
Great Lakes. GLNPO's responsibility is to define problems in the Great
Lakes ecosystem, identify  government and private  sector organizations  that
can act in solving the problems, and bring together those organizations in
developing and implementing effective solutions toward the  goal of
restoring and maintaining water quality in  the Great Lakes  Basin.

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GLNPO and the many Federal and State environmental programs
throughout the Basin use a variety of authorities for managing
environmental quality. These management tools derive from two main
sources: Federal environmental protection statutes and the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement.

Federal statutes establish management tools such as facility-specific
permitting programs for surface water discharges, hazardous waste
management, air emissions, and other activities that affect the
environment. They establish compliance monitoring and enforcement
authority for ensuring effective cleanup  of environmental contamination
through programs such as Superfund and the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action  program. Federal statutes also
mandate the use of planning and priority-setting for activities such as
cleanup of surface water resources, and managing leaking underground
storage tanks, and for  emergency preparedness.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement provides a number of similar
environmental management tools.  For example, the Agreement creates
priority-setting techniques such as  designation of "Areas of Concern" and
"Point Source Impact Zones" for Critical  Pollutants where applicable water
quality standards are not being met in the Great Lakes.  The Agreement
also establishes tools such as Remedial Action Plans that describe actions
to be taken toward attaining water quality objectives in Areas of Concern.
Remedial Action Plans are developed by  the States  with  assistance from
EPA regional program  staff and from GLNPO. These plans incorporate
actions that States can take, using authorities and management tools
provided by Federal and State statutes, to ensure that water  quality
standards will be met and that beneficial uses will be restored.

The relationship between implementing  Federal and State environmental
protection programs  and fulfilling the provisions of the Great  Lakes Water
Quality Agreement is therefore a complex interaction between numerous
planning, permitting, and enforcement efforts that serve  both the purposes
of the statutes and the Agreement. It is this complex interaction that
provides the context for GLNPO's primary responsibility: participating with
and coordinating the many government and  private sector organizations
that have the ability or authority to affect water quality  in the Great
Lakes, with the overall objective of achieving the goals set out by the
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. To fulfill this primary  responsibility,
GLNPO conducts activities in four areas:

     1. Intra- and Interagency coordination,
     2. Environmental surveillance and  monitoring,
     3. Remedial demonstration projects, and
     4. Great Lakes research.

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             The need for GLNPO's work in each of these areas was reinforced by
             Congress in  passing the  1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act. Section
             118 of the Act directs the Office to coordinate actions within and external
             to  EPA that  are aimed at improving water quality in the Great Lakes to
             ensure U.S. compliance with the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
             The Act further requires GLNPO to manage Great Lakes surveillance  and
             demonstration projects, and  to conduct research.


1.1 Intra- and Interagency  Coordination

             Within EPA, GLNPO works at both the  Headquarters and Regional office
             levels to ensure that Great Lakes concerns are considered in  the
             development of environmental programs and policies. Headquarters
             program offices design regulatory and other programs under each of EPA's
             principal statutes. GLNPO works with other national program offices to
             ensure that Federal regulations and national policies developed under
             programs such as  the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
             (NPDES), the Superfund Program, and the Hazardous Waste  Management
             Program consider  the special concerns of the Great Lakes and that, at a
             minimum, they provide sufficient flexibility to allow facility or site-specific
             permitting and other decisions made within the Great Lakes Basin to
             account for  important Great Lakes priorities.

             GLNPO shares this interest  with other programs that focus on a particular
             geographic resource, such as  the Chesapeake Bay Program or the Puget
             Sound Program. GLNPO works with the Headquarter's Office of Marine
             and Estuarine Protection and individual estuary programs to  support the
             development of policies and  programs  that address the special interests and
             needs of complex ecosystems.

             At the Regional level within EPA, line divisions implement each of EPA's
             media programs (i.e.; surface  water, ground water, drinking water, air,
             hazardous waste, Superfund, toxic substances, and pesticides). Regional staff
             develop  and recommend permit conditions for surface water  discharges, air
             emissions, and hazardous waste management; review,  evaluate, and select
             remedial alternatives for Superfund sites;  plan and implement compliance
             inspection programs; and develop  and execute enforcement cases. GLNPO
             works with program staff in  Regions II, III,  and  V to assist with these
             activities and ensure that important site-specific decisions reflect Great
             Lakes concerns and uphold  the provisions of the Great Lakes Water
             Quality Agreement to the maximum extent possible.

             Regional office program  staff also assist State programs with planning and
             implementing those Federal programs that have been delegated to the

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States. Each year, EPA Headquarters develops  national Agency Operating
Guidance to communicate overall program priorities and objectives to
Headquarters and Regional staff and to State programs. At the Regional
level,  program staff also develop Operating Guidance for State programs in
order  to communicate EPA's priorities and objectives for the coming year.
GLNPO  works to ensure that Great Lakes priorities are accurately reflected
in Agency Operating Guidance, at both Headquarters  and Regional levels,
and that annual State Program Plans incorporate Great Lakes priorities, as
appropriate.

For example,  within EPA, Regional Water Divisions have the primary
responsibility for implementing regulatory, management, and remedial
programs under the Clean Water Act. GLNPO priorities for the Great
Lakes are considered during the development of annual EPA Regional
workplans and State integrated program plans that incorporate such
activities as the development of State water quality standards and the
implementation of permitting, pretreatment, and compliance and
enforcement programs under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System, established by  the Clean Water Act.

Presently, GLNPO participates in the development of national Agency
Operating Guidance for water programs and with Regional Water Division
staff in developing State water program guidance. In the future, GLNPO
will establish similar procedures  for participating in guidance development
with all appropriate EPA programs, both at Headquarters  and in the
Regions.

Outside EPA,  GLNPO works with other government agencies that conduct
activities or have interests in the Great Lakes  Basin.  For example, the 1987
Amendments  to the Clean Water Act require  the establishment of a Great
Lakes Research Office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). GLNPO and  NOAA are required under the Act
to develop an annual research plan.  NOAA has participated with GLNPO
in research and surveillance projects in the past and this existing working
relationship will be  expanded in the future as  the Great Lakes Research
Office becomes operational.

GLNPO also works extensively with the Army Corps of Engineers. The
Corps has long had interests in the  Great Lakes because the Lakes are a
major conduit for interstate shipping. Dredging, dredged materials disposal,
and water level management projects conducted by the Corps are
important activities of concern to GLNPO. The Corps also conducts
research  on many topics of importance to GLNPO and it is anticipated
that the Corps will play an important role in new  Great Lakes initiatives
concerning the management of contaminated  sediments in the Lakes.

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             GLNPO has similar working relationships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
             Service, the Soil Conservation Service,  and the U.S. Coast Guard.
             GLNPO will require assistance and support from other Federal agencies as
             well.  For example, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) may be called upon
             to assist or advise on the vulnerability of surface water quality to
             contaminated ground water resulting from sources such as hazardous waste
             sites in the Great Lakes Basin.

             GLNPO has two additional responsibilities deriving from the international
             nature of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  One is to coordinate
             environmental programs  of the United States with  Federal and provincial
             government programs in Canada. Under the terms of the Agreement,  the
             two governments have the responsibility for setting objectives, preparing
             management plans, implementing remedial programs and monitoring
             conditions. A second major international responsibility is GLNPO's
             support of the International Joint Commission (IJC).  The IJC evaluates the
             progress being made by the two governments and the adequacy of  their
             programs  in satisfying the Agreement.

             To fulfill these distinct responsibilities, GLNPO staff interact with their
             Canadian counterparts in two ways. In coordinating programs, U.S. and
             Canadian staff members work together as representatives of their respective
             governments to solve mutual  problems  and  initiate coordinated projects. In
             supporting the IJC, U.S. and  Canadian staff members serve on various
             committees and IJC task  forces as nonpartisan professional experts, and
             prepare reports and recommendations for the  Commissioners.

             Further information on international coordination and the IJC is provided
             in Chapter 6, the Great Lakes Water Quality  Agreement.
1.2 Environmental Surveillance and Monitoring

             To understand the environmental results of Great Lakes regulatory
             programs, it is necessary to monitor conditions in the Lakes and to
             develop an understanding of the basic biological, chemical, and physical
             processes that make up the ecosystem. GLNPO, EPA, and the Great Lakes
             States therefore conduct extensive monitoring programs intended to
             describe the health of the Great Lakes and their biological communities.
             Monitoring efforts are an important component of GLNPO's work and
             account for a major portion of GLNPO's annual expenditures.

             Surveillance activities conducted by GLNPO include regular sampling of
             water, fish tissues,  and sediment. GLNPO, together with the States, also
             operates an air monitoring network in the Great Lakes Basin to measure

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             the quantities of pollutants entering the Basin  from airborne sources. The
             Great Lakes Atmospheric Deposition (GLAD)  Network was originally
             created to measure contributions of conventional pollutants to the Lakes
             from the atmosphere. In fiscal year 1988, however,- responding to new
             requirements in the Agreement  and the Clean Water Act,  GLNPO began
             expanding the network to include sampling for toxic air pollutants.

             In addition to air deposition, GLNPO supports other monitoring and
             surveillance activities designed to provide information on the  magnitude
             and types of pollutant loadings  to the Great Lakes.  Of principal concern
             to GLNPO are loadings from tributaries, point and nonpoint sources, and
             ground water, and releases from contaminated  sediment.

             Presently, GLNPO operates a research vessel, the Roger  R. Simons, and
             conducts winter sampling surveys by helicopter. During fiscal  year 1989,
             GLNPO will procure a new vessel that will be outfitted with laboratory
             facilities designed to support the new emphasis on  identifying and
             controlling toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes. In addition, GLNPO's
             surveillance and monitoring efforts rely on chemical analyses  provided by
             the EPA Region V Central Regional Laboratory through a contract funded
             by GLNPO.
1.3  Remedial Demonstration Projects

             In the past, GLNPO has been active in conducting demonstration projects
             for remedial technologies and pollution control, particularly in the areas of
             phosphorus reduction from point and nonpoint sources. Earlier nonpoint
             source control demonstration projects sponsored by GLNPO have been
             part of one of the largest such programs in the Nation. These projects
             involved other Federal, State, and local organizations and have played an
             important role in the overall progress toward reduction of phosphorus
             inputs to the Lakes.

             The 1987 Amendments to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and
             the Clean Water Act call for a new demonstration program addressing
             remedial technologies for cleanup of toxic  pollutants with an emphasis on
             their removal from bottom sediments. During fiscal year 1988, GLNPO has
             begun implementing its Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated
             Sediments (ARCS) program and laying the foundation for the
             demonstration projects.

             Under the Clean Water Act, GLNPO is required  to give special
             consideration to conducting contaminated sediments demonstration
             projects in five locations: Saginaw Bay (in  Michigan on Lake Huron);

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             Sheboygan Harbor (in Wisconsin on Lake Michigan); the Grand Calumet
             River in Indiana, the Ashtabula River in Ohio, and  the Buffalo River in
             New York. In fiscal year 1989, the Office will develop a strategy for ranking
             these and other  sites as  a first step in the selection process. Demonstration
             projects in this area will also  require substantial participation by EPA's Of-
             fice of Research and Development, the Great Lakes States, the Corps of
             Engineers,  and other agencies.
1.4 Great Lakes Research
             Both the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the 1987 Amend-
             ments to the Clean Water Act recognize the importance of a coordinated
             research program designed specifically to address the special problems and
             concerns of the Great Lakes. GLNPO has in the past worked closely with
             EPA's Office of Research and Development to identify Great Lakes research
             priorities and to design and conduct research projects with EPA's Water
             Quality Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota, the EPA Large Lakes Research
             Station (LLRS) at  Grosse He, Michigan, and EPA's Engineering and Sup-
             port Laboratories in Cincinnati,  Ohio.

             The LLRS has organized and implemented research on the transport, fate,
             and effects of toxic substances in the Great Lakes and has been developing
             methodologies for  dealing with contaminated sediment.  Recently, the
             Duluth Laboratory and LLRS have worked with GLNPO to  conduct
             research on contaminated sediment in Wisconsin's  lower Fox  River.

             Modeling of eutrophication processes by the Grosse He laboratory has pro-
             vided information  for understanding how the Great Lakes have responded
             to phosphorus controls. This laboratory has also conducted work on toxic
             modeling  as well as, prior to  1980, epidemiological research on human
             health  effects of exposure to PCBs  through fish consumption. The Duluth
             laboratory  has supported the development of models for estimating the
             movement of toxic pollutants in  the Great Lakes.

             GLNPO also funds applied research through other Federal agencies and by
             contracting directly with universities and private companies. Beginning in
             fiscal year  1989, pending funding, GLNPO will work with the newly
             established Great Lakes Research Office within  NOAA to develop and im-
             plement a comprehensive Great  Lakes Research Program. Research is fur-
             ther discussed in Chapter 7 and the relationship among Federal research
             programs is illustrated in Figure 6.

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1.5 Future Directions for  GLNPO

             This five year strategy lays out specific activities that GLNPO will conduct
             to fulfill its obligations under the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes
             Water Quality Agreement. In establishing these priorities,  GLNPO has
             translated the general goals of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
             into  actions that may be taken by EPA programs, State programs, and
             other Federal agencies, and defined the specific activities that GLNPO will
             conduct to ensure that environmental management decisions within the
             Great Lakes Basin uphold the goals of the Agreement. This strategy
             therefore lays out a  general framework for GLNPO in working toward the
             goals of the Agreement in areas such  as the abatement and cleanup of
             toxic pollution in the Great Lakes, further reductions in phosphorus
             discharges from nonpoint sources, and investigation and control of
             pollution in the Lakes that originates  from  ground-water sources. For  the
             most part, the identified activities anticipate that Federal and State
             programs will be funded at requested levels. It is also anticipated that  these
             programs will continue to work on separate tracks toward  the achievement
             of goals defined by their separate Federal  and State statutes.

             The  Agreement commits both the United States and Canada to employing
             an ecosystem approach to environmental management. It is GLNPO's task
             to bring together the many different U.S. programs and provide  a forum
             for them to work together toward achieving working relationships that
             promote multi-media solutions to environmental  problems. As individual
             programs work with GLNPO over the next five years, an overall strategy
             for managing and protecting the Great Lakes will continue to emerge. It is
             GLNPO's long-term goal to articulate  this strategy so that it clearly defines
             the roles of all government organizations  and the policies  and procedures
             under which each will work in the future toward the shared goal of
             protecting and maintaining the integrity of the Great Lakes.

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CHAPTER 2
The   Great  Lakes
Ecosystem
                           An Overview of the Great Lakes Basin and an
                           Historical Perspective on Water Quality in the Basin

            The Great Lakes system, shown in Figure  1, is the largest reservoir of fresh
            surface water in North America. Like Lake Baikal in the U.S.S.R., the
            Great Lakes contain about 18 percent of the world's supply. Only the
            polar ice caps contain more fresh water. The total U.S.-Canadian shoreline
            measures 9,402 miles, including  islands.  Of that figure, 4,530 miles con-
            stitute the U.S. shoreline — longer than the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
            coastlines combined. The Great Lakes are  a fishery resource, a transporta-
            tion system, a water supply, a recreation resource, a modifier of climate,
            and a means of waste disposal. In both  Canada and the United States, all
            of these uses have contributed to the development of one of the  world's
            largest inland concentrations of population and industry.
2.1  Characteristics of the Natural System

            The Great Lakes system flows from Lake Superior, at 600 feet above sea
            level, through the other four lakes and the connecting channels and then
            out through the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. Although the
            system contains five distinct drainage basins, the land area is relatively
            small in relation to the large and numerous bodies of water. One-third of
            the total 300,000 square mile drainage basin is covered by water. The
            numerous tributaries receive drainage from a large variety of land uses and
            types of soil, resulting in a variety of pollution problems. The hydrologic
            features of the five lakes are compared in Table 1.

            Despite their size, the Lakes are especially sensitive to pollution. Less than
            one percent  of the total volume of water in the system flows out the St.
            Lawrence River each year, leaving toxic pollutants to accumulate in bottom
            sediments and fish. The relatively closed nature of the system makes the
            Great Lakes vulnerable to pollution over the long term and their huge
10

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                                                     Pennsylvania
 Figure 1. States and Provinces Bordering the Great Lakes System

volume of water makes changes due to pollution very difficult to reverse.
Attempts  to reverse the effects of pollution must be sensitive to the unique
characteristics of each  lake.  Lake Erie  is the shallowest, its shores are
highly urbanized, and  its major tributaries  drain intensively farmed soils.
For these  reasons, Lake Erie was the first to show lakewide signs of cultural
eutrophication but also responded quickly to  cleanup, due to the rapid rate
at which water flows through it.

Lake Ontario is smaller in area but deeper than Erie. Being downstream,  it
receives nutrients from Lake Erie and  probably receives persistent toxicants
from the rest of the system  as well as  from the Niagara River industrial'
complex. Lake Ontario has  the highest concentration of toxic pollutants.

Lake Michigan's vulnerability  to both  over-enrichment and toxic pollution
is compounded by its  long residence time (about 100 years). It  receives
high loadings of nutrients, heavy metals, and contaminants from the
atmosphere over its large surface area. Particularly around large urban
areas, Lake Michigan sodium  levels are now several times higher than at
the turn of the century and are continuing to increase.
                                                                       11

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             The Lake Superior and Lake Huron drainage basins have lower population
             densities and more forested lands than the Lake Michigan basin.
             Maintaining Lake Superior's relatively pristine, oligotrophic state is an
             international objective. In Huron, as throughout the entire Great Lakes
             system, nearshore waters  and embayments are more eutrophic and have
             higher contaminant levels than the open lake waters. Such shallow areas
             receive more concentrated loadings of pollutants and have less circulation
             than the open lakes.

