A UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM
    THE GREAT LAKES:  OUR FRESHWATER SEAS
    The Great Lakes are an international treasure, spanning over 750 miles across the eight
          States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
          and Wisconsin and the province of Ontario. They contain about 95 percent of the
          United States' fresh water. They provide drinking water, energy, recreation, and
          transportation, and are used for agricultural and industrial purposes by more than 46
          million Americans and Canadians, including 29 Native American tribes. Thousands
          of industries and millions of jobs are dependent upon water from the Great Lakes.

          The Great Lakes basin ecosystem—the interaction of air, land, water and living
          things, including people—is remarkably diverse and holds a unique place in the
          global ecology. The Great Lakes coastline supports hundreds of species of aquatic
          life, wildlife and plants and boasts six National Parks and Lakeshores, six National
          Forests, seven National Wildlife Refuges, and hundreds of State parks, forests, and
          sanctuaries.
   THE NEED FOR ACTION:  PROTECTING WATER QUALITY
   The presence of environmental pollutants in the Great Lakes basin is a significant concern.
          Much has already been done to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the Great
          Lakes' basin. The water looks and is much cleaner than in the 1970's when Lake
          Erie was declared "dead." However, there is still progress to be made.
          Despite their great depth and size, the Great Lakes are particularly vulnerable to
          persistent bioaccumulative pollutants because the water and the pollutants remain
          in the system for many years. Many of these pollutants are a serious threat, even in
          small amounts, because they are harmful to humans, animals and plants, they are
          long-lasting, and they can bioaccumulate. That is, they can become more concen-
          trated as they move through the food chain from plants, to fish, to people, and
          wildlife.

          Effects of some of the toxic pollutants on humans and wildlife can include
          increased risk of cancers, birth defects, kidney disorders, reproductive system and
          developmental damage.  Studies show that women of child-bearing age may store
          these pollutants in their bodies, and nursing mothers may then pass them on to their
          children. Researchers believe that animals that depend on fish for food, like mink,
          gulls, and bald eagles, can experience birth
          defects and loss in numbers due to consuming     rg^X ffiSSS^StaTnkonpaperthat
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POLLUTION AT THE SOURCE
        PROMOTING POLLUTION PREVENTION

        The Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance promotes the use of pollutant minimization
              plans to stop pollution before it enters the environment. Reducing pollution at
              its source is the most effective way of protecting public health and the environ-
              ment, and it is often cheaper than cleaning them up after they are released.


        FINISHING THE JOB: FINDING ALL SOURCES OF POLLUTION
        The water quality criteria in the Guidance apply to all of the waters in the Great Lakes

              system, regardless of where pollution comes from. Pollutants enter the Great
              Lakes from the air, from stirred-up bottom sediments, from urban and agricul-
              tural runoff, hazardous waste and Superfund sites, spills, and from industrial and
              municipal wastewater. Although the implementation procedures of the
              Guidance apply mostly to industrial and municipal water discharges, a State or
              Tribe may choose to improve water quality by reducing air emissions or clean-
              ing up contaminated sediments, and then may not need to impose additional
              requirements on wastewater dischargers.

              Under the 1992 Great Lakes Five Year Strategy, EPA, the Great Lakes States,
              Tribes, and other federal agencies are pursuing a program to identify, prevent,
              and to further reduce all dischargers of toxic pollutants. A parallel, on-going
              project, called the Great Lakes Toxic Reduction Effort, will give EPA, the
              States, and Tribes more tools to use to prevent arid reduce the toxic pollutants
              from diffuse sources.
                                            Atmospheric
                                             Deposition
                       Storm Water/
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                            Urban and
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                             Runoff
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  Sites
                        Desorption
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tOSTS AND BENEFITS
 IMPLEMENTING
    THE GREAT
   LAKES WATER
      QUALITY
    INITIATIVE
WATER: THE FOUNDATION OF THE GREAT LAKES ECONOMY
The Great Lakes basin is a major industrial and agricultural region.  The basin repre-
      sents nearly 11% of total employment and 15% of manufacturing employment
      for the United States and Canada.

