oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Great Lakes
National Program Office
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604
EPA-905-R-95-018
September 1995
Great Lakes Program
Progress Report
United States Report to the
International Joint Commission
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is the fourth progress report on United States actions to protect and restore the Great Lakes
ecosystem. It reviews some principal challenges facing the ecosystem; cites some recent actions by
Federal, State, Tribal and local governments, and their public and private partners; and outlines future
activities on behalf of the Great Lakes. Underthe terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement,
the United States and Canada report to the International Joint Commission, on a biennial basis, on
activities undertaken by their respective domestic programs, and jointly through binational efforts,
to protect and restore the Great Lakes. This report is submitted in fulfillment of this obligation.
Great Lakes Ecosystem Management Priorities
The United States Great Lakes Program is implementing ecosystem management at an unprec-
edented scale to restore and protect the beneficial uses of the Great Lakes. This multi-stakeholder,
multi-media effort is focusing in on the following areas:
protecting the health of all the residents of the Great Lakes Basin;
reducing the release of toxics to the environment;
protecting and restoring species and vital habitats;
limiting the impact of exotic species; and
building the knowledge base.
A variety of activities are being implemented to achieve these important goals. This Executive
Summary highlights some of the activities contained in the full progress report which follows.
Protecting the Health of Basin Residents
The Great Lakes States have jointly developed a draft of the nation's first uniform fish
consumption advisory. This effort seeks to set consistent recommendations for determining
the amount offish that can be ingested without significant health risks. This will foster
consistency among states in their advisories, which helps the public better understand the
risks associated with consumption of contaminated sportfish and game.
EPA is finalizing a Report to Congress outlining the variety of studies being implemented
by the Great Lakes Human Health Effects Research Program. This program, mandated by
Congress, addresses the potentially adverse human health effects from consuming Great
Lakes fish on particularly sensitive populations. These groups include: pregnant females,
nursing mothers, fetuses and nursing infants, infants and children, Native Americans, sport
anglers, urban poor, and the elderly. The findings from this Program will provide some of
the information that Great Lakes policymakers need to further protect the health of the
inhabitants of the Basin.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Contd.)
EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are funding a variety of
projects to develop core curricula in environmental medicine and occupational health aimed
at educating healthcare professionals about environmental risks. These professionals can
then serve as environmental educators, helping to increase public awareness of health
concerns in their Great Lakes communities. In addition, targeted risk communication
materials have been developed and distributed to populations which are heavy consumers of
Great Lakes fish and to medical professionals who serve these populations, which include
Asian immigrants, expectant mothers, Native Americans, charter boat captains, and urban
poor.
Reducing the Release of Toxics to the Environment
Significant decreases in point source discharges have been brought about through the Great
Lakes Enforcement Strategy, an important federal/state partnership to protect the Great
Lakes. Point source loadings of selected critical pollutant loadings to the Great Lakes have
dramatically decreased from FY1992 to FY1994. Overall, there was a reduction of over
188,000 pounds of the selected critical pollutants and approximately 8.75 million pounds
of oil and grease.
A landmark $4.8 million Clean Air Act settlement (one of the largest of this type) with a
copper smelter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to reduce the levels of mercury, lead and
cadmium output from its operation, will help reduce air and water pollution in the northern
regions of Michigan and Wisconsin. Funds from the settlement will be used to finance
environmental compliance and enforcement activities and for mercury monitoring studies
and habitat enhancement projects in the Lake Superior Basin.
The final Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance was published in the Federal Register in
March 1995, culminating six years of intensive, cooperative effort among EPA, the eight
Great Lakes States, the environmental community, academia, industry, and municipalities.
The Guidance consists of minimum water quality standards, antidegradation policies, and
implementation procedures for the Great Lakes System. When fully implemented, the
Guidance should bring about a one million pound reduction in the amount of contaminants
entering the Great Lakes.
In 1994, EPA acted on a recommendation from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and
asked the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to suspend sales of mercury, pending consider-
ation of environmental consequences. The federal government holds about eleven million
pounds of surplus mercury which it had been selling at auction. EPA has asked DLA to
continue a sales suspension through September 1996, while the Agency considers an
alternative long term disposition for the mercury.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (ContiL)
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EPA has asked Great Lakes utility companies to accelerate their voluntary phasedown of
electrical equipment which contain PCBs to prevent the possibility of accidental spills. In
response, twelve major utility companies have reported that they have collectively removed
almost 90percent of their PCBs and that only about 900 PCB transformers and 80,000 PCB
capacitors are currently being used by all the utilities in EPA Region 5 states.
PCB contaminated sediments are being removed from the environment. In the period 1991 -
1994, 32,900 cubic yards of sediments with PCB concentration in excess of 50 parts per
million (ppm) were removed, with some concentrations exceeding 100,000 ppm. At the
Waukegan Harbor, IL Area of Concern, over 1 million pounds of PCBs were removed from
soils and sediments.
A leachate collection system and containment wall was completed at a landfill located on the
Ottawa River in Ohio. This site is thought to be the largest single source of PCBs to the
western basin of Lake Erie. A final remedy will involve capping the entire 70 acre site.
From 1991 through March 1995, nearly 600,000 pounds of waste pesticides have been
removed from the Great Lakes Basin by the voluntary collection Clean Sweeps program.
Over one third of this amount was removed in 1994. In such pesticide collections, 20 - 60
percent are suspended and canceled pesticides, some found on lists of contaminants offish
tissue and sediments.
Protecting and Restoring Species and Vital Habitats
The American bald eagle, the national symbol that almost disappeared from the continental
U.S. just 25 years ago, was removed from the endangered species list in July 1995. After a
year-long review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to change the status of the eagle
from "endangered" to "threatened" in the 48 contiguous states. There are currently about
4,500 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the U.S., up from 417 back in the 1970s. Environmental
laws which reduce toxics and protect vital habitat, and hunting restrictions, are credited with
this turnaround.
A February 1994 report, The Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes
Ecosystem, identified 131 elements within the Great Lakes basin that are critically imperiled,
imperiled, or rare on a global basis, including: 31 natural ecological community types, 49
plants, 21 insects, 12 mollusks, 9 fish, 5 birds, 3 reptiles, and 1 mammal.
During F Y1994, under a variety of unique programs and partnerships at the federal, state, and
local landowner levels, a large number of wetland and upland habitat creation, protection,
restoration and enhancement activities were conducted under the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan, the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the USFWS's Partners for
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Contd.)
Wildlife Program. Approximately 3000 acres in the Great Lakes counties were affected by
one or more of these programs.
At Metzger Marsh, Ohio, 558 acres of Ohio Division of Wildlife and 350 acres of U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service coastal wetlands on the southern shore of Lake Erie will be restored and
provide needed emergent wetland for spring and fall migratory birds.
Recently collected data indicates that the structure of Lake Ontario's offshore fish commu-
nity is changing in response to improved environmental conditions, and that the direction of
that change is towards a fish community that more closely resembles that which existed
historically.
Limiting the Impact of Exotic Species
Ballast water exchange and inspection regulations have been in place in the U.S. since May
1993 to help limit the introduction of exotic species to the Great Lakes. Under the Coast
Guard Ballast Water Inspection Program, the U.S. Coast Guard boards all vessels with ballast
entering the St. Lawrence Seaway and spot checks, with additional boardings, those vessels
reporting "no ballast on board" in order to insure that they are not carrying pumpable ballast.
This program would not be possible without the full cooperation of the Canadian Coast
Guard. These regulations are expected to profoundly diminish the number of new invasions
of exotic species in the Great Lakes. The Coast Guard will continue to investigate further
measures for preventing new exotic species from being introduced to the Lakes.