             The levels and flows of the entire system are  governed  much more by the
             natural hydrologic cycle than by manmade diversions and regulation. The
             average annual precipitation over the entire Great Lakes Basin is 31 inches,
             with approximately  10 percent greater precipitation over the Lakes
             themselves than  over the surrounding land. In 1985, 1986, and 1987, lake
             levels reached record highs. Then, the overall lake level dropped about one
             foot due to extremely low precipitation in 1987  followed by drought
             conditions in early 1988.  In July 1988, only two  lakes—Lake Erie and  Lake
             St. Clair—had levels above average. The Army Corps of Engineers has
             found that the net cumulative change in lake levels due to operation of
             control locks and to diversions since 1909 has been only a few  inches,
             except for the Lake  Ontario level which is controlled by  structures in  the
             St. Lawrence River.
      Table 1.  Comparative Hydrologic Features of the Five Great Lakes


Lake
Superior

Michigan

Huron

Erie

Ontario

Drainage
Area
(Square Miles)
49,300

45,600

51,700

22,700

27,300


Surface Area
(Square Miles)
31,700

22,300

23,000

9,910

7,340


Volume
(Cubic Miles)
2,935

1,180

849

116

393

Residence
Time
(Years)
200

100

25

3

6


Depth
(Feet)
489 average
1,335 maximum
279 average
925 maximum
195 average
750 maximum
62 average
210 maximum
283 average
802 maximum
12

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2.2 Water Quality in the Great Lakes

             Concerns about water quality in the Great Lakes have evolved over time
             from disease organisms to oxygen depletion and eutrophication and,
             recently,  to toxics, as  the leading threat to human and ecosystem health.
             There are many causes of water quality degradation in the Great Lakes
             and measuring  their relative importance and  their interrelation is often
             very complex.

             Before intensive settlement and development  of the region, the waters  of
             the Great Lakes and their tributaries were clear and cold. Algal growth
             was generally low and there were many species of fish, some of which  are
             now extinct. The average size  of fish was much larger than today and  long-
             lived species such as sturgeon  and lake trout  were  abundant.

             As cities grew, local degradation due to waste disposal at first seemed
             inconsequential in the large lakes.  Later it was realized that fundamental
             change in such a large system could occur and not become obvious until
             well advanced.

             By the 1880s, contamination of drinking water by human sewage and
             shoreline pollution led to the  recognition that primary treatment of sewage,
             disinfection of sewage effluent, and improved treatment of drinking water
             were needed. Even with primary treatment, however,  decaying organic
             wastes from many sources were depleting oxygen in harbor and  nearshore
             waters. Beaches  were closed to swimming because of high fecal coliform
             counts or were unused because of algae, odors, floating oil, or dead fish.

             Algal growth increased which in turn depleted Great Lakes oxygen levels
             and destroyed nearshore and estuary biota. However, the effect of these
             changes on a whole lake was not recognized  until  eutrophication became
             obvious in the  most vulnerable lake, Lake Erie. By 1960, large increases in
             algal productivity and the annual  cycle of algal bloom,  decay, and oxygen
             depletion in Lake Erie had been linked to excessive levels of nutrients. The
             public demanded further pollution control measures and the Federal
             government responded by requiring secondary treatment of sewage  and
             control of direct discharges of industrial wastes.

             By 1972, a scientific consensus had developed that phosphorus was the
             limiting nutrient for the Great Lakes. Reduction of phosphorus  became the
             chief objective of the  first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between
             the U.S.  and Canada in that year.  Also in 1972, Congress adopted the
             Federal Water Pollution Control  Act amendments  (Public Law 92-500).
                                                                                  13

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                          Herring  Gulls at Port Colborne
   800
   600
    400
   200
                      FT = 0 69
        74  75 76  77 78  79 80  81 82
                     Year
                                 84  85 86
                                                     08
                                                     06
                                                     04
                                                                       R = 0 81
74 75 76 77 78 79 80  81  82 83  84 85  86
              Year
    125
 E  100
    75
    50
                      R  = 0 63
        74  75 76 77 78  79 80  81 82  83 84
                     Year
                                                      03r-
                                                      02
74  75 76  77 78  79 80  81 82  83 84  85
              Year
                      Wet weight concentration ± standard deviation
 Source: 1987 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality: Report to the IJC

   Figure 2.  Organochlorine and Lipid Concentrations in Herring Gull Eggs
                     Taken from Port  Colborne on Lake Erie
14

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This legislation provided the chief means for fulfilling U.S. obligations
under the first binational compact.

By the 1980s, decreased algal growth and increased dissolved oxygen levels
provided clear evidence that water quality had improved in the Great
Lakes, particularly in nearshore areas. Today, the increase of eutrophication
appears  to be stopped in the open lakes and restoration seems well within
reach. Both countries are close to achieving their phosphorus reduction
targets, and can attain them by implementing nonpoint source control
programs.

In contrast to the nutrients control  success, toxic pollution remains a
serious problem and is clearly considered the long-term threat  to beneficial
uses  of the Lakes. Toxic pollutants were first recognized as a widespread
problem  in the Lakes in the 1960s, when DDT,  PCBs, and mercury were
found to be affecting reproduction of birds and  animals and posing a
threat to human health. For some toxics, such as DDT and PCBs, which
have been regulated for years, concentrations in the environment have
decreased as illustrated in Figure 2. Unfortunately, their rate of decrease
has slowed and levels in sediment, fish and birds continue to cause serious
problems. It is believed that both wet and dry atmospheric deposition,
contamination from bottom sediments, and contaminated ground water are
significant sources of toxics.
                                                                      15

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 CHAPTER 3
 Current  Great  Lakes
 Water  Quality  Problems
                           Water Quality Problems Remaining to Be
                           Addressed and Priorities for Addressing Them

            Three major categories of water quality problems remain in the Great
            Lakes today: eutrophication in the two lower lakes and several bays;
            impairment of beneficial uses in numerous Areas of Concern (AOCs);  and
            accumulation of toxic pollutants throughout the system, most notably  in
            fish, which threatens both human health and the environment.
3.1 Eutrophication and Oxygen Depletion

             Lower levels of dissolved solids, reduced biochemical oxygen demand, and
             diminished algal growth, as well as algal species shifts, in many Great
             Lakes locations reflect greater control of conventional pollutants, especially
             from direct discharges. Full attainment of the objectives for phosphorus
             reduction called for in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, however,
             will require further control of land runoff. Nitrogen levels continue to
             increase in the Lakes, but this has not yet been demonstrated to cause
             environmental problems except in tributary streams. Monitoring of
             nitrogen levels will be continued.

             Eutrophication in  the Great Lakes is determined largely by phosphorus
             concentrations. Thus the problems of excessive algal growth,  and Lake Erie
             oxygen depletion,  are being addressed by reducing the amount of
             phosphorus reaching the Lakes. Target loadings of phosphorus have been
             achieved for the open lakes in Superior, Huron, and Michigan mainly
             through reduced direct discharges of wastes from industrial and municipal
             sources and detergent phosphate bans. Monitoring will be continued  to
             ensure that the reductions in phosphorus levels are adequate to control
             eutrophication.

             For Lakes Erie and Ontario, and for Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron, further
             efforts are needed  to meet the objectives and target loadings-for
 16

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             phosphorus in the Water Quality Agreement. In June 1986, a U.S. plan for
             phosphorus load reductions to Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and Saginaw Bay
             was submitted to the International Joint Commission (IJC). This five-year
             plan calls for  a major review of progress in  1988. If this review shows that
             voluntary nonpoint  source controls are not effective, regulatory controls
             will need to be considered. The plan focuses on  management of crop
             residues to prevent soil  erosion and nutrient loss and on management of
             animal wastes and commercial fertilizers to minimize nutrients entering
             streams.

             Soil erosion and phosphorus releases  have been reduced by use of
             alternative tillage techniques,  which leave crop residues on the surface to
             hold soil in place. Progress is  being made in reducing agricultural nonpoint
             sources using  conservation tillage in locations such as the Maumee River
             basin in Ohio, but further reductions are needed there and elsewhere.
             GLNPO will continue to track use of conservation tillage techniques and
             will work within EPA and with Department of Agriculture  and State
             agencies to reduce nutrient loadings to  the Great Lakes by reduction of
             land runoff.

             The total cost of new initiatives called for in the U.S. phosphorus
             reduction plans is estimated at $14,310,000,  with  resulting estimated
             reductions of  834 metric tons (MT) in Lake Erie; 26  MT in Lake Ontario;
             and 77  MT in Saginaw Bay.  These reductions will result in meeting the
             phosphorus target loads if existing programs  are maintained at 1985 levels
             and adoption rates for conservation tillage in Ohio prove to be at the high
             range of estimates. If the adoption  rates  decline  significantly in 1988,
             additional initiatives  will be needed in Ohio.

             Results of algal productivity monitoring  as well as monitoring of
             phosphorus loadings  and water chemistry conditions will help determine
             whether existing environmental controls are  sufficient to maintain water
             quality in Lake Superior and  to enhance conditions  in Huron and
             Michigan. The need for stricter controls in these lakes depends on whether
             the biological  community is sufficiently protected by  current limits on
             conventional pollutants.
3.2  Use Impairment in Areas of Concern

             Although water quality in the Great  Lakes has improved in recent decades,
             the IJC has identified 42 geographic AOCs, 30 of which are  in the U.S.
             (five of these are shared with Canada), where beneficial uses  are still
             impaired. In these locations, even though there may be less pollution than
             formerly, existing water quality standards and the objectives of the Great
             Lakes Water Quality Agreement are not  being met.
                                                                                   17

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             The AOCs are depicted in Figure 3. Most are in nearshore and estuarine
             areas near the mouths of tributaries; most are also near major
             metropolitan areas.

             Both conventional and toxic pollutants  are problems in AOCs.  Table 2
             provides a summary of the water quality problems identified in  each of the
             areas. Reduction  of conventional pollution is at  an advanced stage where
             results can be measured and controls refined. Control of toxic pollutants is
             at a much earlier stage.

             All AOCs are affected by  multiple site-specific problems for which
             Remedial Action Plans  are being designed. Since most of the AOC's are at
             the mouths of tributaries,  the accumulations of  toxic chemicals  may be
             due to contributions from upstream as well as from nearby sources. The
             principal  source of toxic pollutants in AOCs may be sediments
             contaminated by past discharges or may be continuing discharges of
             pollutants.
3.3  Lakewide Toxic Pollution
             The most obvious indicator of the problem of toxics in the open lakes is
             the numbers of fish consumption advisories that have been issued by the
             States. Table 3 summarizes the United States-issued fish consumption
             advisories developed and agreed  to by each of the  Great Lakes States and
             issued for 1987. These advisories are based on a few relatively well known
             toxic pollutants including mercury, PCBs, mirex, DDT, chlordane, and
             dioxins. However, many other substances  are also known to be present in
             the fish and elsewhere in the system. In addition to the human health
             hazard, toxic pollutants  may also be responsible for reproductive  disorders
             that can prevent the establishment of naturally reproducing fish and fish
             predator populations, such as mink and bald eagles.

             The United States and Canada have verified the presence of 362
             compounds of concern in the Great Lakes system  and are in the process of
             determining which of these have toxic effects of concern. Those identified
             as posing significant human  or ecosystem health risks will receive priority
             attention and additional control efforts if needed.

             The 1987 revisions to the Water  Quality  Agreement call for the formal
             designation of these highest  priority compounds as Critical Pollutants. In
             addition, the  Agreement calls for the preparation of Lakewide Management
             Plans which will identify the remedial actions needed to attain the
             Agreement  objectives as a step toward elimination of Critical Pollutants.
18

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                      Table  2.  A Summary of Water Quality Problems
                                   Identified in Areas of Concern



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Peninsula Harbor
Jackfish Bay
Nipigon Bay
Thunder Bay
St Louis River/Bay
Torch Lake
Deer Lake-Carp Creek/ River
Manistique River
Menommee River
Fox River/S Green Bay
Sheboygan Harbor
Milwaukee Estuary
Waukegan Harbor
Grand Calumet/ Indiana Harbor
Kalamazoo River
Muskegon Lake
White Lake
Saginaw River/Bay
Collingwood Harbour
Penetang Bay to Sturgeon Bay
Spanish River
Clinton River
Rouge River
Raisin River
Maumee River
Black River
Cuyahoga River
Ashtabula River
Wheatley Harbour
Buffalo River
Eighteen Mile Creek/Olcott H
Rochester Embayment
Oswego River
Bay of Quinte
Port Hope
Toronto Waterfront
Hamilton Harbour
St. Mary's River
St Clair River
Detroit River
Niagara River
St. Lawrence River
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In many cases, where fish tumors have been found, further work is warranted to determine th
have been directly linked to contamination by polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
     Problem exists
                      X Problem not evident
                   j extent of the problem and the causative factor In other cases, fish tumors


N/D No data available     Source  1987 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality Report to the IJC
                                                                                                                  19

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20

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 1. Peninsula Harbor
 2. Jackfish Bay
 3. Nipigon Bay
 4. Thunder Bay
 5. St.  Louis River
 6. Torch Lake
 7. Deer Lake
 8. Manistique River
 9. Menominee River
10. Fox River and Southern Green Bay
11. Sheboygan
12. Milwaukee Estuary
13. Waukegan Harbor
14. Grand Calumet River and  Indiana  Harbor Ship Canal
15. Kalamazoo River
16. Muskegon Lake
17. White Lake, Montague
18. Saginaw River System and Saginaw Bay
19. Collingwood Harbor
20. Pentang Bay to Sturgeon Bay
21. Spanish River
22. Clinton River
23. Rouge River
24. Raisin River
25. Maumee River
26. Black River
27. Cuyahoga  River
28. Ashtabula1 River
29. Wheatley
30. Buffalo River
31 Eighteen Mile Creek
32. Rochester
33. Oswego River
34. Bay Qumte
35. Port Hope
36. Toronto
37. Hamilton Harbor
38. St. Mary's River
39. St. Clair River
40. Detroit River
41. Niagara River
42 St. Lawrence River
               Figure  3. Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin
                    Source: 1987 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality: Report to the IJC
                                                                                                             21

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              At present, the sources and consequences of toxic pollutants are generally
              not understood well enough to determine whether current programs  are
              adequate to achieve the goals of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
              (i.e., virtual elimination of toxic substances). GLNPO recognizes the need
              for a research and monitoring strategy to investigate the sources, fates, and
              effects of toxic chemicals and to delineate their distribution in  the Lakes,
              as an integral component of the formulation of remedial alternatives and
              the preparation of Lakewide Management Plans. In addition, a "mass
              balance" approach is being  developed for use in the Great Lakes as a
              unifying technique for identifying and evaluating multiple pollutant
              sources.
              Mass Balance Approach  to Studying and Managing Toxic Substances

                Traditionally, water quality management focused on control of pipes that
                discharge pollutants to surface waters. Such point sources were the easiest to
                identify, characterize, and control. In many cases,  however, their control did
                not solve water quality problems.

                With recognition that pollutants are also introduced indirectly from
                contaminated air, soil, sediments, and ground water, the management
                approach to Great Lakes water quality had to be reassessed. This reassessment
                led to the initiation of a "mass balance" approach in which the total
                contributions of pollutants from all sources are estimated and analyzed.

                The mass balance approach uses the law of conservation of mass in evaluating
                the sources, transport, and fate of contaminants. This, in turn, allows
                prioritization and allocation of research, remedial actions, and regulatory
                efforts for water quality management. The approach requires that the
                quantities of contaminants entering the system, less quantities stored,
                transformed or degraded within the system, must equal the quantities leaving
                the system. Once an estimated quantity has been established for each
                pollutant of concern, the long-term effects on water quality of the lakes can
                be simulated by mathematical modeling.

                The mass balance approach can be  applied at various levels of intensity and
                precision. Mass balance modeling has been successfully used to support the
                regulation of nutrient loads to the Great Lakes during the past decade.
                Building on this success, Annex 2 of the Water Quality  Agreement includes
                use of the mass balance approach in the development of Lakewide
                Management Plans for Critical Pollutants, in order to estimate total loads and
                the amount of reductions needed to attain ambient water quality objectives.
                Although the sources, pathways, and sinks for organic toxics are less well
                understood, it is anticipated that, in the  near term, the  mass balance
                approach can provide sufficient information to guide policy decisions on the
                reduction of toxics. In later years, it may be possible to use the mass balance
                approach directly to establish regulatory controls for toxics.
22

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        Table 3.  Great  Lakes Public Health Fish Consumption Advisory  1987

  Certain species of fish at some sites in the Great Lakes have been found to be contaminated at levels requiring health advisories. These
  are listed below, precautions noted should be followed in order to prevent or reduce human exposure to potentially toxic materials. It
  is especially important that nursing mothers, pregnant women, women who expect to bear  children, and children below age 15 not eat
  the fish listed below because of the uncertainties over the effect of chemical contaminants on the unborn and on children.
Areas
Lake Michigan2 (Applies to Michigan,
Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin waters)
Green Bay2 (Wisconsin Waters South of
Marmette/Menommee)
Lake Superior (Applies to Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Minnesota waters)
Lake Huron2
Sagmaw Bay
Lake Erie2
Lake Ontario2 (New York waters)
Lake St Clair (applies to Michigan and
Ontario waters)
St. Clair River (applies to Michigan and
Ontario waters)
Detroit River
Restrict Consumption1
Lake Trout 20-23", Coho Salmon over
26" Chinook Salmon 21-32" and
Brown Trout up to 23"
Splake up to 16"
Lake Trout up to 30", Walleye up to
26" (Wisconsin waters)
Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, and
Brown Trout
Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, and
Brown Trout
Carp and Catfish (New York waters —
eat no more than one meal per
month)
White Perch, Coho Salmon up to 21"
Rainbow Trout up to 18" (eat no more
than one meal per month)
Walleye over 18" White Bass over 14",
Smallmouth Bass over 14", Yellow
Perch over 12", Carp over 22" Rock
Bass over 8" Black Crappie over 10",
Largemouth Bass 12-13" Bluegill and
Pumpkinseed over 8" Freshwater
Drum over 12", Carpsucker over 18",
Brown Bullhead over 10" Catfish over
22" and all Northern Pike
Gizzard Shad over 10"
-
Do Not Eat
Lake Trout over 23", Chinook over
32" Brown Trout over 23" Carp, and
Catfish
Rainbow Trout over 22" Chinook
over 25", Brown Trout over 12", Trout
over 15", Splake over 16" Northern
Pike over 28", Walleye over 20" White
Suckers, White Bass, and Carp.
Lake Trout over 30" Walleye over 26"
(Wisconsin waters)
-
Carp and Catfish
Carp and Catfish (applies to
Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
waters)
American Eel, Channel Catfish, Lake
Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho
Salmon over 21" Rainbow Trout over
25", Brown Trout over 18"
Largemouth Bass over 14", Muskie,
and Sturgeon
-
Carp
  1 Also applies to tributaries into which migratory species enter.
  2 Nursing mothers, pregnant women, women who anticipate bearing children, and children age 15 and under should not eat the fish
   listed in any of the categories listed above.