      With more than 94,000 square miles of navigable water and over 10,000 miles
      of shoreline, the basin supports a robust recreation industry. About 1 million
      boats operate each year with a direct spending impact of more than $2 billion.
      Surveys estimate over 2.5 million anglers fished in the Great Lakes in 1991,
      with total expenditures of $1.3 billion.

CASE STUDIES OF BENEFITS AND COSTS
Implementing the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative will move the Great Lakes
      toward improved human health and environment protection.  Yet, it is hard to
      quantify in dollar values clean water and public health.

      The EPA used three communities in different parts of the basin as case studies to
      estimate benefits that the Guidance would have on the basin's economy. The
      benefits realized in these communities included: improvements in human health,
      especially for sport anglers and those who eat fish due to economic need;
      improvements in recreational fishing; improvements in the quality of water-
      based recreation; and an increase in the commercial fishery harvest. Economic
      benefits to these three communities range from an average of $0.3 million to
      $5.9 million each year, with a midpoint of $2.8 million.
                                  Costs will not be incurred
                                  by the States and Tribes
                                  until they actually imple-
                                  ment the Guidance.
                                  Average annual costs for
                                  the three case study com-
                                  munities are in the range
                                  of approximately $2.8 mil-
                                  lion. EPA estimates that
                                  the annual cost of imple-
                                                            $600 M —I
                                            STATES IMPLEMENTATION
                                                    FLEXIBILITY
                                                                         $60 M
                                             Range of State Implementation
                                  menting the Guidance will be between $60 and $380 million for the whole
                                  basin. Because of the flexibility that the Guidance provides to States, Tribes,
                                  and municipalities, EPA believes that implementation costs for the final
                                  Guidance will be under $100 million for the basin as a whole.
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PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION
         THE
ORGANIZATION
  AND PROCESS
  OFTHE GREAT
  LAKES WATER
     QUALITY
    INITIATIVE
A MODEL PROCESS
The Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative began when the States of the Great Lakes
      region recognized they needed to address growing concerns about the effects of
      pollution in the basin. Building on a history of successful cooperation, the eight
      Great Lakes States and EPA set out to assemble the best, up-to-date scientific
      information to better protect public health and the environment. Data were col-
      lected and analyzed, procedures were compared, health risks were assessed,
      ideas to stem the flow of toxic pollutants were collected, and people represent-
      ing all sides of many important issues were brought to the table.

      The Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative is a premier example of innovative,
      collaborative efforts that will protect the people and the environment of the
      Great Lakes region well into the future.

LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC
The proposed Guidance resulted in over 26,500 pages of comments from more than
      6,000 commenters and many hearings and public meetings throughout the
      region. All of the ideas were considered, and many of the suggestions were
      incorporated into the final Guidance. Tremendous effort was spent to actively
      engage all interested parties - far beyond what is required or usual. As a result,
      EPA has built in more flexibility for States, Tribes, and municipalities, and has
      revised the costs and benefits analyses based on additional information provided
      during the public comment period.

TIMELINE OF KEY STEPS
                                 Governors sign     Great Lakes Water
                                Great Lakes Toxic    Quality Initiative
                                Substances Control       begun
                                  Agreement
                                   Congress enacts   Proposed Guidance
                                    Great Lakes       published
                                   Critical Programs
                                       Act
First public
hearing
EPA. States, Tribes,
and stakeholders
discuss remaining
issues
Final Guidance
published
States and Tribes
adopt final
Guidance
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REAX.LAKES BASIN
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ATER QUALITY GUIDANCE FORTHE  GREAT LAKES SYSTEM
 WHAT IS IT?
FAIRNESS AND CONSISTENCY: LEVELING THE ECONOMIC
PLAYING FIELDS
Current law does not require States that border a common body of water (like a river or
      lake) to have the same water quality standards in place for that body of water.
      Inconsistent standards mean that a discharger may be required to meet different
      standards in one state than its competitors in another state. As a result, one dis-
      charger may have an economic advantage over another and water quality suf-
      fers. Once implemented, the Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes
      System will change this. The Guidance is designed to assure all dischargers that
      discharge to the same body of water meet consistent water quality standards
      based on scientific data.
                         ECOSYSTEM-BASED WATER QUALITY CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES
                         Water quality criteria tell how much of a specific pollutant can be in the water and yet
                              be safe for humans, aquatic life, and wildlife. States and Tribes use these crite-
                              ria and other information to set enforceable water quality standards in rivers,
                              lakes, and streams.  Using the methodology and procedures in the Water Quality
                              Guidance for the Great Lakes States, States and Tribes will have consistent
                        ;      human health and environmental protection across the whole Great Lakes basin.