In November 1993, New York became the first state to develop federally approved and
funded nonindigenous aquatic species comprehensive management plan as required under
the Federal Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Species Prevention and Control Act of 1990.
The plan lays out a strategy for preventing the introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species
to the waters of New York State.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is implementing an Integrated Pest Management
program for sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. This has reduced the dependence on lamprey
treatment chemicals by 20-percent to date, and is expected to further reduce the use of these
chemicals by increasing the use of barriers and the release of sterile male sea lamprey. The
Commission is also developing a control strategy for sea lamprey in the St. Marys River. This
is a vital first step for the restoration of native lake trout in northern Lake Huron.
Building the Knowledge Base
The first-ever State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC '94) brought together Great
Lakes experts, managers and other decision makers working in the fields of pollution control,
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Contd.)
natural resource and human health to review the state of the ecosystem and information that
could lead to better consideration of impacts on the Great Lakes. A major result of this
conference was agreement that habitat loss, exotic species and toxic substances should be
given equal attention in working to restore and protect the integrity of the basin's ecosystem.
AjointU.S./Canadian State of the Lakes Report was released on September 1,1995. SOLEC
'96 is being planned with a focus on nearshore areas of the ecosystem.
Under section 112(m) of the Clean Air Act, as amended hi 1990, Congress authorized EPA
to undertake the Great Waters Program to evaluate the atmospheric deposition of fifteen
hazardous air pollutants (including mercury and PCBs) to the Great Lakes and other waters.
The Program's Report to Congress (May 1994) includes information on the contribution of
atmospheric deposition to pollutant loadings, associated environmental or public health
effects, source information, and a description of regulatory revisions under applicable federal
laws that may be necessary to assure protection of human health and the environment.
Program findings concluded that a significant portion of loadings of the pollutants studied
are coming from the atmosphere, including 76 to 89 percent of PCB loadings to Lake Superior
and 95 percent of lead loadings to Lake Michigan. In addition, pollutants of concern originate
from sources that are local to, as well as distant from, the impacted waters.
In summation, the United States is continuing to implement an integrated program for the protection
and restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem. A team consisting of many organizations and citizens
are working together to put an ecosystem approach into action. The Program relies on innovative
measures and a comprehensive blend of actions to prevent or reduce water, air, and land sources of
contamination. It is obtaining demonstrable results. By its aggressive emphasis on "thinking globally
and acting locally," the United States is significantly contributing to the protection and restoration
of the entire Great Lakes System.
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Table of Contents
Aspects of Ecosystem Health 7
Habitat and Biodiversity 1
Exotic Species 2
Toxic Contaminants 2
Fish Communities 3
Eutrophication 3
A Framework for Addressing Ecosystem Management 4
Putting the Ecosystem Approach to Work 4
Pollution Prevention 5
Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance 7
Focus on Mercury 8
Focus on PCBs 13
Niagara River Toxics Management Plan 15
Focus on Pesticides 75
Agricultural Clean Sweeps 16
Oil Spill Prevention and Response Actions 77
Excessive Nutrient Loadings 77
Environmental Regulation and Compliance 19
Managing Contaminated Sediments 27
Habitat Protection and Enhancement 24
Exotic Species 28
Protecting the Health of Basin Residents 29
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Table of Contents (Cont'd.)
Fish and Wildlife Populations: Actions and Successes 30
Public Involvement 35
Building the Knowledge Base 36
Progress under the Lakewide Management Plans 41
Progress on Remedial Action Plans 44
Innovative Partnerships 44
Future Actions in Support of the Great Lakes 48
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The Great Lakes contain 95% of
the United States' surface fresh
water.
Report on United States Progress to Protect and
Restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem
This is the fourth progress report to the International Joint Commission
and the citizens of the Great Lakes Basin on the actions of the United
States Program to protect and restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem. This
report reviews some principal challenges facing the ecosystem; out-
lines the approach taken by basin stakeholders to address these chal-
lenges; highlights some recent actions by the United States Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA), other federal agencies, states, tribes,
and their partners to implement this approach; and outlines future
activities on behalf of the Great Lakes. The U.S. partners include:
EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanographic
and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the eight
Great Lakes States, a number of Tribes and tribal organizations, and a
variety of public organizations and private industry groups.
Aspects of Ecosystem Health
By the start of the twentieth century, human presence in the basin had
severely impacted the Great Lakes. Yet, especially over the past thirty
years, the people of the region and their governments have achieved
encouraging ecological progress, successfully abating excessive algae
in Lake Erie, protecting fish populations from sea lamprey predation,
restoring oxygen depleted waters, and making strides in restoring and
protecting vital habitats. Levels of targeted toxic contaminants have
declined substantially in fish and wildlife, resulting in clear improve-
ments in the health of many species. Today, despite these important
achievements, the Great Lakes ecosystem faces a range of both new and
ongoing environmental challenges.
Habitat and Biodiversity
Native Great Lakes ecosystems, including forests, rivers, lakes, wet-
lands, dunes, savannas, and prairies, provide habitats upon which a
diversity of plant and animal species depend. Whereas the pace of
habitat conversion today is much less than in prior eras, continuing
conversion of these habitats threatens the health and survival of many
Great Lakes species. A February 1994 report, The Conservation of
Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes Ecosystem, identified 131
elements within the Great Lakes basin that are critically imperiled,
imperiled, or rare on a global basis, including: 31 natural ecological
community types, 49 plants, 21 insects, 12 mollusks, 9 fish, 5 birds, 3
reptiles, and 1 mammal.
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A variety of ecosystems support
Great Lakes inhabitants.
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Exotic Species
Zebra Mussels are having profound
impacts on the Great Lakes.
The Ruffe is another recent invader
to the Great Lakes.
TOXtHNJS-rCSi
Levels of contaminants have fallen
in many Great Lakes fish species.
More than 130 exotic (non-native) species have been introduced to the
Great Lakes since 1800, nearly one-third carried by ships. Some
exotics have profoundly damaged native species. One such invader,
the zebra mussel, probably entered the Lakes via ballast water dis-
charge from an oceangoing vessel. This prolific mollusk devours
microscopic plants (algae) at the foundation of the food web, creating
a food shortage for fish that graze on these plants and causing other less
understood effects, which may ultimately threaten predator fish, such
as walleye, salmon, and lake trout. Zebra mussels, accidentally
transported by recreational boaters, are now turning up in inland waters
in all eight Great Lakes states.
One of the many exotic Great Lakes fish species, the ruffe, a spiny fish
with minimal food value, is another recent invader that poses a major
threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Yellow perch and several other
native species have trouble competing with the prolific ruffe. Intro-
duced to Duluth Harbor in the early 1980s, the ruffe has spread much
more gradually than the zebra mussel. In western Lake Superior the
ruffe has become the predominant fish species in bays and estuaries.
Ruffe were recently found near the mouth of the Thunder Bay River
at Alpena, Michigan in Lake Huron. This significant finding is the first
time this exotic fish species has been identified outside the western
Lake Superior basin. Potential consequences of this range expansion
could be significant as the suitable habitat for ruffe is far greater in Lake
Huron and the lower Great Lakes than in the previous range of western
Lake Superior, and could result in much more rapid future expansion.
The latest fish invader, the round goby, was found in the St. Clair River
in 1990 and has already spread to Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and
Superior. Round gobies are voracious predators that feed primarily
on zebra mussels, and may ultimately help to stabilize mussel popula-
tions. However, they are also fond of fish eggs and juvenile fish,
thereby posing a threat to native fish species such as sculpin, perch and
lake trout.