Source: 1987 Report on  Great Lakes Water Quality: Report to the IJC
                                                                                                                 23

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              The Great Lakes National Program Office Research and
              Monitoring Strategy for Toxic Pollutants

                Research specific to the problem of toxic substances in the Great Lakes is
                needed for many reasons. The Lakes have many characteristics, most notably
                their size and the numbers of pollutant sources, that make them unique. The
                Lakes are a sink for pollutants from approximately one fifth  of the U.S.
                population and industry. Long food chains in the Lakes cause toxic pollutants
                to be bioaccumulated at higher rates than in other freshwater bodies, where
                water retention times are lower and aquatic communities are less diverse.
                While these characteristics contribute to special problems in  the Great Lakes,
                they also make the Lakes an "early warning system" for environmental
                pollution problems. Research on toxic pollutant problems in the Great Lakes
                can therefore  serve not only to help solve Great Lakes water quality problems,
                but also to provide environmental managers responsible for other freshwater
                systems with an understanding of the most important factors affecting the
                movement and fate of toxic pollutants and the most effective management
                techniques for protection and remediation.

                To fully understand the toxic pollution problem in the Great Lakes, research
                is needed on the effects of long-term exposures to chronic low-level toxic
                concentrations, the effects of short-term exposures to critical concentrations of
                toxics, and on total loadings of toxic pollutants to the Lakes. There is a need
                to examine toxic pollutant loadings from all media (air, ground water,
                sediment, surface water) in terms of their effect on the whole ecosystem. This
                need was the  basis for initiating the mass  balance study.

                Multiple Federal and State agencies as well as the academic community have
                important roles in Great 
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a general long-term surveillance strategy for toxic substances, including
measurement of inputs and ambient concentrations in water, sediment, and
biota. Based on risk assessment techniques, EPA should establish a priority
list of specific chemicals for monitoring at specific sites. An assessment of
existing and required analytical capabilities to support the monitoring program
will also be needed. While surveillance proceeds, a fundamental understanding
of the important physical, chemical, and biological processes that work in the
nearshore  areas, connecting channels,  harbors, and estuaries of the Great
Lakes is needed and should also be developed in parallel.
                 Research Emphasis — November 1985
          Great Lakes Federal Strategy for Toxic Substances
                          Research Emphasis
                                                                       25

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               Laboratory research should seek causes of reproductive failures in fish and
               seek to identify any unexpected shifts in species that may result from
               exposures to toxic chemicals.

               As this research proceeds, comprehensive and coordinated studies should be
               conducted to collect data, validate theoretical models, and address Areas of
               Concern. Throughout the conduct of this basic and applied research,
               scientists should participate  in the environmental policy process. Scientists
               should set aside time for technical assistance to the regulatory process in EPA,
               to the IJC, and to  the Corps of Engineers.
             Because of large lake volumes, pollutants are rapidly diluted in the open
             waters of the Great Lakes. As a result, episodes of acute toxicity rarely
             occur. Long  lake retention times, however, make chronic toxicity from
             prolonged exposure to low concentrations a major concern. Also,
             accumulations of some toxic  pollutants biomagnify  through the food chain
             to become as much as  a million times more concentrated in fish than in
             water. Chronic toxicity problems are further exacerbated by low sediment
             burial rates (and, hence,  prolonged exposures  of fish and benthic organisms
             to contaminated sediments)  and possible synergistic effects of  toxic
             chemicals.

             Effects of toxic pollutants that have been measured in the Great Lakes
             include health risks to  humans as well as deformities, neoplasia, and
             reproductive disorders in birds, fish, mammals,  and invertebrates. As the
             ability to detect toxic pollutants and their effects improves, it  is likely that
             new pollutants will be  discovered that will also require control or
             elimination.

             The largest identified concentrations of toxic  pollutants in the Great Lakes
             are in the AOCs.  As remedial actions  are taken to clean up the AOCs,
             loadings from these areas to  the waters of the open lakes will  be reduced.
             The extent to which such reductions will contribute to attaining water
             quality objectives in the open lakes can be evaluated using the mass
             balance approach.  For  pollutants with a  major  airborne  deposition
             contribution, however, AOC reductions  will have limited impact, except
             locally.

             Problems of toxic pollutants  are not limited to  the  Areas of Concern. As
             illustrated in Figure 4,  many other locations outside the Areas of Concern
             have been found to have toxic pollutant concentrations, primarily in
             sediments.

             Some toxic pollutant concentrations in the Great Lakes system have
             declined  over the  years,  as previously illustrated in  Figure 2. Key questions
             remain: How far will they be reduced by existing programs? How far must
26

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they be decreased to provide adequate protection for human and ecosystem
health? What additional actions are needed to attain water quality
objectives? These questions will be the focus of GLNPO's work in this area
over the next five years.

Toxic pollutants released into the environment during the manufacture,
transport, use, and disposal of  various products may reach the Lakes by
many pathways. Research in the 1970s showed that atmospheric deposition
is a major source of pollutants  in the Lakes for organic chemicals such as
PCBs and toxaphene and for metals such as lead, zinc, and cadmium.

Atmospheric transport is believed  to be the only source for some toxic
chemicals to the Upper Great Lakes, where neither direct discharges nor
land runoff can account for their presence or elevated levels in fish. More
information is needed about sources to the  atmosphere, including the role
of combustion, evaporation, and volatilization, to support the  development
of regulatory controls. The  Lakes themselves may contribute to
atmospheric contamination, since  volatilization of PCBs from the water
surface into the air has been reported.

Sediments are another source of both toxic  chemicals  and nutrients that
have settled out of the water column to become in-place pollutants. In
many Areas of Concern, toxic  pollutants are concentrated in sediments
that may  be  in "toxic hotspots" or dispersed over wide areas in
embayments  and in tributaries. They tend to  accumulate below direct
discharges of effluents with  a high solids content and  may remain in place
indefinitely. In areas where  sediments have high concentrations of toxic
chemicals, fish have even higher concentrations in  their tissues. Concern
about these contaminated sediments has grown with discovery of high
rates of lip and liver tumors in bullheads that feed  on the bottom.
Sediments become  a source of contamination  when toxic pollutants are
released by biological action, by physical disturbance from boats or storms,
or by dredging navigation channels. Although the  highest concentration of
toxics in sediments was deposited before discharge regulations were in
effect, accumulation of many pollutants is continuing.

Discharge from waste sites and  other  sources of ground-water
contamination, through surface runoff or through ground water, is another
source of contaminants to the Lakes. Concern about this source has
increased with the confirmation of loadings  from landfills to the Niagara
River, and with the known  ground-water contamination from the many
hazardous and solid waste disposal sites that are adjacent to the Great
Lakes or their tributaries.  EPA's Superfund and Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act programs address  identified problems  at these sites. GLNPO
will need to work closely with these programs to ensure that impacts to
the Lakes are  identified and that resultant remedial actions  meet the
                                                                     27

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28

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  1  Marathon —  mercury, PCB's, dioxm, POP
  2  Jackfish Bay — mercury, phenois
  3  Nipigon Bay  - mercury, phenois
  4  Thunder Bay — PCP, mercury
  5  Silver Bay — asbestiform fibera
  6  Western Basin —  asbestiform fibera
  1  Ahland —  PAH's,  heavy metals
  8  Keweenaw Peninsula — copper mine tailings
  9  Deer Lake/Carp River - mercury
 10  Manistique River - PCB's
 11  Menominee/Marmette - arsenic
 12  Green Bay - PCB's, mercury, PCDF's
 13  Fox River —  PCB's, mercury, chlorinated organic, PCDF's
 14  Sheboygan River - PCB's
 15  Milwaukee - PCB's, heavy metals, PAH's
 16  Waukegan  Harbor - PCB's
 17  Great Lakes Naval  Training Center — heavy metals
 18  Indiana Harbor/Grand Calumet River - PCB's, heavy metals, PAH's
 19  Kalamazoo River - PCB's
20  Grand River — heavy metals
21 Muskegon River — P4H's
22  Muskegon Lake, Mona Lake, Little Bear  Creek -  chlorinated organics,
   heavy metafs
 23  White Lake - PCB's, chromium, chlorinated organics
 24  Pme/Tittabawssee/Sagmaw Rivers - PBB's, dioxm, PCB's, PCDF's
 25  Sagmaw Bay - PCB's, PCDF's, DDT
 26  Sarma - PAH's, mercury, PCS's, chlorinated organics, octochlorostyrene
 27  St  Clair River - heavy metals,  PCB's chlorinated organics, alkyl
    lead, PCS's, octochlorostyrene
 28  Lake St Clair  — mercury
 29  Thames River  - pesticides
 30  Wheatley Harbour - pesticides, PCB's
 31  Detroit River - PAH's, PCB's, heavy metals
 32  Monroe - PCB's, heavy metals
 33  Black River - heavy metals, PAH's
 34  Cleveland Area - heavy metals
 35  Ashtabula River — heavy metals, PCB's PAH's, PCS's, HCB's, HCBD's
 36  Port Colbourne — heavy metals
 37  Buffalo River — PAH's, phenols, heavy metals, chlorinated
    organics, octochlorostyrene
 38  Niagara River - mirex, PCB's PAH's, heavy metals, chlorinated organics
 39  Niagara Falls (Love Canal) — dioxm, chlorinated organics
 40  Olcott - heavy metals
 41  Rochester Embayment - heavy metals
 42  Oswego Harbor — mirex, PCB's, heavy metals
 43  Sackets Harbor — mercury
 44  Massena/Grass River - PCB's
 45  Cornwall — PCB's, heavy metals
 46  Maitland - alkyl lead
 47  Moira  River —  heavy metals
 48  Bay of Qumte  — mercury, dioxm, PCP
 49  Port Hope — uranium, radium, heavy metals
 50  Whitby Harbour — polychlonnated biphenyl ethera
 51 Toronto — PCB's, pesticides, dioxm mirex, heavy metals
 52  Hamilton Harbour  -  PCB's, heavy metals, phenois
53  St  Catherines  - PCB's
54  Collmgwood —  heavy metals,  PCB's
55  Spanish River — PCB's, heavy metals, phenois
56  Serpent Harbour — heavy metals, DDT, radionuclides
57  St  Mary's River — phenois
58  Michipicoten Harbour - PCP
                                    Figure  4. Locations  of  Known Toxic Pollutant Problems
                                                                in the Great Lakes  Basin

                                          Source: U.S.E.P.A. publication. Toxic Substances in the  Great Lakes, June 1980
                                                                                                                                          29

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             objectives of the statutes and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
             The impacts on the Lakes, if any, from the underground injection of waste,
             or from underground  storage tanks, have yet to be investigated.

             Safe disposal and treatment of contaminated sediment after  removal is of
             great concern. Whether the environmental impact is greater  from removal
             of contaminated sediments or from leaving them  in place is  a major issue
             in many Areas of Concern.

             Likewise, decisions to  treat contaminated ground  water that  is, or will be,
             discharging  to the  Lakes is an issue that should be based on overall
             environmental impacts.

             Stormwater  runoff, from both urban and industrial sites, and agricultural
             runoff are potentially  large sources of chemicals.  Continuing increases in
             the use of pesticides in both urban and rural areas remain a major concern
             that needs to be further evaluated. The Clean Water Act Amendments of
             1987 place renewed national emphasis on  nonpoint source, combined  sewer
             overflow and Stormwater problems. New and existing EPA programs will be
             addressing these problems through national assessments and control
             programs in the next  few years. GLNPO will work with these programs to
             ensure that  Federal policies account for the special needs of  the Great
             Lakes ecosystem.
30

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CHAPTER 4
Regulatory  and
Remedial  Programs
                          Existing Federal and State Environmental
                          Programs and a Review of Accomplishments
            Tools available for correcting pollution problems and enhancing
            environmental quality in the Great Lakes derive from Federal mandates
            created through a variety of Congressional Acts.
4.1 Program Descriptions
            U.S. water pollution control programs are implemented through a
            partnership between EPA's Regional Water Divisions and the States that
            operate these programs under delegated authority. The Clean Water Act
            requires a comprehensive program of technology-based effluent  controls for
            pollution from point sources. In addition, controls based on ambient water
            quality must be established where technology-based requirements alone are
            not sufficient to protect receiving waters.

            These controls are imposed and enforced under the National Pollutant
            Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) of the Clean Water Act.
            Discharges of specific toxic pollutants from point sources are being limited
            as NPDES discharge permits are reissued.  Under the pretreatment program,
            industrial dischargers of toxic pollutants to publicly owned treatment works
            (POTWs) are required to treat their effluents to reduce or eliminate the
            level of toxic pollutants if these pollutants pass through the POTW or
            interfere with the POTW's treatment process. All point source dischargers
            to the Great Lakes  are  subject to permit requirements and all of the major
            Great  Lakes  cities in the U.S. have pretreatment program requirements
            specified in their NPDES permits. Improved controls for discharges of toxic
            pollutants and planning for improvements to water quality in areas where
            toxic pollutants are especially problematic will be important areas of
            emphasis for State and Federal water programs in the next few  years. As
            biological monitoring and fate and effect research define information needs
                                                                          31

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             for mass balance modeling, GLNPO will develop studies to provide
             information that will enable State and Federal programs to determine
             where strict effluent limits for toxic pollutants  are most needed.

             Since point source discharges  are not the only sources of toxic pollutants
             entering the Great Lakes, other authorities must be exercised in  order to
             fully control and correct the toxics problem facing the Lakes. These laws
             include  the nonpoint source control authorities and dredge and  fill
             regulations established under the Clean Water Act and under laws of
             various  States, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal
             Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Safe Drinking
             Water Act  (SDWA),  the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA),
             the Comprehensive Environmental Response,  Compensation and Liability
             Act (CERCLA), the Clean Air Act, and the National Environmental
             Policy Act  (NEPA).

             The  Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) empowers the Administrator of
             EPA to  regulate  chemical substances and mixtures that present an
             unreasonable risk to human health or the environment and to take action
             with respect to chemical substances and mixtures  that pose imminent
             hazards. Under TSCA, EPA gathers certain basic  information on chemical
             risks from chemical manufacturers and processors. EPA may require
             companies  to conduct specific tests on the toxicity of chemicals before they
             are manufactured for distribution  in commerce. To prevent unreasonable
             risks, EPA  may select from a broad range of control actions available under
             TSCA,  ranging from requiring hazard warning labels to outright bans on
             the manufacture or use of especially hazardous chemicals.  EPA may
             regulate chemicals at any stage in  their life-cycle: during manufacturing,
             processing, distribution in commerce, use, or disposal.

             The  Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) governs the
             licensing or registration of pesticide products.  No  pesticide may be
             marketed in the United States until EPA reviews an application  for
             registration, approves each specific use pattern, and registers the  product.
             Decisions are based  upon data demonstrating that use will not result  in
             unreasonable human health or environmental effects. FIFRA balances the
             risks a pesticide may pose with its benefits to society.

             The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has three provisions to protect
             ground-water resources. The Sole Source Aquifer Program requires EPA  to
             review all Federally funded or supported projects within sole source aquifers
             to ensure that such  projects have  no adverse  impact on the aquifer. The
             Wellhead Protection Program requires States to identify wellhead protection
             areas around public water supplies and to develop ground-water
             management plans for these areas. The Underground Injection Control
             Program protects underground sources of drinking water.  These sources  of
32

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drinking water are aquifers, or portions of aquifers,  that contain water
with less than  10,000 parts per million of dissolved solids and that supply
public water systems, or have the potential to do  so.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and its subsequent
amendments provide EPA's authority to regulate the transportation,
treatment,  storage, and disposal of solid and hazardous waste in .the U.S.
Subtitle D of RCRA encourages States to  develop comprehensive plans for
the management of  solid wastes (i.e., domestic solid  wastes,  agricultural
wastes, and small quantities of industrial wastes).  Subtitle C establishes a
system for  controlling hazardous industrial waste from the time it is
generated until its ultimate disposal, in effect from "cradle to grave."
Amendments to RCRA passed in 1984 provided new authorities for
cleaning  up existing  contamination at hazardous waste sites and  for
encouraging industry to develop techniques for minimizing the quantities
of hazardous waste generated. Under Subtitle I, RCRA controls certain
underground storage tanks by establishing  performance standards for new
tanks and  requiring  leak detection, prevention, and  corrective action at
underground tank sites.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response,  Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA) authorized the Federal government to develop a system for
identifying and cleaning up chemical and hazardous substance releases
harmful to public health and the environment; established a "Superfund"
to pay for  cleaning up environmental contamination in instances where no
responsible parties can be found or where  the parties cannot pay for
cleanup;  and authorized EPA to recover the costs of cleaning up chemical
and hazardous  substance releases through litigation against responsible
parties. Further legislation under the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization  Act (SARA) redirects  the remedial process to include an
emphasis on permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies;
increases the emphasis on State involvement in the  initiation,
development, and selection of remedial actions; and expands removal
authorities.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is empowered to effect reductions in
atmospheric concentrations of toxic  pollutants by establishing  and
enforcing national emission standards. Other Federal standards for motor
vehicle emissions, new sources of air pollution, and  municipal solid waste
combustion have also been promulgated  under the Act.  In addition to
Federal regulation, reductions in atmospheric toxic pollution result from
implementation and  enforcement of State and local  air toxics programs.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) directs all Federal  agencies to
determine the potential environmental impacts of their proposed activities and
to consider those impacts in their decision-making  process. EPA is the central
clearinghouse for ensuring an on-the-record review for all Federal activities.