                         SOUND SCIENCE AND PEER REVIEW
                         The Guidance received rigorous review by impartial scientists, and incorporates the
                              best available scientific information. There are five protective elements of the
                              Guidance:
                              1. Criteria to protect human life
                              2. Criteria to protect wildlife
                              3. Criteria to protect aquatic life
                              4. Antidegradation requirements to assure that current water quality
                                 will not be diminished
                              5. Procedures to ensure consistent implementation, with appropriate flexibility.
                        FLEXIBILITY: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
                        EPA has built flexibility into its requirements so that the States, Tribes, and municipali-
                       1      ties can adapt the Guidance to special characteristics of individual communities.
                              This flexibility will help reduce the costs of implementation, without sacrificing
                              environmental protection.
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?HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
                             PROTECTING HUMAN HEALTH
                             The criteria set to protect human health in the Water Quality Guidance for the Great
                                  Lakes System are based on fish consumption rates that more accurately reflect
                                  the fish consumption rates of people who live in the Great Lakes basin. The fish
                                  consumption rate, and procedures to adjust the rate on a case-by-case basis, will
                                  better protect the health of sport anglers and those who, because of cultural or
                                  economic reasons, consume fish from the Great Lakes.

                             PROTECTING AQUATIC LIFE
                             Fish and other aquatic life are protected by criteria that describe the maximum allow-
                                  able concentrations for short-term and long-term exposures from 15 pollutants.
                                  For other pollutants, the Guidance has methodologies the States and Tribes may
                                  use to set standards.
                             PROTECTING WILDLIFE
                             Levels of protection for wildlife were developed based upon field studies of Great
                                  Lakes animals and four well-known pollutants that are a threat to wildlife: mer-
                                  cury, PCBs, DDT and dioxin. The criteria are set to protect Great Lakes mam-
                                  mals and birds from long-term exposure to these pollutants.  To address other
                                  toxic pollutants, the Guidance includes procedures the States and Tribes should
                                  use to set additional levels of protection.

                             PROTECTING CURRENT WATER QUALITY
                             The Guidance sets forth minimum procedures that a State or Tribe must follow when
                                  considering an action that may lessen water quality in an area where water qual-
                                  ity standards are already met. The Guidance assures that there is a careful eval-
                                  uation of the environmental impact of such proposed actions, with full public
                                  participation. Also, for a small but important set of waters designated "out-
                                  standing," the Guidance reinforces current national policy that no permanent
                                  degradation is allowed.

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BIOACCUMULATIVE CHEMICALS OF CONCERN (BCCs)
 CHEMICALS THAT
    PRESENT AN
INCREASED RISK OF
  CANCER, BIRTH
 DEFECTS, GENETIC
 MUTATIONS, AND
  REPRODUCTIVE
      IMPACTS
     THROUGH
    LONG-TERM
     EXPOSURE
The final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System focuses on chemicals of
     most concern in the Great Lakes System: persistent, bioaccumulative pollutants
     termed Bioaceumulative Chemicals of Concern (BCCs).  Bioaccumulative pol-
     lutants are chemicals that concentrate at higher levels in the food chain. These
     pollutants are long lasting throughout the Great Lakes ecosystem and are most
     likely to bioaccumulate in the food chain. They have also been associated with
     serious and systemwide impacts.

     Chlordane
     4,4'-DDD
     4,4'-DDE                             !
     4,4'-DDT
     Dieldrin
     Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
     Hexachlorobutadiene
     Hexachlorocyclohexane (BHC)
     alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane (Alpha-BHC)
     beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane(5eta-B#C)
     delta-HexachlorocyclohexanefDe/ta-B/fCJ
     Lindane
     Mercury
     Mirex
     Octachlorostyrene
     Pentachlorobenzene
     Photomirex
     Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
     2,3,7,8-TCDD (Dioxin)
     1,2,3,4-Tetrachlorobenzene
     1,2,4,5-Tetrachlorobenzene
     Toxaphene
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