Toxic Contaminants
The Great Lakes food web remains contaminated by a variety of
bioaccumulative toxic substances, causing unacceptable levels of
these contaminants in some fish and wildlife. Levels are lower than in
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the early 1970s, but still justify issuance of public health advisories
regarding fish and wildlife consumption. Advisories especially apply
to vulnerable consumers, such as children, women who anticipate
bearing children, and frequent consumers, such as sport fishermen and
Native Americans. In many locations, harmful substances have
accumulated in bottom sediments which serve as a reservoir of
pollutants that can recycle into the food web. Contaminated sediments
may also delay navigational dredging and limit waterborne commerce
and are associated with tumors in some bottom-feeding fish.
Fish Communities
In comparison with two centuries ago, the populations of many native
fish species are greatly reduced. Their depletion can be attributed to
food chain disruptions, habitat loss and degradation, over-fishing, and
competition from exotic species, among other factors. Damage to
once abundant native fish populations has been profound. Non-native
alewife and smelt have replaced lake herring and bloater as the
predominant forage fish since the late 1960s and 1970s. Sturgeon
survive today in much depleted numbers, although a significant
recovery may be occurring in the upper Niagara River. Natural
reproduction of lake trout was minimally successful through the
1970s, and natural recruitment has been generally insufficient. Lake
trout stocking programs were continued primarily to promote rehabili-
tation, to maintain ecological balance, and to replace loses to sea
lamprey. The secondary goal was to sustain sport and commercial
fisheries.
Human impacts and exotic spe-
cies have altered Great Lakes fish
communities.
Eutrophication
Some waters remain overenriched with phosphorus in some areas that
receive agricultural runoff containing fertilizers. For example, in
Lake Erie, the situation has greatly improved since the late 1960s when
the lake was clogged by foul-smelling mats of algae that depleted
dissolved oxygen from bottom waters by their seasonal die-off and
decay. Nevertheless, the bottom waters of central Lake Erie continue
to suffer exhaustion of dissolved oxygen during late summer. There
is evidence to suggest that anoxia (the absence of dissolved oxygen)
may have occurred to some degree in Lake Erie before the settlement
of the basin. Although we are making much progress in improving the
situation, the natural characteristics of the basin may preclude ever
totally eliminating anoxia. The encouraging news is that phosphorus
Lake Erie phosphorus targets have
been achieved as have those for
the other four Great Lakes.
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concentrations in the water column of Lake Erie, as in the other Great
Lakes, have reached those predicted to achieve desired water quality,
that the area of low oxygen is becoming smaller, and that its duration
is diminishing.
A Framework for Addressing Ecosystem Management
The Great Lakes Basin.a treasured
resource shared by the United
States and Canada.
Many partners are working to-
gether to restore and protect the
Great Lakes.
The United States Great Lakes Program can be viewed as a nested
structure of activities managed and implemented by an alliance of
public and private agencies and organizations. This nested structure is
meant to parallel the natural boundaries found in the Great Lakes
ecosystem: from local landscapes to sub-watersheds and watersheds;
to individual lake basins, the entire Great Lakes basin and beyond.
Places are stressed over programs, with environmental and natural
resource programs applied along naturally occurring borders instead of
jurisdictional boundaries. The goal of the Program is to achieve
significant environmental improvements through the implementation
of an ecosystem-based approach which focuses on priority ecological
problems and geographic areas. Characteristics of this approach
include specific, measurable, collaboratively developed goals and
greater involvement by citizens in setting an environmental agenda.
Two processes for implementing this approach are the Remedial
Action Plans (RAPs) for Areas of Concern (AOCs) and Lakewide
Management Plans (LaMPs) for open lake waters. Highlights of
activities being undertaken by these processes will be addressed in
various sections of this report.
In addition, priority geographic targeting based on human health and
ecological hazards facing the Great Lakes region concluded that the
most significant U.S. sources of environmental contaminants were
concentrated around southeast Chicago, northwest Indiana, Green
Bay, Wisconsin, southeast Michigan, Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New
York and Cleveland, Ohio. In response, the Great Lakes Program has
focused prevention and cleanup efforts in these areas.
Putting the Ecosystem Approach to Work
EPA and its federal, state and tribal partners are focusing on the Great
Lakes in a pioneering, precedent-setting program to protect and restore
the integrity of a fragile natural ecosystem. Agencies with stewardship
responsibilities for the ecosystem developed a Joint Great Lakes Five-
year Strategy that they launched in 1992 and are currently revising to
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reflect new priorities for the basin. The Strategy joins environmental
protection and natural resource agencies in pursuit of the common
goals of reducing releases of toxics to the environment, protecting and
restoring habitat, and protecting the ecosystem's living resources. The
goals of the Strategy drive the majority of actions highlighted in this
report.
Pollution Prevention
EPA and states are using the Great Lakes as a proving ground for
innovative pollution prevention efforts. Pollution prevention means
source reduction and other practices that reduce or eliminate the
creation of pollutants through increased efficiency in the use of raw
materials, energy, water or other resources, or the protection of natural
resources by conservation. Prevention is the preferred means to avert
the generation of harmful substances and thereby to reduce their
release to the environment; it heads off ecological damage and saves
resources otherwise needed to treat or clean up contaminants. EPA and
its partners are inviting all sectors of society to contribute ideas and
energies toward adoption of greener behaviors. Some notable pollu-
tion prevention successes follow.
• Great Lakes-specific pollution prevention activities supplement
EPA's nationwide initiative, the 33/50 Program, which seeks
voluntary reductions of 17 priority contaminants. Through 1993,
the most recent year for which the Agency has data, American
firms are maintaining a pace of reduction that will meet the
Program's objective of 50-percent reduction of priority contami-
nants from 1988 levels, representing more than a 700 million
pound decrease, by the end of 1995.
• The Great Lakes Auto Pollution Prevention Proj ect is a partnership
between the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, on
behalf of the Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and the
General Motors Corporation, and the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources. Launched in September 1991, the partners
agreed to a voluntary pollution prevention action plan to reduce the
generation and release of 65 persistent toxic substances in the Great
Lakes basin. The auto manufacturers have reduced releases of the
targeted toxics by 20.2% (as measured by the Toxics Release
Inventory) in the first year of the project. A report is anticipated
in Fall 1995 regarding reductions achieved in the last few years of
Pollution prevention is the preferred
method of averting the genera-
tion of harmful substances.
The Big Three automakers have
reduced the release of 65 persis-
tent toxic substances by 20% in
the first year of the project.
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The Great Printers Project will iden-
tify pollution prevention opportu-
nities in the printing industry.
the project. The Auto Project is being coordinated with a
parallel project between the Canadian federal and provincial
governments and the big three automakers. The same 65 persistent
substances are being targeted for prevention, and the U.S. and
Canada are working together with joint outreach and workshops
for suppliers to the automotive industry.
The Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Environmental De-
fense Fund, and the Printing Industries of America are spearhead-
ing an effort to identify pollution prevention opportunities for the
printing industry in the Great Lakes Basin. Printers in Great Lakes
States produce 43 percent of the U.S. total printing output and
employ more than 340,000 persons. About 80 percent of printing
plants employ less than 20 people. The project brings together
representatives of government, industry, technical assistance pro-
grams, labor, and environmental groups to focus on the common
goals of environmental protection and economic strength. The
team analyzed technical and regulatory assistance and how it
should be provided, ways for consumers to help create the demand
for 'great printing', and the role suppliers can play. Recommenda-
tions for Great Printing in the Great Lakes Basin were released in
July 1994. The States of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and
Wisconsin are conducting pilot projects to implement the recom-
mendations.
Facility Inspections are an impor-
tant form of prevent pollution.