                                                                     33

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             The eight Great Lakes States also have their own environmental laws and
             regulations to protect the Lakes. The purpose of some State programs is to
             implement delegated Federal authorities, while others implement State
             policies that supplement Federal policy or address other issues.
4.2  Program Achievements
             Since passage of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972,
             considerable  progress has been made toward controlling pollution in the
             Great Lakes  Basin, under the Clean Water Act and the many other
             environmental statutes administered by EPA. The most notable  progress
             relates to cleanup  of municipal and industrial discharges to surface waters.
             U.S. direct discharges into the Great Lakes system are now regulated under
             3,819 discharge permits, 2,633 industrial permits,  and 1,186 municipal
             sewage treatment facility permits. Through 1987,  $8 billion in Federal and
             State grants had been invested in the Great Lakes Basin for municipal
             sewage treatment works.

             In 1986, more than 95 percent of the Great Lakes States population within
             EPA Region V was served by municipal sewage treatment facilities, and 99
             percent of the sanitary wastes in sewered areas received at  least  secondary
             treatment. Additional treatment for phosphorus removal was provided for
             79 percent of sewage, and 206 of 273  major facilities complied with the 1
             milligram per liter (mg/1) effluent limit for phosphorus. Advanced waste
             treatment was used in  15 percent of treatment facilities and eight percent
             provided high-level nitrogen control.

             Figure 5 shows the reduction in phosphorus discharged from the major
             municipal sewage treatment plants to  Lakes Erie  and Ontario. The
             approximately 80 percent reduction since 1972 has reduced the  U.S.
             phosphorus loadings down to the limits set in the Agreement with
             Canada. Biochemical oxygen demand and discharges of suspended solids
             have been reduced by approximately the same magnitude.  Such substantial
             compliance is reflected in clearer water, less  algal  growth, and the return of
             desirable fish species to many locations.

             Considerable progress has been made under other statutes as well.  Since
             Federal regulations for hazardous waste generation, transport, treatment,
             storage, and  disposal facilities were  promulgated in 1980, EPA's Regional
             programs and delegated State programs have identified 25,958 permittees
             and permit applicants in the counties of the Great Lakes Basin.  Statutory
             provisions added in 1984 will ensure that the full scope of environmental
             contamination resulting from improper handling  of hazardous waste will be
34

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                    Lake Erie
                                                                    Lake Ontario
  14000
  13000
  12000
•C 11000
I 10000
1 9000
£ 8000
.§ 7000
1" 6000
  5000
  4000
  3000
  2000
   1000
3
       ^U.S. Load at 1 mg/l
            Canadian Load at 1 mg/l
                                    Canada
                                                   5500
                                                   5000
                                                 I 4500
                                                 jr 4000
3  3000
?  2500
|  2000
o.  1500
   1000
   500
"Canadian Load
_ at 1 mg/l

-U.sTload at 1 mg/l
        72 73 74 75  76  77 78 79 80  81 82 83 84  85
                        Year
                                                         72 73  74  75 76 77 78  79 80 81  82 83 84 85
                                                                         Year
        The horizontal lines depict the sum of the expected loading (in 1985) from those municipalities discharging >3,800 m3/d,
        if the phosphorus concentration in the effluent from each facility were 1 mg/l.

        Source 1987 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality Report to the IJC
 Figure 5. Reported Municipal Phosphorus Loadings  to the Lower Great Lakes
              controlled. Under  the RCRA corrective action program, facility  owners
              and operators will  be required to clean up all existing contamination before
              permits will be granted.

              Uncontrolled hazardous  materials sites in the Basin have also received
              considerable  attention since passage of the Superfund Act in  1980. EPA's
              National Priority List (NPL), required by the Superfund Act,  identifies
              hazardous waste sites of  national importance that are eligible  for Federal
              cleanup funds. This  list includes over  131 sites located in the  Great Lakes
              Basin. Moreover, States such as Michigan, New York, Ohio, and
              Minnesota have created  their own State Superfunds  to  address sites that
              do not warrant listing on the NPL but have high State priority  for
              cleanup.

              State air programs  in the Great Lakes Basin have made considerable
              progress toward implementing the provisions of the Clean Air Act and,
              particularly over the last several  years, have  greatly reduced sulfur  dioxide
              emissions within  the Basin. Attention has now turned to the control of
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             air toxics.  All eight States in the Basin are coordinating emissions  '
             inventory  procedures for air toxics  and jointly developing permit guidelines
             to assure appropriate controls on air toxic sources.

             The Great Lakes States have realized many  important accomplishments
             toward achieving the goals of the Agreement in recent years. As an
             example, in 1987, the Governor of Ohio  established a Lake Erie Office
             charged with coordinating all State policies, programs, and procedures to
             protect and ensure the wise development of Lake Erie; advising on the
             implementation of a basin wide approach to Lake Erie issues; promoting
             education  and the wise management of Lake Erie resources; improving
             State partnerships with local governments; and establishing a coastal
             management program.

             The State of Michigan has an Office of the Great Lakes within its
             Department of Natural Resources and produces  an annual State of the
             Great Lakes Report. The Annual Report for 1987-1988 reports a number of
             successes including a new State Nonpoint Source Pollution Program;  the
             completion of a strategy for a State-run loan program to finance
             construction of municipal wastewater treatment  facilities; and the initiation
             of source reduction impact statements as  part of the State permitting
             process to address toxic discharges. Future initiatives are also outlined in
             the Report. These include (1)  a Michigan Environmental Enforcement and
             Research Trust Fund that would use judgments against and settlements
             with polluters to fund enforcement of environmental laws and sponsor
             Great Lakes research and (2) the establishment of a Great Lakes Congress
             to inform  Michigan citizens about  Great  Lakes issues.

             The State of New York is carrying out provisions of a Declaration of
             Intent, signed in February 1987 by the New York State Department of
             Environmental Conservation, Ontario Ministry of the Environment,
             Environment Canada, and EPA. This four-party agreement includes a
             commitment for a 50 percent reduction in persistent toxic chemicals of
             concern to the Niagara River by 1996.  The State's Niagara River Toxic
             Management Plan, first produced in July 1987 in response to the toxics
             commitment, calls for controls on  both point and nonpoint  sources of
             pollution.  Another  four-party toxic management plan, for Lake Ontario, is
             also being developed in  1988.

             The State of Wisconsin  has had important  achievements toward the  goals
             of the Agreement. The Remedial Action  Plan for the  Lower  Green
             Bay/Lower Fox  River was signed by the Governor of Wisconsin as an
             amendment to Wisconsin's Water Quality Management Plan. The
             development of this plan is a good example of the value of public
             participation. A 70-member Citizen's Advisory Committee, with four
             technical subcommittees, advised the Wisconsin Department of Natural
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Resources in the preparation of the plan. All parties worked together to
identify their goals for the Bay and River in the year 2000 and to develop
16 Key Actions and  many specific recommendations necessary to achieve
this "Desired Future  State." The "Desired Future State" includes a healthy
bay environment,  a balanced edible sport/commercial fishery, water-based
recreational opportunities, good water quality that protects public health
and wildlife, balanced shoreline use,  productive wildlife and plant
communities, and  an economical transportation network that minimizes
adverse environmental effects.

Key actions include reducing phosphorus and sediment loads, increasing
the numbers of sport fish, enhancing public and private shoreline uses,
and increasing public education efforts. The all-encompassing nature of the
plan led to inclusion of a recommendation  to create a coordinating  council
as an institutional structure for implementation. The council members will
include local, State,  and Federal officials, and citizen members representing
business, industry, recreational, and environmental interests.

The Great Lakes States have also worked jointly toward achieving the
goals of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In June  1986, the
Governors of the eight Great Lakes States  signed "The Great Lakes  Toxic
Substances Control Agreement." This agreement pledges the States to  treat
the Lakes as a single ecosystem despite  political boundaries,  acknowledges
that toxic pollutants are the foremost problem to be addressed, and lays
out goals for the States.  More recently,  the  Governors agreed to establish a
permanent fund for  Great Lakes  studies.

During the next five years, GLNPO  will work  closely with State and EPA
Headquarters and  Regional programs to focus regulatory, permitting, and
enforcement actions  in the Basin on the most  critical pollution problems.
GLNPO has already begun to work with new programs  for ground-water
pollution, for example, to ensure  that the information needed to support
management decisions is made available in  a format that facilitates
decision-making. In the next five years, GLNPO will expand its work  with
hazardous and solid  waste programs and will play an active role in assisting
State water programs with planning for cleanup of toxic pollution in
surface waters.
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CHAPTER 5
The   Clean   Water  Act
                           GLNPO's Charter to coordinate the U.S.  Response to
                           the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
            The Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 included Section 118, which
            formally recognizes the Great Lakes as a valuable national resource and
            establishes a Congressional mandate for the Great Lakes National Program
            Office. Under various elements of Section 118, the Program Office is
            specifically mandated to:

                • Develop and implement specific action plans to carry out the
                  responsibilities of the U.S. under the Great Lakes Water Quality
                  Agreement, in cooperation with appropriate agencies and with  full
                  public participation (c)(l)(A)

                • Establish a Great Lakes system-wide surveillance network to monitor
                  the water quality of the Lakes,  with emphasis on monitoring toxic
                  pollutants (c)(l)(B)

                • Serve as liaison with, and provide information to, the Canadian
                  Members of the  International Joint Commission, and the Canadian
                  counterpart to EPA (c)(l)(C)

                • Coordinate actions of the Agency aimed at improving Great Lakes
                  water quality (c)(l)(D)

                • Coordinate actions of the Agency with the actions of other Federal,
                  State, and local  agencies so as to ensure the input of those agencies
                  and authorities in developing water quality strategies and obtain the
                  support  of those agencies and authorities in achieving the objectives
                  of such agreement (c)(l)(E)

                • Develop a five year plan and program for reducing the amount of
                  nutrients introduced into the Great Lakes (c)(2)
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      Carry out a five year study and demonstration projects relating to
      the control and removal of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes, with
      emphasis on the removal of toxic pollutants from bottom sediments
The EPA Administrator is required to:

    • Ensure that GLNPO enters  into agreements concerning Great  Lakes
      activities with appropriate EPA offices and State agencies  that
      describe duties and responsibilities, time periods, and resources to be
      committed (c)(4)

    • Include a separate budget line item for GLNPO annually  (c)(5)

    • Submit a comprehensive annual report to Congress that describes
      the achievements of the preceding fiscal year, progress in
      implementing a Great Lakes water quality surveillance system,  long-
      term prospects for Great Lakes water quality improvement, and
      efforts planned for the succeeding year (c)(6).

The Act also establishes a Great Lakes Research Office (GLRO) within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify
research issues, inventory research programs, establish a research exchange,
develop a data base and comprehensive research program, and conduct
research and monitoring activities (d). GLNPO and GLRO are required to
prepare a joint research plan annually (e).

The Army Corps of Engineers,  Soil Conservation Service,  Coast Guard,
Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA are required to submit annual
reports to the EPA Administrator on activities affecting compliance with
the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

The Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 contain other  sections that
will be important for supporting Great Lakes objectives over the next five
years. Two  of these sections address control strategies  for toxic pollutants
and management of nonpoint sources of pollution:

    • The  toxics provision,  Section 304, requires States to submit to EPA a
      list of waters that are expected to fall short of water  quality
      standards  even after discharges have met current cleanup
      requirements, due to the presence of toxic pollutants. States must
      identify the specific discharges responsible  for the toxic pollution  and
      propose strategies for  reducing toxic  discharges from these  facilities.
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                   A new program, Section 319, was created to control nonpoint source
                   pollution. This  program requires a State assessment of waters that
                   are not expected to meet  water quality standards because of
                   nonpoint source pollution and development of a management
                   program for controlling this  pollution.
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CHAPTER 6
The  Great  Lakes  Water
Quality  Agreement
                          An Overview of the  1972,  1978, 1983, and  1987
                          Water Quality Agreements with Canada
6.1 Overview
            The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 affirmed that Canada and the United
            States have equal rights to the use of waterways that cross the
            international border and that neither country has the right to pollute its
            neighbor's resources. The International Joint Commission (IJC) was
            established as an independent body to assist the two governments under
            the treaty. For  many years the treaty primarily provided a non-
            confrontational process for limited regulation of water levels and flows for
            navigation and power production.

            The first Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada was
            signed in 1972. In response to an increasing understanding of the Great
            Lakes and their pollution problems, the 1978 Agreement, and the 1983
            supplement, evolved in several important respects. First, while the 1972
            Agreement called for control of pesticides as the principal means for
            controlling toxic pollution, the 1978 Agreement called for control of all
            toxic substances that could endanger the health and well-being of any
            living organism. Second, under the 1978 Agreement, water quality
            restoration and enhancements were called for throughout the Great Lakes
            Basin, not just in the  waters of the Great Lakes. Third, the 1983
            supplement required phosphorus target loads and required commitments to
            prepare and implement load reduction plans.

            In 1987 the Water Quality Agreement was again amended. The basic
            purpose of the Agreement remained to "restore and maintain the chemical,
            physical,  and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin
            ecosystem." To  achieve this purpose, the Parties agreed to:
               • Develop  programs, practices, and technology necessary for a better
                 understanding of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem;  and
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                 • Eliminate or reduce to the maximum extent practicable the discharge
                   of pollutants into the Great  Lakes system.

             A major provision of the  1972 Agreement that has been carried over to
             the present Agreement is the setting of specific water quality objectives.
             These objectives specify ambient levels of pollutants that must be attained
             to protect beneficial uses.  Attainment of these water quality objectives  is
             the major mechanism for  implementing the purpose and goals of the
             Agreement.

             In addition to setting objectives, the Agreement calls for preparation of
             management  plans, implementation of remedial actions to address
             pollution sources, and monitoring  of compliance and environmental
             conditions. Implementation in each country depends on  the integration of
             remedial programs into National, Provincial, and State laws and policies.
             Responsibilities under the Agreement are shared equally by the Parties  (the
             two governments as Parties to the  Agreement).

             The 1987 revision recognizes the need for  strengthened efforts  to address
             the continuing contamination of the Great Lakes Basin  ecosystem,
             particularly by persistent toxic substances.  It acknowledges that many of
             these toxic substances result in part from sources of air pollution within
             and beyond the  Great  Lakes Basin and that these substances may lead to
             polluted ground  water and sediments that become potential sources of
             contaminant  loadings to the Lakes. The revised Agreement provides an
             awareness that further  research and program development is required to
             enable effective remedial actions and recognizes the need for decisive
             leadership in the implementation of control measures. In placing new
             emphasis on  management and accountability,  the roles of the two
             governments  and the IJC  are given clearer definition. For example, the
             Parties are called  upon to  provide numerous reports to the IJC as
             summarized in Table 4.  The IJC is to then conduct reviews and evaluations
             followed by recommendations to the two countries (the  Department of
             State in the U.S.) on the adequacy of the  reported activities in satisfying
             the terms of  the Agreement.
6.2  Role of the International Joint Commission

             The IJC consists of six Commissioners, half appointed by the Chief
             Executive  of each country. The Commission addresses a variety of
             boundary  waters concerns along the international border by calling
             attention to problems, recommending actions to the governments, or
             evaluating actions of the governments.
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          Table 4. Summary of Reporting Requirements and Milestones
                   Added  by the 1987 Water Quality Agreement
             Annex
        Dates
             Subject
Annex 1; Specific Objectives
4/1/88
7/1/88 & biennially
                                   12/31/88
Annex 2; Remedial Action Plans and   12/31/88 & biennally
   Lakewide Management Plans       9/30/89 & biennally
Annex 12; Persistent Toxic Substances   12/31/88 &. biennally
Annex 13; Pollution from Nonpoint
   Sources

Annex 14; Contaminated Sediment
6/30/88
12/31/88 & biennally
12/31/88 & biennally
12/31/88
                                   12/31/88 & biennally

Annex 15; Airborne Toxic Substances   10/1/88
                                   12/31/88 & biennally

Annex 16; Pollution from              12/31/88 & biennally
   Contaminated Ground Water
Resolve toxicity definitions
Review specific water quality objectives
and establish toxic substance action
levels
Compile and maintain lists of known
or suspected toxic pollutants

Progress Report
Identification and review of Point
Source Impact Zones

Progress Report on reducing generation
of contaminants
12/31/88 & biennally     Progress Report
Begin design of demonstration program
Progress Report
Methods evaluation
Approach and procedure for
management of contaminated
sediments
Evaluate technologies

Confer on air deposition network
Progress report

Progress Report
              The Water Quality Agreement created two boards to provide advice  to the
              IJC concerning water quality  within the Great  Lakes Basin: the Water
              Quality Board and the Science Advisory Board.

              The purpose of the Water  Quality Board is to advise the IJC about
              progress under the Agreement and  to propose needed actions. Members
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             serve as resource experts rather than as representatives of their agencies.
             U.S. members are generally drawn from State environmental management
             agencies, with the Great Lakes National Program Manager traditionally
             serving as chairman of the U.S. section.

             The Science Advisory Board advises both the IJC and the Water Quality
             Board about  needed scientific research and carries out special  investigations
             on request. Its membership includes managers of Great Lakes  research
             programs and other experts. Both boards are assisted  by committees and
             task forces.

             The IJC operates a binational Great Lakes Regional Office in  Windsor,
             Ontario, that provides secretariat services  to the two  boards of experts
             called for  in the Agreement.  The agencies represented on the  boards fund
             the participation of their staffs and the activities required to serve the
             boards. No reimbursement for  services by government agencies is provided
             by the IJC.
6.3  Role of the  Parties
             The role of the U.S. and Canada (the Parties) is to implement their Water
             Quality Agreement. Formal international communication between the U.S.
             and foreign governments is conducted in the U.S. by the Department of
             State. The State Department led the delegation that negotiated the 1987
             Amendments to the Agreement. In  addition to clarifying the role of the
             Parties,  these Amendments also call upon the Parties, in Article X(3), to
             meet twice a year  to "coordinate their respective work plans  with regard to
             implementation . . . and to evaluate progress made."

             The U.S.  Department of State  and its Canadian counterpart, External
             Affairs, Canada, have delegated lead responsibility to USEPA and  its
             counterpart, Environment Canada, for the semiannual meetings. These
             agencies,  in turn,  have  assigned this responsibility to their respective
             national program managers. Thus the Great Lakes National  Program
             Manager  in Chicago now has three distinct Great Lakes roles: 1) Great
             Lakes National Program Manager for USEPA across the eight Great Lakes
             States;  2) U.S. co-chairman of the binational coordination meetings; and 3)
             U.S. co-chairman  of the IJC Water Quality Board. Staff support for all
             three of these functions is  provided  by GLNPO.
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6.4 Summary of the Water Quality Agreement

              General purposes and obligations are described in the text of the
              Agreement. Specific measures to reduce and prevent pollution are  listed in
              the annexes. For EPA, the following provisions are the most important:

              Article II of the Agreement sets forth the intent of the Parties "to restore
              and maintain  the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters
              of the Great Lakes  Basin Ecosystem." It also states the policy that  "The
              discharge of toxic substances in toxic amounts be prohibited and the discharge of
              any or all persistent toxic substances be virtually eliminated."

              Article III sets forth general objectives that state  that the  waters of the
              Great Lakes should be free from materials that adversely affect various
              beneficial uses or adversely affect aquatic life.

              Article IV  calls  for the development of specific water quality objectives
              according to a process identified in Annex 1. The article states that, "The
              Specific Objectives adopted pursuant  to this Article represent the minimum levels
              of water quality desired in the  boundary waters of the Great Lakes System and
              are not intended to preclude the establishment of more stringent requirements."

              Article IV  also sets forth the basis for the management framework
              contained in Annex 2. "The Parties recognize that there are areas in  the
              boundary waters of the Great Lakes System where, due to human activity, one or
              more of the  General  or Specific Objectives of the Agreement are not being met.
              Pending virtual elimination of persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes
              System, the  Parties, in cooperation with State and Provincial Governments and
              the Commission,  shall identify  and work toward the  elimination of: (i) Areas of
              Concern pursuant to  Annex 2;  (ii)  Critical Pollutants pursuant to Annex 2; and
              (Hi) Point Source  Impact Zones pursuant to Annex  2."

              Annex 1  identifies specific water quality objectives. The 1987 supplement
              to Annex  1 calls for priority lists of substances to be periodically reviewed
              and considered in the development of new objectives. The supplement also
              calls for the development of ecosystem objectives for each Lake.

              Annex 2  (1987)  sets forth general principles for Remedial Action Plans to
              address geographic Areas of Concern and for Lakewide Management Plans
              to address Critical Pollutants in the Lakes.  It also identifies various
              beneficial uses to be protected  and describes how Areas  of Concern and
              Critical Pollutants are to be designated.

              Annex 3  (1978)  focuses on phosphorus control. It calls for restoration of
              aerobic conditions year-round in the central basin of Lake Erie, substantial
              elimination of nuisance algal growth in  Ontario and Michigan, and
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             maintenance of the oligotrophic status and relative algal biomass of
             Lakes Huron and Superior. The need to meet target loads for phosphorus
             for each lake established under this annex is recognized in the
             administration of the NPDES and construction grants programs under the
             Clean Water Act.

             Plans to meet additional load reductions to Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and
             Saginaw Bay were submitted  by the States in June  1986.

             Annex 11 (1978) addresses surveillance and monitoring. It calls for joint
             surveillance and monitoring to assess compliance with requirements for
             pollution control in  the various jurisdictions, to identify the need for
             improved pollution control, to evaluate water quality trends, and to
             identify emerging problems. GLNPO operates the U.S. Great Lakes
             surveillance and monitoring program  under the Agreement. Compliance
             monitoring  is conducted by the individual States with EPA oversight.

             Annex 12 (1978) addresses persistent toxic substances. It states that
             "persistent toxic  substances" should be regulated in order  to virtually
             eliminate the input of toxic substances to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
             Regulation should protect human health and assure continued productivity
             of aquatic resources. This annex requires research on how to protect fish
             and  wildlife as well as humans from exposure to toxic pollutants and
             establishes  an early warning system for future problems due to these
             pollutants.  This  Annex reinforces the function of the Great Lakes as a
             national indicator for environmental problems  in the biosphere. U.S.
             compliance  with the Great Lakes Agreement depends on the integration of
             remedial activities, research, and monitoring with domestic environmental
             programs.

             Annex  13 (1987)  addresses pollution from nonpoint sources. It recognizes
             the contribution  of nonpoint source pollution  by requiring that land-based
             activities that contribute to water quality problems be identified  and that
             watershed management plans be prepared for high  priority hydrologic units
             to reduce nonpoint source inputs. It also calls  for the identification,
             preservation and, where necessary, rehabilitation of wetlands threatened by
             urban and agricultural development and waste disposal activities.

             Annex  14 (1987)  focuses on contaminated sediment. It calls for
             identification of the nature and extent of sediment pollution of the
             ecosystem.  It also calls for the development of methods to evaluate the
             impact of polluted sediment, for the development of technologies to
             remedy this pollution, and for demonstrations of new technologies.

             Annex  15 (1987)  addresses airborne toxic substances. It requires research,
             surveillance and monitoring, and implementation of pollution control
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measures to reduce atmospheric deposition of toxic pollutants, particularly
persistent toxic substances, to the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.

Annex  16 (1987) addresses pollution from contaminated ground  water. It
calls for coordination of existing programs to control contaminated ground
water affecting the boundary waters of the Great Lakes System.

Annex  17 (1987) deals with research and development. It recognizes the
need for research to determine the  mass transfer of pollutants between the
ecosystem components of water, sediment, air, land, and biota and the
need for development of load reduction models for pollutants in the Great
Lakes system.

Provisions were also added in 1987  to strengthen accountability  and
management of the Agreement. A number of reporting dates were added
that are shown in Table 4. In addition,  the Annex 1 Supplement  requires
biennial consultation on specific water quality objectives; revised ranking
lists for toxics; and the development of ecosystem  objectives for  the
boundary waters of the Great Lakes system.
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CHAPTER 7
A  Five  Year   Program  Strategy
                           Specific Activities Planned by the
                           Great Lakes National Program Office
7.1 Overview
            The principal goals of the five year program strategy for the Great Lakes
            National Program Office are to:

               • Support the completion of Lakewide Management Plans for Lakes
                 Michigan, Ontario, and Erie to determine the steps needed to make
                 fish safe to eat.

               • Support the completion and implementation of Remedial Action
                 Plans to restore  beneficial uses in all geographic Areas of Concern.

               • Obtain sufficient information about sources, fates, and effects of
                 pollutants to support a mass balance approach in remedial  programs,
                 using GLNPO surveillance activities including the Green Bay study
                 and the GLAD network.

               • Conduct a demonstration program to assess and address
                 contaminated bottom sediments.

               • Evaluate results  of point source and nonpoint source remedial
                 programs to determine whether additional controls are needed to
                 restore oxygen levels in Lake Erie.

               • Strengthen partnerships with the Great Lakes States, other EPA
                 programs,  and other Federal agencies in carrying out all
                 responsibilities.

               • Protect the Lakes from human abuse by improving public
                 understanding of the Great Lakes system and related issues.
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             Actions described in this chapter are responsive to both the Clean Water
             Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  Although  many of the
             actions are dependent  upon the level of funding and implementation of
             EPA's regulatory programs,  the  overall strategy enables GLNPO to focus its
             own activities logically, use available resources more effectively,  and provide
             priorities for directing  available and projected resources. The strategy will
             also help EPA Regional and State programs to understand how GLNPO
             priorities align with their own program priorities. As  described in Chapter
             1, Great Lakes environmental management activities are carried out by
             organizations at  all levels of government in the U.S.  GLNPO's success is
             dependent on close and continuing cooperation with other Federal
             agencies, EPA offices, the States, and public groups. This strategy will serve
             as a starting point for  establishing working relationships that will be
             formalized  in Memoranda of Understanding, as required by Section 118 of
             the Clean Water  Act.

             The remainder of this  chapter provides a brief status  report and list of
             planned activities for each  of nine major areas: eutrophication, toxic
             pollutants, surveillance and monitoring, environmental management plans,
             remedial activities, research, technology development and transfer,
             international/interagency/intra-agency coordination, and public education
             and involvement.
7.2. Eutrophication

7.2.1 Background
             Great progress has been made in controlling conventional pollution in the
             Great Lakes.  In particular, over the last 15  years, substantial reductions in
             phosphorus concentrations have been achieved. A concerted effort by the
             U.S. and Canada to reduce phosphorus loadings began in 1972 and
             represents an unprecedented international accomplishment. Phosphoru.s
             loadings from point sources have been reduced by  an estimated 80 to 90
             percent through  regulation and financial assistance for environmental
             controls on point sources. The primary form of financial assistance has
             been the upgrading of sewage treatment plants. Reductions in phosphorus
             from industry and in domestic laundry detergents  have also contributed.
             These reductions have resulted in dramatic improvements  in near shore
             water quality and some improvement in open  lake conditions.

             In 1983, the U.S. and Canada approved a supplement to the Great Lakes
             Water Quality Agreement confirming the maximum phosphorus loads that
             the Lakes could tolerate. The countries agreed to prepare load reduction
             plans to achieve  further reductions.
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             Presently, all major U.S. dischargers as a group are meeting a 1 milligram
             per liter (mg/1) effluent limit for phosphorus. Although some individual
             dischargers are not meeting the effluent limit, these dischargers are offset
             by those doing better than the effluent limit. By 1990 all publicly owned
             treatment works  should be meeting the 1 mg/1 effluent limit for
             phosphorus; however, phosphorus contributions from combined sewer
             overflows and treatment plant bypasses still need to be addressed.

             Detergent phosphate bans have played an  important role in reducing the
             amount of phosphorus  reaching the lakes and continue to be  an important
             means of control, especially for combined sewer overflows and treatment
             plant bypasses.

             The nonpoint source phosphorus  program was started more recently.
             Additional  reductions from these sources will be needed to meet target
             load reduction plans. This program focuses on  management of crop
             residues to prevent soil  erosion and nutrient loss and on management of
             animal wastes and commercial  fertilizers to minimize nutrient loadings to
             streams. The program relies heavily on conservation tillage, particularly no-
             till management  practices, and on public education concerning prudent
             and economical uses of phosphorus-containing fertilizers.

             Several recent technological advancements have implications for Great
             Lakes eutrophication. GLNPO has participated in evaluating and
             demonstrating techniques such as biological and physical phosphorus
             removal technology, and in-line storm flow control devices. Each of these
             has shown great  potential for reducing phosphorus and other  pollutant
             input  to the Lakes from point  sources. GLNPO recognizes the necessity of
             a continuing commitment to advancing new technologies and, especially,
             promoting the use of new technologies throughout the farming
             communities in the Great Lakes Basin.
7.2.2 GLNPO'S Five Year Strategy — Eutrophication

FY 1989      • Based on the 1983 Agreement on Phosphorus Load Reduction, GLNPO
               will coordinate  a five year review of State phosphorus plans, due in
               December 1988, to determine the effectiveness of existing control
               programs.

             • Based on the 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act, GLNPO will
               develop, in consultation with the States and water programs, an update
               of the U.S. Phosphorus Load Reduction Plan to fulfill the requirement
               for a five year plan and program for reducing the amount of nutrients
               introduced into the Lakes. This plan will incorporate any management
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                program for reducing nutrient runoff from nonpoint sources established
                under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the development of a biennial report on
                progress in developing specific watershed management plans and
                implementing programs and measures to control nonpoint sources of
                pollution,  as required by the Water Quality Agreement. The first is due
                December 31,
              • In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
                GLNPO will continue to develop remote sensing methods for tracking
                nonpoint source best  management practice (BMP) adoption.

              • In cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service, GLNPO will track
                the extent to which nonpoint source management practices have been
                adopted, through both observation and predetermined onsite visits and
                measurements.

              * GLNPO will participate in the National Association of Conservation
                Districts Great Lakes  committee to integrate soil conservation and water
                quality  concerns and  activities.

              * GLNPO will monitor the implementation of phosphorus management
                plans and will also monitor and analyze other conventional parameters
                such as sodium, chlorides, and nitrogen to determine their contribution
                to any changes in lake trophic status. Results will be incorporated in an
                annual  report to Congress.

              • GLNPO will initiate an inventory of nitrogen sources to the Great
                Lakes.

              • GLNPO will convene a technology workshop for State and local govern-
                ments on low-cost nutrient control techniques.

              * GLNPO will guide and support other  EPA programs in carrying out
                remedial activities by  participating in annual program guidance
                development and by providing technical expertise regarding the Great
                Lakes.
 FY 1990     • GLNPO will complete a series of algal productivity tests using the
                shipboard laboratory and produce a report on the feasibility of this
                methodology and any future recommendations.

              • GLNPO will complete the development of remote sensing methods for
                tracking nonpoint source BMP  adoption.
if An ongoing activity throughout the five year period
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              • GLNPO will complete the nitrogen inventory begun in FY 1989.

              • GLNPO will continue to coordinate activities with the Soil
                Conservation Service to support the implementation of nonpoint source
                management practices.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.


 FY 1991      * GLNPO will coordinate the development of the second biennial report
                on progress in developing specific watershed management plans and
                implementing programs and measures to control nonpoint sources of
                pollution as required by the Water Quality Agreement.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the implementation of appropriate remote
                sensing methods to track nonpoint source BMP adoption.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 FY 1992      * GLNPO will initiate an assessment of eutrophication control strategies
                within the Basin in preparation for the  1993 renegotiation of the
                Agreement with Canada.

              • GLNPO will continue to coordinate activities  with the Soil
                Conservation Service to support the implementation of nonpoint source
                management practices.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.


FY 1993       * GLNPO will coordinate the development and submission of the third
                biennial report on progress in developing specific watershed  management
                plans and implementing programs  and measures to control  nonpoint
                sources of pollution as required by the Water Quality Agreement.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 7.3 Toxic Pollutants

 7.3.1 Background
              Toxic pollutants are the most significant environmental problem facing the
              Great Lakes. Toxic pollutants are numerous, their pathways into the Lakes
              are varied, and their effects on the environment, aquatic life, and human
              health are not well understood. Studies have shown that toxic  pollutants
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within the Great Lakes Basin are associated with changes in human infant
behavior; other national studies associate toxic pollutants with reproductive
disorders and cancer. As noted in Table 3, certain species of fish at some
sites in the Great Lakes have been found to have toxic contamination at
levels requiring health advisories. About 30,000 chemical compounds are
used in the Great Lakes Basin, and an additional 1,000  new chemicals are
developed each year within the United States.  As of 1987, 362 compounds
of concern had been identified within the Great Lakes ecosystem. These
compounds are being reviewed to identify their toxic effects. The problem
of toxic pollutants has therefore raised water quality management to a new
level of complexity.

Both the  1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes
Water  Quality Agreement place an unprecedented policy emphasis on the
control of toxics. They require that:

    • The discharge of toxic substances in toxic amounts be prohibited,

    • The discharge of persistent toxic substances be virtually eliminated,

    • The water quality of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem be restored
      and enhanced.
The primary management approach anticipated by the Clean Water Act
and the Agreement is to set and  attain specific ambient water quality
objectives and standards for pollutants. This does not mean that some
specific level  of pollution is  acceptable. Rather, management priorities will
direct resources to achieve reductions  sufficient to attain the water quality
objectives of the Agreement as a  key  step toward total restoration.

To attain the objectives, Lakewide Management Plans will be prepared and
implemented to guide basin-wide  remedial efforts for Critical Pollutants;
Remedial Action Plans will be prepared and implemented to restore
beneficial uses in Areas of Concern; and Point Source Impact Zones will
be identified  and reduced to the maximum extent possible.  Also, watershed
management plans, as called for in Annex 13 of the Agreement, will be
prepared and implemented  to address nonpoint sources of toxic pollution.

All of  these activities will be carried out primarily by the States with
assistance and guidance from  appropriate EPA  Regional programs and from
GLNPO. As  the Great Lakes  States implement new provisions of the
Clean  Water  Act aimed at controlling discharges of toxic pollutants to
surface waters, GLNPO will work with Regional water programs to ensure
that the State priorities and management plans are based on the best
available information and reflect both the goals of the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement and the Clean Water Act.
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             Of particular importance for GLNPO will be the development of a mass
             balance approach for describing and analyzing sources and fates of toxic
             pollutants on a regional basis. The mass balance approach for studying
             toxic pollutants will become an important element of Lakewide
             Management Plans in the future.