The U.S. Lake Superior Pollution Prevention Team, made up of
state and federal environmental representatives, released a Lake
Superior Pollution Prevention Strategy in October 1993. A
number of pollution prevention opportunities and priorities were
recommended in this strategy. To provide further guidance on what
stakeholders in the Superior basin should be doing to implement the
strategy, the team developed the Lake Superior Pollution Preven-
tion Implementation Plan, Recommendations for Achieving Zero
Discharge, due to be released in Fall of 1995. The Implementation
Plan focuses on recommendations for reducing mercury, PCBs and
dioxin.
In August 1993, EPA Region II's Air and Waste Management
Division conducted pollution prevention inspections of seven in-
dustrial facilities that emit toxic pollutants in the Lake Ontario
basin. Of the 491,000 Ibs of pollutants that were emitted by these
facilities, it is estimated that 212,800 Ibs of the pollutants (43%)
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were eliminated as a result of the facilities implementing the
pollution prevention measures identified by the inspections.
• Through the vigorous, concerted efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard,
EPA, and state and local entities, oil and chemical spills in the U.S.
waters of the Great Lakes have been greatly reduced.Oil spills
have declined 61 percent over the period 1990-1994. Over the
same period, chemical spills have been almost totally eliminated,
decreasing from over 28,500 gallons in 1990 to just 91 gallons in
1994. To achieve even further improvement in these areas, the
agencies involved will strive for better coordination of emergency
response activities at all levels.
• In 1994, five companies, the Indiana Department of Environmen
tal Management, and EPA agreed to work on the Grand Calumet
Cooperative Project, a voluntary cleanup of groundwater adjacent
to the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. This is an historic effort aimed
at the voluntary remediation of underground hydrocarbons esti-
mated to be in excess of ten million barrels of oil. Through mutual
agreement, the Parties will begin a phased remediation of the
contaminants.
Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance
EPA published the Final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes
System (the Guidance) on March 23,1995. The Guidance represents
a milestone in the 30 years of effort on the part of the Great Lakes
stakeholders to define and apply innovative, comprehensive environ-
mental programs for protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. The
Guidance includes minimum water quality criteria, antidegradation
policies, and implementation procedures that provide a coordinated
ecosystem approach for addressing existing and possible pollutant
problems, and improves consistency in water quality standards and
permitting procedures in the Great Lakes System. The Great Lakes
States and Tribes will now use the Guidance to establish consistent,
enforceable, long-term protection for fish and shellfish in the Great
Lakes and their tributaries, as well as for the people and wildlife who
consume them. They now have until March 23,1997 in which to adopt
provisions in their water quality standards programs consistent with
the Guidance, or EPA must promulgate the provisions for them.
The Guidance was initially developed by the eight Great Lakes States,
The landmark Great Lakes Water
Quality Guidance will achieve sig-
nificant reductions in Great Lakes
contaminants.
United Sates Progress Report
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EPA, and other federal agencies in open dialogue with citizens, local
governments, and industries in the basin. It will affect all types of
pollutants, but will target especially the long-lasting pollutants that
accumulate in the Great Lakes food web. In addition, the Guidance
helps establish consistent goals or minimum requirements for the
RAPs and LaMPs, which are critical to the success of the international
multi-media efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem.
Once the Guidance is implemented, a reduction of almost one million
pounds of contaminants entering the lakes will be achieved. Signifi-
cantly less mercury, PCBs, and toxic pesticides will be in our water,
fish, wildlife and ourselves. Implementation of the Guidance will also
improve human health, expand commercial and recreational fishing,
and improve the quality and safety of recreational activities in the Great
Lakes.
Focus on Mercury
Mercury contamination of fish is a potential threat to aquatic life and
to human health. Organic mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can
produce irreversible brain damage, resulting in the loss of higher
cognitive and motor functions, if ingested at high enough levels. The
fetal nervous system is particularly vulnerable with pregnant women
being the most vulnerable subpopulation. As stated by the State of
Michigan's Environmental Science Board in 1993, "(T)here is a
potentially small margin of safety between natural levels of mercury
exposure and concentrations that can cause harm in humans.. .(M)ercury
must be taken seriously as a potential threat to public health and the
environment."
Mercury contamination also threatens the recreational industry. Michi-
gan has a statewide fish consumption advisory for its 10,000 inland
lakes. Wisconsin and Minnesota have advisories for hundreds of their
inland lakes. The impacts of mercury varies from lake to lake. For
example, New York State has no mercury fish consumption advisories
for its portions of Lakes Ontario and Erie. The risk from mercury is
not site specific, but widespread (90 percent of mercury reaching the
Great Lakes is via atmospheric deposition), with 50-75 percent of
atmospheric mercury believed to be from anthropogenic sources.. The
risk is also indirect, moving up the aquatic food chain. EPA is assessing
U.S. mercury emissions in a Report to Congress due in December
1995. Annual emissions are estimated at over 250 tons, with the
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leading sectors appearing to be:
• Waste incineration - municipal, medical, and hazardous waste
combustors;
• Incidental releases - coal fired utilities, boilers, mining, and
smelting; and
• Intentional uses - e.g., 14 mercury cell chloralkali plants.
The partners in the U.S. Great Lakes Program have implemented a
variety of actions to reduce the amount of mercury in the Great Lakes
ecosystem.
State Actions
• The States of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin have all issued
mercury reports indicating that the major sources of mercury to
their environments are atmospheric emissions from waste incin-
eration, coal combustion, latex paint emissions, and in the case of
Wisconsin, a chlor-alkali plant located in the state. The States of
Michigan and Minnesota have formed mercury task forces. In
Michigan the task force is focused on pollution prevention and is
made up of industry, government, and environmental representa-
tives. In a formal report, they will present recommendations for
action to the governor at the end of this year. The Minnesota task
force is made up of staff from the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency and publishes an annual report on strategies for mercury
control in Minnesota.
• Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have
or will limit the use of mercury in packaging materials.
• Minnesota, New York, Michigan and Wisconsin have regulations
which reduce the amount of mercury allowed in batteries.
Minnesota's regulations will lead to an eventual elimination of
mercury content in batteries.
• In Illinois, mercury must be removed before white goods (i.e.,
refrigerators, stoves) can be disposed of at landfills.
• Indiana has implemented outreach programs to a variety of mer-
cury users (caustic soda and sulfuric acid users, medical and dental
professionals, general contractors, analytical laboratories, fluores-
The eight Great Lakes states are
key partners in implementing pol-
lution prevention activities.
United Sates Progress Report
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Industry is doing its part to reduce
mercury emissions to the environ-
ment.
cent tube manufacturers, and incinerator operators) regarding
pollution prevention options and management practices for mer-
cury. And a battery collection program is now serving 39 counties.
• The State of Michigan has developed a Mercury Reduction Pro-
gram which requires the elimination of mercury discharges to
Publicly-Owned Treatment Works from non-domestic users. There
is also a Mercury Pollution Prevention Action Plan which sets goals
and strategies for mercury pollution prevention.
• The State of Minnesota has adopted solid waste laws which reduce
and control releases of mercury to the environment. These include
disposal bans for certain battery types and other mercury containing
products (unless the mercury is first removed); sales prohibitions
for games, toys, and athletic shoes containing mercury; a ban on
mercury in inks, dyes, paints, and fungicides; mercury labeling
requirements for some products; a ban prohibiting medical facili-
ties from routinely distributing mercury thermometers; and a
variety of collection and recycling programs. Recycling opportu-
nities exist for fluorescent lamps which are banned from being
disposed of in the solid waste stream by commercial firms.
• Minnesota has also completed a rulemaking for waste combustors,
which includes mercury emission limits for all new and existing
municipal waste combustors and for new industrial and medical
waste incinerators. Coupled with aban on the operation of existing
and new onsite waste incinerators, the rule will (when fully
implemented by 1997) reduce potential yearly mercury emissions
from waste combustors from 4,369 pounds to 2,067 pounds, a 47-
percent reduction.
• Wisconsin has instituted a ban on the sale of mercury-containing
toys and clothing that could potentially be handled by children.
And an energy efficiency program at a major Wisconsin coal-fired
power plant provides comprehensive rebate and outreach informa-
tion to its customers to promote energy efficiency, thereby reducing
emissions of mercury at the plant. The State also has a moratorium
on the construction of new medical waste incinerators.
Industry Efforts
• The Potlatch Pulp and Paper Company, the University of Minne-
United States Progress Report
10
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sota-Duluth, and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District are
working together to identify sources of mercury in pulp mill
wastewater and to take necessary measures to reduce sources. This
effort could be a pilot for mercury pollution prevention projects for
other large industries.
• Through a pilot take-back program established by the Honeywell
Corporation, 5,496 mercury bulb thermostats were recycled and
their mercury contents were kept out of Minnesota's waste stream
during the period January 1994-March 1995. Honey well manage-
ment has recently agreed to expand the take-back program to the
other Great Lakes States.
Federal Actions
• In 1994, EPA acted on a recommendation from the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency and asked the Defense Logistics Agency
(DLA) to suspend sales of mercury, pending consideration of
environmental consequences. The federal government holds about
eleven million pounds of surplus mercury which it had been selling
at auction. EPA has asked DLA to continue a sales suspension
through September 1996 while the Agency considers an alternative
long term disposition for the mercury.
• EPA recently finalized a regulation, referred to as the Universal
Waste Rule, which will greatly facilitate the environmentally-
sound collection, proper recycling, or treatment of mercury-
containing thermostats and certain other hazardous wastes often
produced by households and small businesses as well as by large
companies (e.g., nickel cadmium and other batteries and certain
waste pesticides). The Universal Waste Rule exempts these wastes
from the full set of hazardous waste regulations, which were
considered to be a major impediment to national collection and
recycling campaigns. The Rule now subjects the wastes to a set of
streamlined requirements for their collection. This Rule will
greatly ease the regulatory burden on retail stores and others that
wish to collect mercury-containing thermostats and other universal
wastes and send them, directly or indirectly, to fully-regulated
hazardous waste facilities.
• EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the four Lake Michigan states,
and a number of universities are participating in a multi-agency
// United Sates Progress Report
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Partnerships are in place to reduce
the use of mercury in the medical
community.
effort to determine mercury loads, by sample collection and
streamflow monitoring, to Lake Michigan from tributary streams.
This project is part of a larger effort to produce a mercury mass
balance for Lake Michigan and for the first time put into context
the relative contributions of atmospheric and terrestrial sources of
mercury.
The Green Lights Program, sponsored by EPA, encourages instal-
lation of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Reduced energy
usage results in less mercury emitted as a by-product from coal
combustion. Under this voluntary program, facilities are upgraded
with these technologies whenever they are profitable and maintain
or improve lighting quality. As the success of this program
continues to grow, strategies are being developed to address the
additional amounts of mercury that will be introduced into the
municipal waste stream as a result of the increased use of fluores-
cent lighting. This is necessary to avoid the cross-media transfer
of mercury.
EPA, working with several of the Great Lakes states, is engaged in
a project to reduce sources of mercury from medical waste through
targeted education and outreach. The project seeks to enhance the
medical community's understanding of the dangers of mercury in
the environment, particularly for certain high-risk populations; to
form partnerships with hospitals, medical trade associations, and
others in the medical care and public health community; to promote
awareness of alternatives to use of mercury-containing products;
and to encourage recycling or proper disposal if alternatives are not
practicable.
Region 5 EPA has developed a mercury pollution prevention
outreach strategy for medical waste incinerators (MWIs), one of
the largest sources of mercury emissions. New and existing MWIs
will be regulated by April 1996. This strategy gives MWIs the
opportunity to achieve emission reductions prior to this date.
The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments mandated a study to describe
the contribution of mercury emissions and other hazardous air
pollutants from utilities. If the study finds that there is a public
health risk posed, EPA can recommend that utilities be regulated
for these emissions.
United States Progress Report
12
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Focus on PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), although banned or tightly re-
stricted in almost all industrial and commercial uses due to their
persistence and high toxicity, remain a major cause of contamination
in the Basin. All five of the lakes, as well as numerous inland lakes,
have fish consumption advisories as a result of PCB contamination.
• EPA has asked Great Lakes utility companies to accelerate their
voluntary phasedown of electrical equipment which contain PCBs
to prevent the possibility of accidental spills. In response, twelve
major utility companies have reported that they have collectively
removed almost 90percent of their PCBs and that only about 900
PCB transformers and 80,000 PCB capacitors are currently being
used by all the utilities in EPA Region 5 states.
• Approximately 18,000,000 pounds of metal from PCB transform-
ers, capacitors, and related components were recycled rather than
incinerated or landfilled, limiting potential PCB releases to the
environment.
• Since the implementation of the PCB Notification and Manifesting
Rule in 1990, the amount of PCBs received at storage and disposal
facilities have been tracked. In 1993, over 77,000,000 pounds of
PCBs were taken out of service, lessening the likelihood of further
PCB contamination in the environment.
• PCB contaminated sediments are being remediated. In the period
1991-1994, over 33,000 cubic yards of sediments with PCB
concentration in excess of 50 parts per million (ppm) were
removed, with some concentrations exceeding 100,000 ppm.
Examples of past and planned remediations include:
- Over one million pounds of PCBs were removed from the
Waukegan, Illinois Harbor AOC and area soils under a
Superfund cleanup project completed in 1993. Additional
maintenance dredging is proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers as soon as a secure landfill site can be located for the
sediments which contains less than 50 ppm of PCBs. This will
achieve additional removal of remaining low level PCBs. The
Stage II RAP report for this project was completed in February
1995. Regular fish tissue sampling in being conducted to
PCBs
Great Lakes utilities are accelerat-
ing the voluntary phase down of
PCB-containing equipment.
PCB contaminated sediments are
being removed from the environ-
ment.
13
United Sates Progress Report
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verify progress to eliminate use impairments in the area of the
harbor as a basis for delisting it as an AOC.
- 7,500 cubic yards removed from Cedar Creek, Wisconsin, with
concentrations ranging up to 150,000 ppm.
- At an automotive facility in the River Raisin Area of
Concern, a 200 cubic yard test batch was removed in
preparation for dredging 44,000 cubic yards of sediments with
concentrations above 50 ppm.
- An outfall ditch and stream below a sludge lagoon which
served an automotive plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan (within the
Huron River Watershed), will be dredged of 331,000 cubic
yards of PCB contaminated sediments with concentrations up
to 1,800 ppm. Construction of an on-site landfill to contain the
sediments will begin in September 1995.
- At the Manistique River, Michigan AOC, through the RAP
process, a decision has been reached to have the Potentially
Responsible Parties cap approximately 18 acres of PCB con-
taminated sediments in Manistique Harbor, beginning in Sep-
tember 1995. Concentrations of PCBs in the sediments are as
high as 810 ppm. In addition, EPA will dredge approximately
10,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments from an upriver
site to demonstrate innovative dredging and treatment tech-
nologies.
- Approximately 83,500 cubic yards of PCB contaminated sedi-
ments will be dredged from the St. Lawrence River/Massena
Area of Concern near three industrial facilities. Land-based
remedial activities are also progressing towards completion.