             Preliminary work on the mass balance approach was conducted on the
             River Raisin and the Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels in
             Michigan. GLNPO and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
             in conjunction with NOAA, and EPA's Office of Research and
             Development, now plan to pilot the mass balance study for toxics in a
             midsized ecosystem prior to expansion to whole-lake situations.  Green Bay
             has been chosen for this pilot effort. For this study,  a  modeling framework
             will be tested and applied to provide greater understanding of the sources,
             transport, and fate of toxic pollutants with the objective of guiding future
             regulatory activity. The model must be  capable of alerting managers to the
             presence of previously unidentified sources, of describing the relative
             significance of the sources, and of predicting the response of the ecosystem
             to proposed regulatory actions involving a single source or a combination
             of sources. To accomplish this,  the transfer of toxic compounds from
             sources to important sport and commercial fish species will be modeled.
             Due to the high costs of monitoring contaminants, indicator compounds
             have been selected to serve as surrogates for larger classes of contaminants
             known to be problems in the Great Lakes. This study will test the ability
             of involved Federal, State and local governments, and  academic institutions
             to mobilize their technical and physical resources to carry out and apply
             the results of multimedia  studies.
7.3.2 GLNPO'S Five Year Strategy — Toxic Pollutants

FY 1989     • As required by Annex 1 of the Water Quality Agreement, GLNPO will
               coordinate activities to produce, by December of 1988,  a listing of
               substances believed to have the potential to cause acute or chronic toxic
               effects in aquatic, wildlife,  or human populations and which are believed
               to have the potential of being  discharged to the Great  Lakes (based on
               the definition of chronic toxicity developed in FY 1988).

             • GLNPO will coordinate the development of an approach,  including risk
               assessment, for designating Critical Pollutants, as required  by Annex 2 of
               the Water Quality Agreement.

             • GLNPO will continue the field monitoring program for the mass balance
               pilot  study in Green Bay.
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              • As required by Annex 12 of the Water Quality Agreement, GLNPO
                will coordinate the preparation of a progress report on activities
                undertaken to reduce the discharge of contaminants to the Great Lakes.

              * GLNPO will assist the States  in developing a common process for
                generating  fish consumption advisories.

              * GLNPO will provide assistance as necessary in the development and
                implementation of water-quality based effluent limits for NPDES
                permits, including reviewing standards and pretreatment requirements,
                wasteload allocations and selected  permit modifications.

              * GLNPO will work with EPA Headquarters and Regional waste manage-
                ment programs to ensure that remedial plans for Superfund sites and
                that permitting and  enforcement actions for RCRA facilities reflect
                the long-term goals of the Agreement.

              • GLNPO will initiate a formal  review of specific water quality objectives
                as required by the Water Quality Agreement.
FY 1990      •  GLNPO will coordinate the completion of the water quality objectives
                review process  as required by the Water Quality  Agreement and support
                the implementation of any recommendations. GLNPO will coordinate
                and support the designation of any additional Critical Pollutants.

              •  GLNPO will complete the field monitoring program for the mass
                balance pilot study in Green Bay.

              •  GLNPO will work with EPA and State waste management programs to
                ensure that information on waste minimization,  developed under RCRA,
                is reported to the IJC by December 31,  1989.

              •  GLNPO will complete all modeling studies addressing toxic pollutant
                sources, transport, and fate in Green Bay.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1991      •  GLNPO will produce  a final report on the Green Bay mass balance
                study.

             •  GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the second biennial progress
                report on activities undertaken to reduce the discharge of contaminants
                to the Great Lakes.

             •  GLNPO will initiate the application of the mass balance approach for
                toxics in Lake Ontario and/or Lake Michigan.
•*• An ongoing activity throughout the five year period                                                ^ J

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              •  GLNPO will review all toxic modeling studies completed and under way
                and assess capabilities to support decisionmaking.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 FY 1992      • GLNPO will coordinate a formal review of specific water quality
                objectives  as required by the Water Quality Agreement in preparation for
                the 1993 renegotiation of the Agreement with Canada.

              • GLNPO will coordinate and support the designation of any additional
                Critical Pollutants.

              • GLNPO will continue the application of the  toxics mass balance
                approach on a lakewide basis as intiated in FY 1991.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 FY 1993      • GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the third biennial progress
                report on activities undertaken to reduce the discharge of contaminants
                to the Great Lakes.

              • GLNPO will continue the application of the toxics  mass balance
                approach on a lakewide basis as initiated in FY 1991.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
7.4 Surveillance and Monitoring

7.4.1  Background

              The Great Lakes surveillance and monitoring program has five major
              objectives, which derive from the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement:
              1. Assess the degree to which jurisdictional control requirements are
                 being met.
              2. Provide definitive information on achievement of water quality
                 objectives.
              3. Evaluate water quality trends.
              4. Identify emerging environmental problems.
              5. Support development of Lakewide Management Plans and Remedial
                 Action Plans.
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               The original Great Lakes International Surveillance Plan (GLISP), initiated
               in  1976, called for intensive monitoring of one lake at a time with each
               lake monitored once or twice a decade. This cycle of intensive surveys was
               completed with Lake Superior in 1983. For conventional pollutants, a new
               long-term surveillance program has now evolved that requires less intensive
               collection of chemistry data but  provides information about each lake
               annually.

               The focus of GLNPO's monitoring efforts also has changed over time.
               Originally, the surveillance program was principally concerned with
               describing water chemistry. This  focus resulted mainly from overriding con-
               cerns about eutrophication and high phosphorus loadings. The  new em-
               phasis on toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes has added a new focus to
               surveillance and monitoring efforts. Determining the relative importance of
               toxic pollutants requires an understanding of ecosystem structures, interac-
               tions between biota, and the relationship of biota to environmental condi-
               tions. GLNPO's surveillance and monitoring program has  responded to
               this change by strengthening the biological monitoring components of its
               programs.

               The present Great Lakes surveillance and monitoring program has four
               major components: limnology, fish, sediments, and pollutant loadings.
               GLNPO efforts in each  area are described below.
7.4.2 Limnology
              The limnology program describes and tracks trophic status of the Lakes.
              This program supports the development, testing, and refinement of
              eutrophication models that assist in annual monitoring of water chemistry,
              plankton populations, and biological productivity. The models are used for
              data interpretation, for defining the applicability of specific data sets,  and
              for the design of monitoring programs for the collection of data. The
              models were  transferred from EPA's mainframe computer to personal com-
              puters in 1986  and new software was developed to  assist the surveillance-
              research-management process. The productivity  measurements made as part
              of the limnology program will assist in describing the trophic status and
              the effect of nutrients in the Lakes.  The measurements will also  assist in
              interpreting trends in algal and plankton productivity and in anticipating
              resultant impacts on fish communities.

              Over  the next five years, the major  emphases of the limnology program
              will be (1) monitoring the attainment of open lake  nutrient objectives;
              (2) determining biological responses to nutrient  control; and (3) restoring
              aerobic conditions in the bottom waters of the central basin of Lake Erie.
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 7.4.3 Fish
              The Great Lakes Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program, since its
              inception in 1977,  has been a coordinated effort by 20 State and Federal
              agencies. Because of the difficulty of measuring toxic chemicals in lake
              water, the monitoring program measures the bioconcentration of certain
              indicator chemicals in fish. Through this program, major declines in
              contaminants such as DDT, PCBs, and dieldrin have been documented  in
              Great Lakes fish following regulatory action. However, during the same
              period, numerous other  persistent pesticide and industrial chemicals have
              been identified  in Great Lakes fish as  part of the  early warning component
              of the program. For some of these compounds, such as toxaphene,  mirex
              and dioxin, regulatory action has since been taken. For the majority  of
              these compounds,  however, there is insufficient information to judge  their
              effects on human health and the environment. Until further information
              on such compounds  is obtained, regulatory programs cannot be initiated.

              Over the next five years, emphases of the fish program will be (1) trend
              monitoring in the  open  lakes; (2) detection of emerging problems in
              harbors and tributary mouths; (3) monitoring potential human exposures;
              and (4) monitoring other indicators of ecosystem  health.
7.4.4 Sediments
              GLNPO conducts harbor and estuary sediment sampling to identify toxic
              hot spots and to  aid in the identification of areas that are contributing
              large amounts of  toxics to the Lakes. Future plans are to extend sampling
              to sediments in the main body of the Lakes to measure the distribution,
              storage, and fate of toxics in the ecosystem. This sampling will provide a
              chronology of toxic inputs to the Lakes and will support mass balance
              models for  Critical Pollutants. Sampling will also  support development of
              Lakewide Management Plans as required in the Great Lakes Water Quality
              Agreement and the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated
              Sediment program mandated by the Clean Water Act Amendments of
              1987. GLNPO coordinates this work with the development of national
              sediment criteria  and sediment contaminant cycling studies conducted by
              EPA's Office of Research and Development laboratories at Duluth,
              Minnesota  and at Grosse He, Michigan.
7.4.5 Pollutant Loadings
              GLNPO conducts and supports  numerous monitoring and surveillance
              activities designed to provide information on the magnitude and types of
              pollutant loadings to the Great Lakes.  One of the  most important
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              purposes of collecting this information is to support the development of
              the mass balance approach for describing and analyzing pollutants on a
              regional basis. Pollutant loading  data therefore must describe inputs
              through all potential pathways. Some, such as air deposition,  GLNPO
              monitors directly. Others, such as point source loadings to surface water,
              are monitored by the States with assistance or advice as needed from
              GLNPO. Still others, such as pollutant transfers from contaminated
              sediments, are or will be estimated using predictive models and limited
              environmental monitoring data.  Monitoring techniques, technologies, and
              pollutant loading measurements  of principal concern to GLNPO over the
              next  five years include:

              • Air Deposition loading monitoring by the Great Lakes Air Deposition
                (GLAD) network, established  in 1981 and currently being expanded.

              • Tributary loading  monitoring by the Great Lakes States (coordinated
                by GLNPO).

              • Point source loading information gathered through the water
                programs in EPA  and the Great Lakes States in their efforts to  track
                NPDES permits and monitor compliance rates.

              • Nonpoint source loading information gathered by the EPA water
                programs as they  identify and monitor land runoff from a variety of
                practices.

              • Ground-water loading information that will be developed by EPA
                ground-water programs as they identify potential problem areas.

              • Sediment release rate information that is being developed as part of
                GLNPO's program for contaminated sediments.
7.4.6 GLNPO'S Five Year Strategy—Surveillance and Monitoring

FY 1989      •  GLNPO will acquire a research vessel to replace the Roger R. Simons, as
                anticipated by EPA's FY 1988 Appropriations Act.

              * GLNPO will conduct a comprehensive, annual water quality sampling
                and analysis program  of water chemistry, plankton populations, and fish
                contaminants in the open waters of the Great Lakes in response to  the
                Great Lakes International Surveillance Plan (GLISP) using its research
                vessel and other appropriate approaches such as winter helicopter
                surveys.
* An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.
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             * GLNPO will prepare a synthesis of the sampling results and incorporate
               the information in an annual report to Congress.

             * GLNPO will track U.S. implementation of GLISP by the States and
               report progress to the IJC.

             * GLNPO will continue to monitor the fish contaminant problem in the
               Great Lakes, report on trends in fish contamination, and coordinate
               interagency  activities on  fish monitoring, advisories, and risk
               assessments.

             • GLNPO will co-chair an international symposium on the measurement
               of fish community health and produce  a summary report.

             • As required by the Water Quality Agreement,  GLNPO will coordinate
               activities for an agreement on the air deposition network components  by
               October of  1988 and produce the first biennial report on the
               implementation of the joint U.S./Canadian air deposition network by
               December 31, 1988.

             • GLNPO will set up the U.S. routine air toxic deposition sites for Lake
               Huron and  Lake Erie  and initiate monitoring programs.

             • GLNPO will conduct  an implementation workshop for the States on
               enhanced tributary monitoring  programs.

             * GLNPO will continue to coordinate development of approaches for
               quantifying and assessing the impacts of ground-water/surface water
               interactions.

             * GLNPO will work to establish  risk-based procedures and criteria for
               assessing ground-water impacts on surface water bodies.

             * GLNPO will begin to evaluate  the effectiveness of using chronic and
               acute biotoxicity screening tests of ground-water near surface water
               bodies to determine  potential toxic impacts.

             * GLNPO will continue other efforts to  better quantify loading informa-
               tion and to describe the relationship between  the various  inputs and
               ambient water quality and ecosystem health.

             * GLNPO will support  studies and programs aimed  at the development  of
               ecosystem indicators for  use in  the Great Lakes.

             * GLNPO will continue to support water program activities to track point
               and nonpoint  loadings and to target available resources to appropriate
               source controls.
60
                                                   An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.

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                 GLNPO will coordinate and support research to improve understanding
                 of intermedia transfer of toxics for development of mass balance models,
                 e.g., air-water exchange and sediment-water exchange.
  FY 1990      • GLNPO will complete refitting the replacement research vessel and outfit
                 the vessel for toxic monitoring programs in the open waters of the Great
                 Lakes.

               • GLNPO will complete its evaluation of, and issue recommendations on,
                 the use of water intakes in water quality monitoring programs.

               • GLNPO will coordinate appropriate changes to the fish health
                 monitoring program based on results of the FY 1989 symposium.

               • GLNPO will begin a series of field studies to determine ground-water
                 flux and contaminant loadings through ground water to the Lakes.

               • GLNPO will initiate  programs for sediment sampling on a whole-lake
                 basis to support the development of Lakewide  Management Plans and
                 the mass balance approach.

               • GLNPO will set up the  U.S. master and routine air toxic deposition sites
                 for Lake Superior and initiate monitoring programs.

               • GLNPO will coordinate and assist States in  the implementation of
                 enhanced tributary monitoring programs.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.


FY 1991        * GLNPO will design and implement  enhanced toxics monitoring
                 programs in the open waters of the Great Lakes.

               • GLNPO will set up the  U.S. master and routine air toxic deposition sites
                 for Lake Ontario and initiate monitoring programs.

               • GLNPO will produce the second biennial report on the implementation
                 of the joint U.S./Canadian air deposition network.

               • GLNPO will initiate,  as  available and appropriate, routine monitoring  of
                 indicators of ecosystem  health in the Great Lakes.

               • GLNPO will begin work with EPA's  ORD and Office of Ground-Water
                 Protection and USGS to develop estimates of contaminant loadings
                 derived from field measurements and from models of ground-water
                 contaminant transport.
* An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.                                                61

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              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.


 FY 1992      *  GLNPO will conduct a review of the effectiveness of monitoring
                programs.

              •  GLNPO will summarize surveillance and monitoring activities under
                Annex 11 in preparation for the 1993  renegotiation  of the Agreement.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.

              •  GLNPO will continue to work with EPA's ORD and Office of Ground-
                Water Protection and USGS to develop estimates of contaminant
                loadings derived from field measurements and from  models of ground-
                water contaminant transport.


 FY 1993      •  GLNPO will produce the third biennial report on the implementation of
                the joint U.S./Canadian air deposition network.

              •  GLNPO will report on the evaluation of ground-water toxic loadings  to
                the Lakes.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.

              •  GLNPO will continue to work with EPA's ORD and Office of Ground-
                Water Protection and USGS to develop estimates of contaminant
                loadings derived from field measurements and from  models of ground-
                water contaminant transport.
7.5 Environmental Management Plans

7.5.1 Background

              The  1987 amendments to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement call
              for three responses when water quality objectives are not met: development
              and implementation of Remedial Action Plans for addressing  geographic
              Areas of Concern, development of Lakewide Management Plans, and
              designation of Point Source Impact Zones.


 7.5.2 Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern

              Since 1985  the International Joint Commission has focused binational
              activities on geographic Areas of Concern.  These are areas in the Great
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               Lakes Basin that fail to meet the objectives of the Water Quality
               Agreement where such failure has caused or is likely to cause impairment
               of beneficial uses. The purpose of e'stablishing Areas of Concern is to
               encourage jurisdictions to rehabilitate these acute, localized problem areas
               and to restore their beneficial uses. It is also expected that restoration of
               Areas of Concern will reduce loadings to the open lakes. The areas are
               classified according to their stage in the remedial process.  In  these areas,
               existing programs are not expected to be sufficient to restore  water  quality
               to acceptable levels.

               States are responsible  for preparing Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) to guide
               specific rehabilitation  activities in all 30 Areas of Concern in the U.S.
               RAPs are intended to define  actions and timetables for restoring beneficial
               uses in Areas of Concern. Restoration of uses is to be  achieved through
               implementation of existing programs operated under Federal and State
               legislation and any additional measures required to control sources  and
               remedy environmental problems.

               GLNPO assists the States with RAP development by providing contract
               services to the States for  preparing draft RAP documents and by reviewing
               draft RAPs and providing technical guidance. GLNPO is responsible for
               monitoring RAP development activities in the U.S. and, beginning  in 1988,
               will  report biennially to the IJC  on the status of RAP  development and
               implementation in the U.S.
7.5.3 Lakewide Management Plans
              The 1987 Agreement places renewed emphasis on lakewide management.
              In Annex 2, Lakewide Management Plans (LMPs) are required for open
              lake waters. This is a new provision designed to reduce loadings  of
              designated Critical Pollutants  on a lakewide  basis in order to meet specific
              water quality objectives.