Ohio EPA has completed site investigations for 23 uncontrolled
waste sites in the Maumee River AOC. Sixteen of these sites are
located along the Ottawa River, where a health advisory has existed
since 1991 due to high concentrations of PCBs found in fish and
sediment samples. Some important actions taken as a result of
these assessments include:
- A leachate collection system and a containment wall were
completed at a landfill located on the Ottawa River. This site
is thought to be the largest single source of PCBs to the
western basin of Lake Erie. A final remedy will involve
capping the entire 70 acre site.
- Interim actions to remove gross soil contamination have been
completed at two sites, removing PCBs and 48,000 tons of
creosote-contaminated soil.
United States Progress Report 14
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- At another landfill in the AOC, a collection system will treat up
to 30,000 gallons per day of leachate which may contain lead,
cadmium, chromium, and arsenic.
Niagara River Toxics Management Plan (NRTMP)
The Parties to the NRTMP have identified 18 toxic chemicals as
problems in the Niagara River or Lake Ontario. By 1996-97, they have
committed to reduce by fifty percent the inputs often toxics that have
significant sources in the Niagara River basin. Six of the ten substances
are EPA priority pollutants. The majority of toxic inputs are from sites
on the U.S. side of the river. There have already been significant
reductions in toxic inputs under the Plan. For example:
• New York State and EPA report a greater than 80-percent reduc-
tion in loadings of toxics to the river from point sources since 1981 -
82.
• Approximately 7,600 cubic yards of contaminated sediments were
removed from a tributary to the river, eliminating 20 percent of the
PCB load from the Niagara River to Lake Ontario.
• The Falls Street Tunnel has been identified as the source of greater
than 50 percent of the U.S. point source loadings of the toxics
targeted for 50-percent reduction. It now has all dry weather flow
diverted to the City of Niagara Falls Treatment Plant for tertiary
treatment including carbon filters. This will significantly elimi-
nate four of the six priority pollutants in the tunnel discharge,
including 85 percent of the tetrachloroethylene and 70 percent of
the mercury.
• EPA and New York State have determined that virtually all toxic
inputs from U.S. hazardous waste sites come from 26 sites.
Remediations to date have reduced potential toxic inputs from
waste sites by 25 percent. Scheduled remediation should reduce
potential inputs by 80 percent by the end of 1996, and 99 percent
by the year 2000.
Focus on Pesticides
The Great Lakes Program has implemented a multi-faceted approach
to address pesticides and the attendant potential for groundwater
contamination in the Great Lakes Basin.
15 United Sates Progress Report
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Agricultural Clean Sweeps are a
cost-effective method of remov-
ing pesticides from the environ-
ment.
• In Great Lakes Basin counties, the overall use of alachlor,
atrazine, metolachlor (the three of which account for approxi-
mately 50 percent of the pesticides used in the U. S. Great Lakes
Basin) and cyanazine have continued to trend downward, with
a 9-percent decrease in use from 1990 to 1993.
• In August 1995, the Du Pont Corporation agreed to voluntarily
phase out the production of cyanazine, a pesticide that is a
possible human carcinogen. Du Pont has agreed to stop selling
cyanazine by 1999, although stocks may still be used through
2002. Du Pont plans on replacing the pesticide with a safer and
more effective substance.
• Six Great Lakes states have submitted generic Pesticide State
Management Plans to protect groundwater from contamina-
tion.
• The State of Wisconsin instituted a model Atrazine Manage-
ment Plan in 1991 to address atrazine contamination of ground-
water. This has led to much lower application, and in some
areas, has prohibited atrazine applications where the maxi-
mum contaminant level (MCL) has been exceeded. Results of
monitoring sites in these Atrazine Prohibition Areas have
shown declining levels over the last seven years.
Agricultural Clean Sweeps
From 1991 through March 1995, nearly 600,000 pounds of waste
pesticides have been removed from the Great Lakes Basin by the
voluntary collection Clean Sweeps program. Over one third of this
amount was removed in 1994. In such pesticide collections, 20 - 60
percent of the substances collected are suspended and canceled pesti-
cides, some found on lists of contaminants offish tissue and sediments.
Basinwide amounts of several suspended and canceled pesticides
collected in 1994 include:
3364 pounds of DDT 1214 pounds of chlordane
2707 pounds of lead arsenate 1927 pounds of pentachlorophenol
4350 pounds of 2,4,5-T (a dioxin contaminant)
United States Progress Report
16
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Of these amounts, 3,721 pounds of 2,4,5-T were collected in the Lake
Superior Basin in Minnesota and Michigan, 1,400 pounds of penta-
chlorophenol were collected in the Lake Superior Basin in Minnesota,
1,605 pounds of lead arsenate were collected in the Lake Michigan
Basin in Wisconsin, and 1,575 pounds of DDT were collected in the
Lake Erie Basin in Ohio.
A 1994 pilot Clean Sweep program held in Erie County (NY) resulted
in over 8,000 pounds of pesticides collected, including DDT, Treflan,
Furadan, chlordane, and arsenic. Later that year, Erie County ex-
panded the program to three neighboring Great Lakes counties, while
holding a second collection for itself. The four counties collected
about 21,000 pounds of pesticides, including 700 pounds of dioxin-
bearing pesticides. In 1995, the Clean Sweep program moved east-
ward to the four additional counties where 27,000 pounds of pesticides
were collected, including 222 pounds of dioxin materials. In the next
year, Erie County expects to help three more counties conduct Clean
Sweep programs.
In addition, pesticide container recycling programs have recycled 500
tons of polyethylene pesticide containers during the 1992-1995 period.
Oil Spill Prevention and Response Actions
The multi-agency Inland Area Planning Committee (IAPC) is devel-
oping an Area Spill Contingency Plan, and a sub-area plan is being
piloted in southeast Michigan. In addition, the IAPC is compiling data
on environmentally and economically sensitive areas in the Great
Lakes Basin so that these areas can receive appropriate protection in
the case of a spill event. A database of available response equipment
and facilities in the Great Lakes Basin has been developed to strengthen
coverage and to facilitate quick and effective spill response. And in
order to better focus spill prevention activities, those areas in the Basin
that are most likely to experience spills will be identified.
Excessive Nutrient Loadings
All of the International Joint Commission open water phosphorus
target levels have been achieved through the combined efforts to
improve the performance of sewage treatment plants, reduce levels of
phosphorus in detergents, and agricultural Best Management Prac-
Protecting the lakes from oil spills
is a major ongoing program.
Best Management Practices on
agricultural lands are helping re-
duce nutrient loadings to the
Great Lakes.
17
United States Progress Report
-------
tices, throughout the Great Lakes basin. Some notable accomplish-
ments which have led to the achievement of these targets follow.
The Saginaw Bay National Watershed Initiative is a cooperative effort
between citizens, local, state and federal governments to coordinate
activities that will protect and restore water quality in the Saginaw Bay
Watershed Area of Concern. Problems in this AOC are mainly caused
by high amounts of soil erosion, excessive nutrients, and contaminated
sediments. Significant achievements over the last three years include:
• Soil erosion control projects implementing Best Management
Practices which have resulted in decreased pollutant loadings to the
Bay and watershed. These decreases include: 287,372 tons of soil,
293 tons of phosphorus, and 236 tons of nitrogen.
• Implementation of 45,148 acres of conservation tillage and 36,415
acres of nutrient management.
Excess phosphorus loadings from Ohio agricultural sources to the Lake
Erie Basin have decreased significantly since Best Management Prac-
tices were implemented. For the period 1992-1994, loadings decreased
by almost 50 percent from 400,000 metric tons to just over 200,000
metric tons. This has been supported by an increase in the number of
acres implementing conservation tillage practices during the same
period. In 1992, approximately 850,000 acres of corn and soybeans
were under conservation tillage. In 1994, this amount rose to approxi-
mately 1,250,000 acres.
Lake Ontario phosphorus control efforts have effectively restored the
lake to its original oligotrophic condition. Mean summer total phos-
phorus levels are now approaching estimated pre-colonial levels,
which are below those expected from full achievement of the loading
objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
In Wisconsin, as an outgrowth of the Green Bay RAP, a private group
known as Fox-Wolf 2000 has formed. This group of local citizens and
public officials has assisted the State in accelerating the nonpoint
source priority watershed programs in the tributaries to Green Bay.
Implementation of these projects will lead to reductions in the nutrient
and sediment loads to the bay which are causing some of the use
impairments identified in the RAP.
United States Progress Report 18
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Environmental Regulation and Compliance
The federal/state commitment to ecosystem protection is buttressed by
strong compliance with and enforcement of environmental laws. EPA
and states continue to take enforcement actions around the Great Lakes
region. Some examples of this commitment follow.
• Significant decreases in point source discharges have been brought
about through the Great Lakes Enforcement Strategy, an important
federal/state partnership to protect the Great Lakes. Point source
loadings of selected critical pollutants to the Great Lakes have
dramatically decreased from FY1992 to FY1994. Estimated
decreases include: PCBs (91 percent), PAHs (68 percent), lead (56
percent), cadmium (51 percent), chromium (48 percent), and
mercury (22 percent). Loadings also have steadily decreased for all
other critical pollutants targeted by the Strategy. Overall, there was
an estimated reduction of over 188,000 pounds of the selected
critical pollutants and approximately 8.75 million pounds of oil
and grease.
• A landmark $4.8 million Clean Air Act settlement (one of the
largest of this type) with a copper smelter in Michigan's Upper
Peninsula to reduce the levels of mercury, lead and cadmium output
from its operation, will help reduce air and water pollution in the
northern regions of Michigan and Wisconsin. A new smelter will
also be built to curb future pollution. Funds from the settlement will
be used to finance environmental compliance and enforcement
activities and for mercury monitoring studies and habitat enhance
ment projects in the Lake Superior Basin.
• Under the terms of a Clean Water Act Consent Decree, the dredging
of a northwest Indiana steel company's intake flume is in progress.
This action will remove and properly dispose of approximately
150,000 cubic yards of sediments contaminated with oil and grease.
• A $34.5 million Clean Water Act Consent Decree with a northwest
Indiana Steel Company includes $7.5 million for sediment charac-
terization and remediation, along with $25 million for in-plant
environmental improvements. These improvements have already
resulted in an annual decrease of 200,000 - 300,000 gallons of oil
and grease into the Grand Calumet River. In addition, the company
has submitted a proposal to dredge at least 500,000 cubic yards of
The enforcement of environmen-
tal regulations is an important
method of achieving environmen-
tal improvement.
19
United States Progress Report
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sediments from a five-mile stretch of the river and to dispose of
them in a RCRA/TSCA landfill to be built on-site.
The seven counties of southeast Michigan were redesignated as an
ozone attainment area in 1995. Monitoring data has indicted that
the area was in attainment in 1993 and 1994. A maintenance plan
demonstrates that emissions of ozone precusors, volatile organic
compounds, and oxides of nitorgen, will stay below 1992 levels
through 2005. Reductions occuring from the Federal Motor
Vehicle Control Program is the largest factor in the future decline
of emission levels. Western Michigan's two moderate ozone non-
attainment areas have also filed a request for redesignation to
attainment.
As of August 1,1995, the City of Toledo, Ohio was redesignated
as in compliance with federal ozone standards.
A settlement of a complaint regarding high levels of fish mortality
at a electric power pumping station on the eastern shore of Lake
Michigan was signed in October 1994. The State of Michigan
estimates that the proposed settlement's environmental and recre-
ational benefits to the people of Michigan have a value of $172
million. The settlement provides for payment for past fish losses,
ensures payment for future fish losses, setaside land for habitat and
recreational development, and provides incentives for the develop-
ment of additional fish protection measures.
In December 1994, the State of Michigan entered into a Consent
Judgment with a cement manufacturer which used hazardous waste
fuels in the cement manufacturing process. The resulting waste
cement kiln dust (CKD) is subject to state and federal waste
regulations. The manufacturer is currently in compliance with the
terms of the agreement which include meeting applicable federal
and state hazardous waste requirements, providing financial assur-
ance to facilitate the completion of closure, remediation, and long-
term monitoring and maintenance of the CKD disposal area, a
payment of a $700,000 civil penalty, implementation of a $27
million waste minimization program, and a licensed on-site landfill
for disposal of future CKD. Waste minimization efforts to date
have resulted in a 70-percent reduction of CKD as well as signifi-
cant reductions in air emissions.
United States Progress Report 20
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• Sediments in drainage ditches at a Westlake, Ohio industrial site are
contaminated with metals. The drainage ditches lead into Porter
Creek, which flows into Lake Erie. Removal of 3,921 cubic yards
of sediments in the settling basin and southern and western drainage
ditches was conducted in late 1994.
• The United States is pursuing cleanup and restoration of natural
resources at sites impacted by contaminants through Natural Re-
source Damage Assessments (NRDAs). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is conducting NRDAs in several Areas of Concern, includ-
ing Green Bay, Saginaw Bay, and northwest Indiana. The major
goals of NRDAs are to eliminate or reduce the impact of persistent
contaminants on natural resources, to restore the services and
benefits provided to the public by natural resources, and to collect
monetary damages for injuries to natural resources. The State of
Indiana is coordinating the initial restoration of a 253 acre site
acquired in a prior NRDA action, the Clark and Pine East nature
preserve, through compliance activities and volunteer stewardship,
including prescribed burning of dune and swale/oak savannas.
• Through joint action between USEPA and Illinois EPA, emergency
removals occurred at two hazardous waste sites on the Lake
Michigan shore near the Waukegan Harbor AOC. These actions
resulted in the removal of approximately 5,000 gallons of volatile
organic compounds and a significant quantity of coal tar and coal
tar derivatives. Both sites were adversely affecting wildlife and the
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan.
Managing Contaminated Sediments
The cleanup of contaminated bottom sediments is another essential
element of improving both Areas of Concern and lakewide pollutant
problems. The recently completed Assessment and Remediation of
Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) Program, undertaken by EPA with
the cooperation of a variety of federal, state, and private partners,
achieved its objectives to develop an integrated, comprehensive ap-
proach to assessing the extent and severity of sediment contamination,
the risks associated with that contamination, selecting promising treat-
ment technologies, and demonstrating their effectiveness on site.
ARCS staff are now providing resources and guidance to states to
effectively address the contaminated sediment problem at Great Lakes
AOCs. Through the use of the EPA's R/V Mudpuppy. a sediment
21 United Sates Progress Report
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Involving a variety of stakehold-
ers is necessary to address the
complicated issues surrounding
contaminated sediments.
assessment vessel, ARCS staff are helping states determine the nature
and extent of sediment contamination at: Olcott Harbor, Oswego
Harbor (New York); Trenton Channel, Clinton River, White Lake,
Muskegon Lake (Michigan); Waukegan Harbor (Illinois); Newton
Creek and the Lower Fox River (Wisconsin); St. Louis River (Minne-
sota); the Maumee and Ashtabula Rivers (Ohio); and Presque Isle Bay
(Pennsylvania).