              GLNPO has begun working with the States  and EPA Regional water
              programs staff to define the contents of LMPs and to  initiate the
              development of specific plans. The mass balance pilot study, underway in
              Green Bay,  Wisconsin, will be one of GLNPO's most important
              contributions to the LMP process.  GLNPO is also responsible for reporting
              to the IJC on the status of LMP development in the U.S.  The first
              biennial report will be completed in December of 1988; subsequent reports
              will be provided every other year. Two lakewide initiatives  are already
              under way—for Lakes Michigan and Ontario.
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              Lake Michigan Toxic Pollutant Control/Reduction Strategy

                Lake Michigan is the largest body of fresh water totally within the borders of
                the United States. It is used by millions for drinking water and for recreation,
                such as boating, swimming, and sport  fishing. It is also an important
                commercial fishery and transportation resource.  At present, however, Lake
                uses are impaired because of the concentrations  of toxic pollutants found in
                its waters, sediments,  fish, and birds. For example, Lake Michigan lake trout
                contain the second highest  levels of PCBs  and DDT in the Great Lakes
                system, and cannot be sold commercially because  their level  of pollutants
                exceed human health-related U.S. Food and Drug  Administration guidelines.

                Region V and the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and  Wisconsin have
                agreed to work together to end the Lake's  toxic  substances pollution problem.
                To do  this, they have prepared the Lake Michigan Toxic Pollutant
                Control/Reduction Strategy. The objective of the  strategy is  to fully restore
                the  multiple  uses of Lake Michigan and to protect human health and the
                Lake Michigan ecosystem by achieving a significant reduction in the loading
                rates of problem toxic pollutants. Each of the States has negotiated  specific
                commitments for FY  1988 and 1989 in their annual State program plans.
              Lake Ontario Toxics Management Plan

                On February 4, 1987, the "Four Parties" (Environment Canada, the Ontario
                Ministry of the Environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,  and
                the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) signed a
                Declaration of Intent to prepare a Toxics Management Plan for Lake Ontario.
                A draft plan has been prepared and has undergone extensive public review; a
                final plan will be available in late 1988.

                The draft plan cites bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals in fish to levels that
                make them unsafe for human consumption as the most serious known
                problem in the Lake. Toxics are also suspected of causing such other adverse
                ecosystem  impacts as deformities and reproductive failures in fish-eating birds.

                The goal of the Lake Ontario Toxics Management Plan is a lake that provides
                drinking water and fish that are safe for unlimited human consumption and
                allows natural  reproduction within the ecosystem of the most sensitive native
                species, such as bald eagles, osprey, mink, and otters.

                In order to achieve this goal, it is anticipated that the Plan will include four
                objectives:
                • Reductions in toxic  inputs driven by existing and developing programs
                • Further  reductions in toxic inputs driven by special efforts in geographic
                   Areas of Concern
                • Further  reductions in toxic inputs driven by lakewide analyses of
                   pollutant fate, and
                • Zero discharge.
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7.5.4 Point Source Impact Zones
              Another environmental management tool for addressing nonattainment
              areas is designation of Point Source Impact Zones. The 1987 Water Quality
              Agreement defines a Point Source Impact Zone as an area of water
              contiguous to a point source where water quality does not comply with
              Agreement objectives. The Agreement requires listing these zones and
              reducing their size and effect as much as possible through improved
              management and regulatory controls and the application of advanced
              waste treatment technologies.

              GLNPO is working with the EPA Regional water programs and States to
              define strategies for reducing Point Source Impact Zones. Beginning in
              September of 1989, GLNPO will also issue biennial  reports to the IJC
              concerning the status of efforts in the U.S. to reduce Point Source Impact
              Zones.
7.5.5 GLNPO'S Five Year Strategy—Environmental Management Plans

FY 1989      • The 1987 Water Quality Agreement calls for the elimination of Areas of
                Concern through the completion and implementation of Remedial
                Action Plans and requires biennial reporting. GLNPO will coordinate
                the preparation of the first biennial progress report on the status of
                efforts to eliminate Areas of Concern through completion and
                implementation of Remedial Action Plans, as required by the
                Agreement, by December 31, 1988.

              * GLNPO will continue to support the Great Lakes States in  completing
                RAPs.

              * GLNPO will work with the States and EPA Regional water programs to
                have completed RAPs certified as amendments to State Water Quality
                Management Plans and monitor their implementation.

              * GLNPO will work with Regional and State programs to ensure that  all
                applicable laws are used to  the fullest  extent in the implementation
                of RAPs.

              * With the staff of the IJC,  GLNPO will monitor the restoration of
                designated uses within the Areas of Concern.

              • GLNPO  will  conduct a workshop with the States and Canada to
                develop a prototype for the contents of Lakewide  Management Plans.
* An ongoing activity throughout the five vcar period.                                                t)J

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              • GLNPO will work with EPA Region II and the State of New York to
                begin implementing the Lake Ontario Toxic Management Plan.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the first biennial progress
                report on Lakewide Management Plans, as required by the Water
                Quality Agreement, by December 31, 1988.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the development  and implementation of a
                strategy to reduce Point Source Impact Zones, in accordance with the
                Water Quality Agreement,  and will produce the  first biennial progress
                report in September of 1989.
FY 1990       • GLNPO will support and assist EPA's water program in Region V and
                the States adjoining Lake Michigan to complete a draft Lakewide
                Management Plan for Lake Michigan.

              • GLNPO will work with appropriate EPA offices and with States to
                initiate a Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Erie.

              • GLNPO will develop a schedule for completion of remaining Lakewide
                Management Plans.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1991       • GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the second biennial progress
                report on the completion  and implementation of RAPs.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the second biennial progress
                report on Lakewide Management Plans.

              • GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the second biennial
                progress report on Point Source Impact Zones.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1992      •  GLNPO will review the status of all environmental management
                 planning activities (RAPs, LMPs, and Point Source Impact Zones) in
                 preparation for the 1993 renegotiation  of the Agreement.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
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FY 1993      •  GLNPO will support the States in completing all RAPs.

              •  GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the third biennial progress
                 report on the completion and implementation of RAPs.

              •  GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the third biennial progress
                 report on Lakewide Management Plans.

              •  GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the third biennial progress
                 report on Point Source Impact Zones.

              •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
7.6  Remedial Activities

7.6.1 Background

              Remedial programs are carried out by Federal, State, and local
              governmental organizations throughout the Great Lakes Basin, working
              under authorities granted by Federal and State environmental statutes.
              GLNPO's primary responsibility is to participate in, coordinate, and
              facilitate the activities conducted under those programs that influence
              priority problems in the Great Lakes Basin. On an ongoing basis, GLNPO
              is concerned with all environmental programs that operate in the Basin. In
              addition, GLNPO has,  in the past, played  an active role in conducting
              research and demonstration projects involving remedial technologies.

              Over the next five years, GLNPO will continue to work with EPA
              Regional and  State programs to  ensure that both ongoing and new
              program initiatives, such as biomonitoring  and pretreatment, uphold  the
              objectives of the Great  Lakes Water  Quality Agreement. In  addition,
              GLNPO will focus special efforts in  four emerging areas:

              • The importance of contaminated sediments to the overall problem  of
                toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes;

              • The significance of pollutant contributions made or potentially made by
                ground water that is discharged to the Great Lakes;

              • The significance of pollutants  deposited in the Great Lakes from the
                atmosphere;  and
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• The development of a Geographic Information System to integrate
  existing data bases and provide for analyses of multimedia information
  on Great Lakes problems.

Special efforts in these areas that GLNPO will pursue during the next five
years are described briefly belo
                                           w.
7.6.2 Contaminated Sediments
              All of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern in the U.S.  have known polluted
              sediment problems. GLNPO has begun to address this problem by
              providing assistance to the States to develop Remedial Action Plans that
              address  the problems of polluted sediments.

              Both the  1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act  and Great Lakes
              Water Quality Agreement direct GLNPO to assume an active, leadership
              role on  this issue.  The Act requires GLNPO to develop a five year study
              and demonstration projects relating to the control and removal of toxic
              pollutants from contaminated  sediments. Priority consideration  is to be
              given to projects at the following locations: Saginaw Bay, Michigan;
              Sheboygan Harbor, Wisconsin; Grand Calumet River, Indiana;  Ashtabula
              River, Ohio;  and Buffalo River, New York. Annex 14 of the Agreement
              calls for identification of the nature and extent of sediment pollution of
              the ecosystem and the development of methods to evaluate the impact of
              this polluted sediment and for development  and demonstration of remedial
              technologies.
7.6.3 Ground Water
               Contaminated ground water in the Great Lakes Basin, from both direct
               and tributary sources, has recently been recognized by the U.S. Congress,
               the International Joint Commission  and the Great Lakes  Water Quality
               Agreement to be an important potential source of Great Lakes
               contamination, the impacts of which must be investigated and evaluated.
               Annex 16 of the Water Quality Agreement requires the coordination of  all
               ground-water  control programs affecting the Great Lakes system. GLNPO
               has developed a draft Ground-Water/Hazardous Waste Strategy to (1)
               estimate the  extent and magnitude of ground-water pollution (particularly
               ground-water  pollution from hazardous  and solid waste  disposal sites) in
               the Great Lakes and (2) develop plans to eliminate or minimize this
               pollution, in specific areas and basin-wide. This strategy is a first  step
               toward addressing the requirements of both the Agreement and the Clean
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              Water Act. This strategy will be closely coordinated with activities in
              response to Annex 13 of the Water Quality Agreement, which requires
              that wetlands threatened by waste  disposal activities be identified, preserv-
              ed, and where necessary, rehabilitated.
7.6.4 Air Deposition
              EPA began a strategy for the control of both routine and accidental
              releases of toxic air pollutants in 1985.  In  1986, the Agency began plann-
              ing for and conducting activities to encourage States to assess the scope
              and severity of current air toxic exposures. Air program grants are available
              to States for compiling emission inventories  for certain source categories,
              investigating capabilities to model deposition patterns for toxic pollutants,
              and developing permit review procedures that  explicitly consider air toxic
              impacts on the Great Lakes. More information is needed, however, to
              determine  the nature,  sources,  and magnitude of the air toxic deposition
              problem in the Great Lakes. GLNPO is collecting data and information  to
              support an analysis of the problem, including  data resulting from the
              Green Bay mass balance study and from the fish contaminant monitoring
              program. The Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD)  Network will be an im-
              portant source of information for this effort. Expansion of GLAD, with
              the cooperation and assistance of the States, will allow regular monitoring
              for toxic pollutants that are or may be deposited to the Lakes.
 7.6.5 Geographic Information System

              To support all of its work in remedial programs, GLNPO,  in conjunction
              with a Region V initiative,  will be developing a geographic information
              system (CIS) for the Great  Lakes  Basin over the next few  years.  The pur-
              pose of this system will be to facilitate automated geographic analyses of
              multimedia data. The  system will  integrate existing data bases maintained
              by EPA, the Great Lakes States, and other Federal agencies with the Great
              Lakes programs. It will be an important tool for  identifying critical pollu-
              tion problems and pollutant sources in the Basin.

              Initially, the Great Lakes CIS will be used in ground-water, wetlands, and
              remedial action  plan applications.  Ultimately, however, it will become an
              important management tool for developing and evaluating remedial and
              regulatory options by EPA and the States. The EPA National Water
              Quality Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota will provide assistance in the
              development of  the GIS. The Great Lakes States and other Federal agen-
              cies will  also participate in planning and  design of the system.
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 7.6.6.  GLNPO'S Five Year Strategy—Remedial Activities

FY 1989      • GLNPO will develop a strategy and ranking scheme for the Assessment
                and Remediation of Contaminated Sediment (ARCS) program to
                systematically and objectively rank Areas of Concern for inclusion in
                the demonstration phase of the program.
              • Under the ARCS program, GLNPO will initiate research and
                pilot-scale demonstrations on promising remedial technologies.
              • GLNPO will perform assessments of the nature and extent of the
                contaminated sediment problem at selected Areas of Concern to test
                the assessment  methodology and provide information for matching
                technologies with locations for the demonstration phase of the program.
              * GLNPO will monitor progress and coordinate with other programs and
                agencies to clean up contaminated sediments in Areas of Concern.
              * GLNPO will work with Canada, the EPA Regions, and States to fulfill
                activities under Annexes 7 and 15 of the Water Quality Agreement
                including, for example, an assessment of the efficacy of Confined
                Disposal Facilities in containing  toxics.

              if GLNPO will work with EPA Headquarters on the development  of
                freshwater sediment criteria.

              * GLNPO will continue research on the fate and effects of sediment-
                bound contaminants to predict effects of alternative actions.

              • GLNPO will, as required  by the Water Quality Agreement, complete the
                first biennial progress report on the ARCS program by December
                of 1988.

              * GLNPO will assess combined sewer  overflows (CSO)  and work with the
                EPA water program to initiate appropriate regulatory actions.

              • GLNPO will work  with EPA Headquarters and Region II, III, and V
                water and waste management programs  to develop a coherent
                interactive approach for meeting Annex 16 ground-water requirements.

              • GLNPO will work  with EPA's Office of Information Resources Manage-
                ment (OIRM),  Office of Research and Development (ORD), appropriate
                EPA Regions and States, and the IJC to convene a conference on  Great
                Lakes Basin GIS efforts.

              * GLNPO will begin to assemble  and map, using (GIS) technology,  an
                inventory of known and potential sources of ground-water contamina-
                tion including waste disposal sites that may affect the Great Lakes.
 70                                               * An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.

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               * GLNPO will support EPA's Office of Ground-Water Protection in its
                 efforts to develop a national ground-water data base on STORET, which
                 will include information developed by all regulatory programs.

               * GLNPO will work  with EPA's ORD and the Office of Solid Waste and
                 Emergency Response (OSWER) to develop and apply ground-water flux
                 measurement methods and ground-water flow  and contaminant transport
                 models that will be used to estimate loadings to the  Great Lakes.

               • As required by the  Water Quality Agreement, GLNPO will coordinate
                 existing control programs that influence ground-water quality in the
                 Great Lakes and produce the first biennial progress report by December
                 31, 1988.

               • GLNPO will begin  to integrate EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, and
                 other Federal agency  activities affecting Great Lakes  wetlands  protection
                 programs.

               * GLNPO will work  with Region V to develop  a GIS  project for wetlands
                 in Region V and the Great  Lakes  Basin to support coordination of the
                 Advance Identification of Disposal Sites (AIDS) program  with
                 RAP initiatives.

               * GLNPO will work to pilot the use of GIS technology for mass balance
                 modeling in Green Bay  and for multimedia environmental assessment
                 tracking in  support  of the Ashtabula RAP.

               * GLNPO will work with EPA Headquarters and Regions II, III  and V to
                 address environmental concerns, in addition to human health  concerns,
                 in Superfund actions.

               •  GLNPO will work with  EPA Headquarters to develop a Superfund
                 Environmental Assessment Manual that is responsive to Great Lakes
                 issues.

               * GLNPO will provide technical support to EPA Regional waste
                 management and water programs to ensure that regulatory actions  are
                 consistent with the Agreement.

               •  GLNPO will initiate EPA and State program reviews of the implementa-
                 tion of point source  biomonitoring and associated stream  biosurvey
                 programs.

               •  GLNPO will review  the need for an overall assessment of pretreatment
                 program effectiveness based on Water Quality Board reports.
* An ongoing activity throughout the fiveyear period.                                                 71

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              • GLNPO will work with the EPA's air program to complete an emission
                inventory for air toxics to the Great Lakes.

              * GLNPO will support EPA's air program initiatives for State toxic
                programs and monitor results.


FY 1990      • GLNPO will select  sites and sponsor full scale demonstrations at selected
                locations for the ARCS program.

              • GLNPO will begin  mapping hydrologic conditions around known and
                suspected sources of contaminated ground water in the Great Lakes
                Basin.

              • GLNPO will initiate the development of an overall Great Lakes wetland
                strategy.

              • GLNPO will work  with the Regions to map Great Lakes wetlands using
                remote sensing procedures.

              • GLNPO will work  with OIRM, ORD, Regions, States, and the IJC to
                form a Great Lakes CIS technical advisory committee.

              • GLNPO will work  with the Great Lakes community in applying GIS
                techniques to the development of Lakewide Management Plans  and  in
                tracking remedial progress  in Great Lakes AOC's.

              • GLNPO will complete program reviews of the implementation of point
                source biomonitoring and  associated stream biosurvey programs.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.


FY 1991      • By December of 1990, GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of the
                second biennial progress report on  the  ARCS Program.

              • GLNPO will continue full-scale demonstrations  of contaminated
                sediment remedial technologies.

              • By December of 1990, GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of
                the second biennial progress report on  ground-water contamination
                affecting the Lakes.

              • GLNPO will complete the development of an overall Great Lakes
                wetland strategy.
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              • GLNPO will review how GIS technology is applied in analyzing Great
                Lakes problems, and plan future projects.

              • GLNPO will work with the Regions and States to determine potential
                impacts of waste sites on wetlands using GIS technology.

              • GLNPO will continue to support the GIS  technical  advisory committee.

              • GLNPO will apply GIS mass balance techniques to  a specific Lakewide
                Management Plan.

              • GLNPO will continue mapping hydrologic conditions around known
                and suspected sources of contaminated  ground water in the Great
                Lakes Basin.

              • GLNPO will assess the adequacy of combined sewer overflow controls in
                conjunction with a review of the effectiveness of remedial action plans.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 FY 1992      • GLNPO will perform assessments of overall Great Lakes vulnerability to
                contamination from ground water.

              • GLNPO will continue to support the GIS  technical advisory committee.

              • GLNPO will summarize  all available information on point source
                loadings of toxics and nutrients to the Lakes in preparation for the 1993
                renegotiation of the Agreement.

              • GLNPO will summarize  the effectiveness of the Great  Lakes wetlands
                strategy in preparation for the  1993 renegotiation of the Agreement.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified  above.
FY 1993       • By December of 1992, GLNPO will issue a final report on the ARCS
                program, including guidance on characterization of contaminated
                sediments, selection of remedial technologies, estimating costs,  and
                predicting effectiveness of alternative actions versus no action.

              • Also by December of 1992, GLNPO will coordinate the preparation of
                the third biennial progress report on ground-water contamination
                affecting the Lakes.

              • GLNPO will continue to support the GIS technical advisory committee.

              • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
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7.7  Research

7.7.1 Background
             In the United States,  Great Lakes research programs are spread among
             several agencies and many locations. U.S.  research for the Lakes can be
             categorized as water quality  management research, ecosystem dynamics
             research, and fishery resources research. These various components are
             carried out by several agencies, including EPA, that coordinate  and
             cooperate with each other,  as shown in Figure 6.

             Within EPA, Great Lakes research is carried out principally by  the Large
             Lakes Research Station (LLRS) at Grosse He, Michigan and by  the
             National Water Quality Laboratory at Duluth, Minnesota. Research is
             sponsored by the Office of Research and Development in  EPA
             Headquarters as well as by GLNPO. Contracts with universities, private
             consultants, and other Federal agencies  supplement  EPA programs.

             The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), at
             Ann Arbor, Michigan, carries out basic hydrologic  and limnologic
             research. GLERL research has contributed to an increased understanding
             of the role of phosphorus in the Great Lakes ecosystem. A long-term
             GLERL study of how toxic  pollutants cycle in the Great Lakes will assist
             in the development of management programs.

             The National Fisheries Research Center—Great Lakes (NFRC),  of the U.S.
             Fish and Wildlife Service, provides research  and  monitoring in  support of
             Great Lakes fishery management agencies and coordinates with the Great
             Lakes Fishery Commission,  a joint  Canada-US,  agency. The Fish and
             Wildlife Service also  participates in the fish  contaminant monitoring
             programs that are coordinated by GLNPO. Finally,  the Fish and Wildlife
             Service funds  Cooperative Fishery Research Units at selected universities.
             These units conduct research on fishery management and contaminants in
             freshwater areas, including the Great Lakes.

             State and Federal funding for  Great Lakes research  is provided  to the Sea
             Grant College programs in State universities. Federal Sea Grant funding is
             provided by NOAA. The Sea Grant colleges presently conduct research on
             bioaccumulation  of pollutants in fish and effects on other biota.

             GLNPO has supported research by the  Argonne National Laboratory, the
             Illinois Water  Survey, and various universities on atmospheric  deposition to
             Lake Michigan. Argonne has  also carried out research on Lake Michigan
             biological systems. Research by the  Army Corps of Engineers has focused
             on Great Lakes water levels and flows  and on dredging and disposing of
74

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                          Water Quality Management
                         Ecosystem Dynamics Research
                          Fishery Resources Research
KEY
EPA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
GLERL: Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA)
NFRC: National Fisheries Research Center, Great Lakes (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
       Figure 6. Federal Agency Participation in Great Lakes  Research
                                                                                  75

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               dredged materials.  GLNPO  also funds a variety of research and
               development activities to address toxics in the Great Lakes,  including
               studies on improved tributary monitoring methods for toxics and an
               investigation of the toxic effects of contaminants unique to  the Great
               Lakes.

               Funds for research on Great Lakes issues are provided through EPA, the
               National Oceanic &L Atmospheric  Administration, the U.S.  Fish  &L
               Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As each of these
               organizations operates under separate regulatory or resource  management
               missions,  it is important for these agencies to coordinate efforts to optimize
               Federal expenditures. The Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 establish
               a Great Lakes Research Office (GLRO) within NOAA that  is tasked to
               coordinate Great Lakes Research.
7.7.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy—Federally Funded Research

FY 1989       •  GLNPO  will develop with NOAA  an overall research  needs listing for
                  the Great Lakes.

               * GLNPO will coordinate within  EPA and with other Federal agencies
                  and national research programs  to focus Great Lakes research on the
                  following topics identified  in the Water Quality Agreement:

                  —Mass transfer of pollutants within and between Great Lakes
                   components of water, sediment, air, land, and  biota;
                  —Pollutant load reduction models;
                  —Processes affecting delivery of pollutants by tributaries;
                  —Relationships between productivity and exotic  species;
                  —Relationship of contaminated sediments and ecosystem health;
                  —Pollutant exchange between Areas of Concern and other parts of the
                   Great Lakes;
                  —Effects of varying lake levels  on aquatic life;
                  —Ecotoxicity effects of pollutants (for use in developing water quality
                   objectives);
                  —Options for the recovery of fish and wildlife populations  affected by
                   water quality problems and by non-native species;
                  —Pollution control technologies;
                  —Health-based exposure standards  for contamination, considering multi-
                   media exposure routes and the interactive effects of chemicals; and
                  —Approaches to population-based  studies on the effects of toxic
                   substances on human health.
                                                      * An ongoing activity throughout the five-year period.

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             ** As required by the Clean Water Act, GLNPO will develop a joint
                 research plan with NOAA's Great Lakes Research Office by the end
                 of each fiscal year.
FY 1990
through  1993    • GLNPO  will continue ongoing activities identified  above.
7.8 Technology Development  and Transfer

7.8.1 Background

               As a National Program  Office and an international participant in the field
               of environmental protection,  GLNPO has an important role in the
               development of environmental technology and is an information
               clearinghouse for such technology. For example, GLNPO  works with the
               National Estuary Program on approaches to solving common problems.
               GLNPO  also has been active in international forums for  technology
               exchange and provides technical support for the U.S.-U.S.S.R.
               environmental exchange program on water quality management research.

               The management approach used by the U.S. and Canada to address Great
               Lakes environmental problems is of continuing interest to environmental
               scientists and managers  throughout Europe and Asia. GLNPO provides
               information about these approaches and their results  through participation
               in international meetings on  Large Lakes issues and individual briefings  for
               visiting scientists and officials.

               The Great Lakes have been a proving ground for the testing of new
               environmental technology. In 1972,  Section  108(a) of the  Clean Water Act
               authorized $20 million for EPA to demonstrate the engineering and
               economic feasibility, and the  practicality, of pollution  control in the  Great
               Lakes Basin—probably the largest continuous nonpoint source control
               demonstration program  in the United States. GLNPO worked closely with
               EPA's Office of Research and  Development, Headquarters  and Regional
               water programs, and  State and local government organizations, to conduct
               projects that covered a range  of objectives including the demonstration of
               specific control technologies; the control of agricultural pollution through
               implementation of Best  Management Practices (BMPs); public education  on
               water issues; the  documentation  of water quality results through
               monitoring; the evaluation of combined sewer systems; and  the evaluation
               of various land application techniques for sewage disposal.
** The Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 establish, under Section 118(d), a Great Lakes Research Office
   (GLRO) within NOAA and require GLNPO and GLRO to prepare a joint research plan annually [Section 118(e).J
   The conduct of this activity for FY 1989 and any subsequent fiscal year is dependent on the funding of GLRO.

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The Black Creek project, in Allen County, Indiana, provided important
information relating to stream bank erosion,  sedimentation basin
effectiveness, and water quality modeling. A  particularly important concept
emerging from Black Creek was the concept  of treating critical areas. The
ANSWERS computer model (Areal Nonpoint Source Watershed
Environmental Response Simulation) was developed to identify those areas
that contribute most to water quality problems and therefore support the
targeting of limited resources. The approach provides an effective, coherent
identification of pollutant sources and simulates the effect of treatment.
The project also reinforced the concept that  a vigorous information and
education program is essential to  implementing BMPs.

The Washington County, Wisconsin, project, after extensive researching
and drafting, resulted in two model sediment control ordinances, one
controlling agricultural sources  of pollution, and the other controlling
construction sources of sediment. An extensive county-wide education
program increased public awareness of soil conservation and water quality,
and a comprehensive school curriculum was  developed by local  teachers.

The Red Clay project developed a nine-step "Framework for Local
Management Agency Implementation," based on more  than four years of
erosion and sediment control activities and water quality demonstrations
in four northwest Wisconsin counties and one  Minnesota county. This
framework provides a generalized  problem-solving methodology for  local
governments, which can guide  the implementation  of long-range nonpoint
source water pollution  abatement programs.

Other conservation tillage projects encouraged farmers to implement
conservation practices and showed the effectiveness of  locally  sponsored
projects. Combined sewer overflow projects demonstrated effective flow
control devices. Sewage application projects showed that applying sewage
effluent to the land improved the quality of receiving lakes. Adoption of
demonstrated techniques in  Saginaw Bay, Michigan, resulted in  estimated
savings of $20 million.

These projects will provide an important historical base and  institutional
and technical insights from which new State and local nonpoint source
initiatives can draw. Moreover,  GLNPO will  continue to conduct and
sponsor demonstration projects and technology transfer efforts throughout
the Great Lakes Basin.

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  7.8.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy—Technology Development and Transfer

 FY 1989       • GLNPO will continue to transfer phosphorus control technology to
                 States and local agencies by cosponsoring a technology transfer
                 workshop.

               * GLNPO will continue to  advise and assist the National Estuary
                 Program and will participate in annual technology transfer forums.

               * GLNPO will continue to  distribute information on low-cost alternatives
                 for combined sewer overflow problems.

               • GLNPO will initiate the development of a technology transfer strategy
                 working with the Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection and other
                 appropriate offices.
FY 1990       • GLNPO will begin a technology transfer program based on the results of
                 the contaminated sediment demonstrations.
               • GLNPO will continue  ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1991       • GLNPO will begin technology transfer programs on mass
                 balance modeling and air deposition monitoring.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1992       • GLNPO will  conduct an assessment of technology transfer programs for
                 phosphorus controls, National Estuary Program support, combined sewer
                 overflow problems, contaminated sediment demonstrations, mass balance
                 modeling,  and air deposition monitoring.
               • GLNPO will  continue ongoing activities identified above.


FY 1993       • Based on the FY 1992 assessment, GLNPO will either continue or phase
                 out existing programs and determine new  topics for technology transfer.
* An ongoing activity throughout the five-year period.

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7.9  International/Interagency/Intra-agency Coordination

7.9.1 Background

             GLNPO is often a coordinator or facilitator of other organizations. Nearly
             all of GLNPO's ongoing activities and special projects involve coordination
             with groups outside the United States, with other Federal agencies in the
             U.S., with other organizations in  EPA, or with State and local
             governments.

             Interactions with Canada and the IJC are the most important
             international responsibilities of GLNPO.  Another significant international
             activity that GLNPO supports is  implementation of the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Joint
             Agreement on Cooperation in the Field  of Environmental Protection,
             signed in 1972. This agreement is a comprehensive bilateral  commitment to
             cooperation in eleven major areas of mutual  interest, including the
             Prevention of Water Pollution. A  Working Group meets annually to plan
             the program and cooperative efforts for future joint work.

             To date, a total of five international symposia have been held and their
             proceedings jointly published. Topics have included aquatic  toxicology,
             microbiology, remote sensing,  and mathematical modeling. Current projects
             are:
             • River Basin Water Quality Planning and  Management — During 1987,
               information was exchanged on  water quality management programs and
               sediment  studies, and on the impacts of agriculture on water quality and
               related modeling techniques.

             • Protection  and Management of Water Quality in Lakes and Estuaries —
               Mesocosm studies were conducted on  the effects of a pesticide and other
               pollutants on aquatic plants and  animals.

             • Effects of Pollutants on Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems — Two American
               specialists visited the U.S.S.R. in  1987  and conducted joint  research on
               interactions of atmospheric  acid deposition and mobilization of trace
               metals in soil.

             GLNPO frequently works with other Federal agencies. This responsibility
             has received renewed attention in the Clean Water Act Amendments of
             1987, which require GLNPO to develop  specific action plans in
             cooperation with appropriate agencies. As a result of the Amendments, the
             Army Corps of Engineers, Soil Conservation Service, Coast Guard, Fish
             and Wildlife Service and NOAA will submit annual reports to EPA on
             activities affecting compliance with the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

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               GLNPO has a regular  need for coordination with other EPA programs, in
               Headquarters and  in Regions II, III, and IV. GLNPO interaction with the
               Region V Water Program has been formalized through a Memorandum  of
               Understanding (MOU) that is periodically evaluated. In accordance with
               the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987, GLNPO will be writing similar
               agreements with all appropriate programs  and Regions to define
               responsibilities associated with protecting the Great Lakes.
 7.9.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy — International/Interagency/
      Intra-agency Coordination

  FY 1989      * GLNPO will continue to  support the Parties in implementation of all
                 aspects of the Water Quality  Agreement.

               * GLNPO will implement and coordinate joint surveillance and
                 monitoring plans with Canada to work toward the goal of designing
                 data systems  with compatible information.

               * GLNPO will enter  into joint studies and agreements  to transfer
                 technology applicable to the Great Lakes to other nations and  to State
                 and local organizations.

               * GLNPO will continue to  support the implementation of the U.S.-
                 U.S.S.R. Joint Agreement  on  Cooperation in the Field of
                 Environmental Protection.

               * GLNPO will work  cooperatively with other Federal agencies to develop
                 and implement specific plans  and programs.

               •  GLNPO will  enter into agreements with NOAA, the  Fish and  Wildlife
                 Service, the Corps of Engineers, the  Coast Guard, and the Soil
                 Conservation Service to fulfill specific provisions of the Great Lakes
                 Water Quality Agreement.

               * GLNPO will coordinate the preparation and submission of annual
                 reports, as required  by the Clean Water Act,  to the EPA Administrator.

               * GLNPO will conduct regular meetings with State representatives prior
                 to binational  water  quality meetings.

               * GLNPO will  track and assist the implementation of the Governors
                Toxic Substances Control Agreement.
•*• An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.
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               * GLNPO will work cooperatively with the Regions to ensure that Great
                 Lakes priorities under the Clean Water Act and Water Quality
                 Agreement are implemented through annual State program plans.

               * GLNPO will work cooperatively with Headquarters  offices to ensure
                 that  annual guidance to the Regions includes Great  Lakes priorities
                 based on the Clean Water Act and Water Quality Agreement.

               •  GLNPO will enter into or revise existing Memoranda of Understanding,
                 as required by the Clean Water Act, with appropriate program offices
                 in EPA Region V.

               * GLNPO will provide support  for the development and implementation
                 of a Great Lakes geographic information system in conjunction with the
                 EPA  Environmental Research Laboratory in Duluth, and  EPA Region V.
FY 1990       •  GLNPO will enter into Memoranda of Understanding, as required by
                 the Clean Water Act, with appropriate Offices in Regions II, III, and
                 Headquarters.

               •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1991        •  GLNPO will review the effectiveness of existing agreements with other
                 Federal agencies and initiate revisions as appropriate.

               •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1992       •  GLNPO will develop an overall strategy for renegotiating the Water
                 Quality Agreement and initiate the process.

               •  GLNPO will evaluate the effectiveness of existing Memoranda of
                 Understanding with other EPA offices and initiate revisions  as
                 appropriate.

               •  GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
                                                     An ongoing activity throughout the five year period.

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  FY 1993      • GLNPO will complete the review of all program areas assessed in
                 preparation for renegotiating the 'Agreement and conduct the
                 renegotiation.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
 7.10  Public Education  and Involvement

 7.10.1 Background

               The Clean Water Act mandates that "public participation be provided for,
               encouraged, and assisted in the development of any plan or program."
               States share responsibility with EPA for this participation.

               Public support has been essential in implementing programs to control
               conventional pollutants. Accordingly, GLNPO plans a public information
               program to increase public understanding of toxic pollution and the new
               approaches to environmental management called for by the 1987
               Amendments to the Clean  Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality
               Agreement. Public participation has been very effective in local projects,
               such  as the remedial action planning process.

               The Center for the Great Lakes recently completed a survey of the status
               of public involvement in RAPs around the  Lakes. In 18  of the 42 Areas of
               Concern, a specialist in public involvement has been hired. In 44 percent
               of these  areas, written materials have been distributed to the public, such
               as status reports, newsletters, or draft plans. In 13 of the areas, a group of
               key individuals representing a variety of interests in the community has
               been  appointed to  a public  or citizens advisory committee.

               One of GLNPO's five year goals is  to improve public understanding of the
               Great Lakes system. GLNPO's approach to  achieving this goal includes:
               providing the public with information concerning the Great Lakes, their
               condition, and issues concerning their use and abuse; making use of
               existing information and education resources; developing a series  of issue
               papers; developing materials targeted to specific audiences; and supporting
               State  activities  for public involvement in local planning.


7.10.2 GLNPO's Five Year Strategy —  Public Education and Involvement

FY 1989       • GLNPO will complete a comprehensive strategy for public education and
                involvement.
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               * GLNPO will support and encourage State actions for public
                 involvement in development of Remedial Action Plans and Lakewide
                 Management Plans.

               • GLNPO will compile and disseminate existing teaching materials on
                 Great Lakes issues, including the Great  Lakes Atlas.

               • GLNPO will support a pilot project to integrate Great Lakes material
                 with existing curricula work in selected  school districts.

               * GLNPO will conduct regular meetings with representatives of public
                 interest groups  on a schedule consistent with the Parties'  semiannual
                 meetings.
FY 1990       • GLNPO will begin implementing the public education strategy  developed
                 in FY  1989.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1991       • GLNPO will continue implementing the public education strategy and
                 assess the effectiveness of completed activities.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1992       • GLNPO will evaluate the effectiveness of, and appropriate vehicles for,
                 public participation in the renegotiation process.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
FY 1993       • GLNPO will ensure opportunities for public participation in the
                 renegotiation of the Agreement.

               • GLNPO will continue ongoing activities identified above.
               As  GLNPO coordinates with other Federal, State, and local programs and
               initiatives over the next five years  and beyond, an integrated program
               strategy for protecting the Great Lakes resources will emerge. This
               integrated strategy will be founded on the common  goals of the various
               governmental institutions entrusted with protecting  and preserving the
               ecological integrity of the Great Lakes. GLNPO will continue to articulate
               and clarify this strategy  throughout its evolution, and will serve as a focus
               for  its continued development.
                                                      An ongoing activity throughout the five yeat period.

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