EPA also has an active program for remediating contaminated sites in
the Great Lakes Basin, using a wide range of regulatory approaches and
an increasing emphasis on partnerships (results of which have been
highlighted in other parts of this report). A major effort is the State/EPA
environmental initiative for northwest Indiana which has resulted in
consent decrees for sediment cleanup at USX Gary, Inland Steel, Gary
Sanitary District, and LTV Steel. Also, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (the Corps) and EPA are cooperating on a navigational
project for the Indiana Harbor Canal. Other active sites are Superfund
actions at Waukegan Harbor, IL (cleaned up in 1993), Sheboygan
Harbor, WI, Manistique River/Harbor, MI, River Raisin (Monroe, MI),
Fields Brook (Ashtabula, OH), and the St. Lawrence River AOC in
Massena, NY. A private/public partnership approach is underway for
the Ashtabula River/Harbor among local interests, industry, Ohio EPA,
the Corps of Engineers, and USEPA.
In June 1995, EPA convened a Great Lakes Contaminated Sediment
Strategy Workshop to bring together various stakeholders to develop
recommendations to expedite cleanup of contaminated sediment sites in
the Great Lakes Basin. More than 75 participants representing a wide
variety of public and private interests were in attendance. Fourteen
action items were identified, including: developing consistent method-
ologies for deriving cleanup goals; defining opportunities for regulatory
flexibility within applicable standards and regulations; increasing tech-
nology transfer activities related to confined disposal facilities (CDF);
and implementing a pilot sediment reclamation project at an existing
CDF. USEPA anticipates reconvening another stakeholder workshop
during 1996 in order to track progress on the action items described
above, discuss emerging sediment issues and continue the dialogue with
the diverse Great Lakes stakeholders to determine where resources
should be directed to address contaminated sediments.
The Corps continues to manage contaminated bottom sediments dredged
from navigational channels of the Great Lakes. The Corps places such
United States Progress Report
22
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materials in CDFs, which are structures designed to hold and isolate
contaminated dredged materials. Maintenance dredging and confined
disposal is beneficial to Great Lakes water quality, in that large
quantities of contaminated sediments are removed from the aquatic
ecosystem. If not removed, the contaminated sediments might other-
wise have adverse effects on water quality and aquatic life either by
remaining in place, or through resuspension and transport to the open
lakes. During FY 1994-1995, construction of a new CDF at Toledo
Harbor was completed, and the dikes of the existing Cleveland CDF
were raised to provide additional capacity. The construction of a new
CDF for Cleveland Harbor is scheduled to begin in FY 1996. During FY
1994-1995, the Corps dredged and placed in CDFs approximately 4.4
million cubic yards of contaminated sediments from Great Lakes
harbors and channels. This represents about one half of the total volume
of sediment dredged by the Corps each year in the Great Lakes.
Through a peer-reviewed process, EPA is developing Sediment Quality
Criteria (SQC) to predict the effect of toxic chemicals on bottom-
dwelling organisms. To date, draft SQC exist for endrin and dieldrin
(pesticides), and forphenanthrene, anthracene, andfluoranthene (PAHs).
They are currently out for public review and comment. The next step
is to develop smiliar values for select metals. A User's Manual is also
being developed.
In accordance with a August 1991 Memorandum of Understanding,
EPA and the Corps are cooperating agencies on the Indiana Harbor Ship
Canal dredging and disposal project. This project proposes the con-
struction of a CDF for 4.6 million cubic yards of contaminated
sediments that will be dredged from the Ship Canal (located in the
Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal AOC), and possibly from
other state and federal enforcement actions in the AOC. The Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for this navigational dredging
project has almost been completed. It is anticipated that remaining
issues will be resolved shortly and that the release of the DEIS will occur
in late 1995.
The Corps-Detroit District entered into an agreement with the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin to conduct a study on contaminated sediments in
Milwaukee Harbor in support of the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary RAP.
The District is also evaluating the bioremediation of contaminated
sediments within the Milwaukee CDF.
23 United Sates Progress Report
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A variety of programs are work-
ing to protect and enhance
Great Lakes habitat.
The Corps-Buffalo District, Ohio EPA, and USEPA are combining
resources to conduct additional assessment of sediments in the Ashtabula
River in anticipation of a public/private partnership approach to full-
scale river cleanup.
The Corps, in concert with EPA, is completing the Great Lakes
Dredged Material Testing and Evaluation Manual. This manual
provides detailed procedures to evaluate the potential contaminant-
related impacts associated with the discharge of dredged materials to
waters of the Great Lakes. This is then used in the determination of
whether the materials are suitable for open-water disposal or will
require other management techniques.
New York State and EPA Region II are creating an electronic database
of contaminated sediments in the New York Great Lakes basin. The
database is being used to prioritize areas of contaminated sediments for
remediation. Eighteenmile Creek near Lockport has been identified as
an area needing immediate remediation because of high levels of
dioxins. A plan for sediment removal from the Erie Canal has been
referred to the New York State Thruway Authority for action.
Habitat Protection and Enhancement
Under a variety of unique programs and partnerships at the federal,
state, and local landowner levels, a large number of wetland and upland
habitat creation, protection, restoration and enhancement activities are
being conducted. These programs include the North American Water-
fowl Management Plan, the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wet-
lands Reserve Program, the National Wildlife Refuge System, and
programs run by other federal, state, tribal, and public entities. The
following examples illustrate the variety of activities underway.
• At Metzger Marsh, Ohio, 558 acres of Ohio Division of Wildlife
and 350 acres of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coastal wetlands
on the southern shore of Lake Erie will be restored through the
application of an ecosystem approach which will attempt to repli-
cate natural lake level fluctuations through the use offish access and
water control structures. This will provide fishery spawning and
nursing habitats, as well as needed emergent wetland for spring and
fall migratory birds.
• The Kakagon Sloughs on Lake Superior is a 12,000 acre wetland
United States Progress Report
24
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located on the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin. This fresh
water estuary is a very productive fish spawning ground and
waterfowl marsh. A greater understanding of the interrelationships
between Bad River Band tribal and alienated reservation lands,
watershed land use practices, and other human activity affecting the
ecological integrity of the Bad River watershed is being undertaken
with the help of EPA, The Nature Conservancy, and state and local
governments.
The Lake Superior Habitat Team, a binational group comprised of
federal, state, and provincial agencies headed up by the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, has put together habitat selec-
tion and ranking criteria for Lake Superior and has done work to
identify impaired habitats below major dischargers. In addition,
the Team has developed a draft list of critical habitat in each state/
province in the Lake Superior basin.
At Ivanhoe Dune and Swale, Indiana, a project at a 100-acre
preserve includes restoring the dune and swale topography by
removing trash from midnight dumping, removing exotic plant
species, providing open habitat for the federally endangered Karner
blue butterfly, and planting native vegetation in disturbed areas.
EPA is providing financial and technical assistance and the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management and The Nature Con-
servancy are also providing assistance through solid waste compli-
ance activities and the recruitment and training of neighbors as
volunteer stewards.
In 1994, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved the
acquisition of the St. Louis and Red River Streambank Protection
Area. The project area includes five miles of St. Louis River
shoreline, its coastal wetlands, and the entire Red River watershed.
The project will protect this highly erosive, sensitive environment
and will protect fish spawning and nursery habitat which is critical
for the aquatic ecosystem health of the western arm of Lake
Superior.
The State of Pennsylvania has put together a five-year plan to
address habitat needs of the Presque Isle Bay AOC as they relate to
fish species habitat diversity and angler use. A local fishing group
has stepped forward with the resources and volunteers needed to
complete the project. And while neither Loss of Fish Habitat or
Degradation of Fish Population are considered impairments in the
25 United Sates Progress Report
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Public/Private partnerships on
private lands are restoring and
protecting vital Great Lakes
habitat.
AOC, the habitat enhancement projects under this plan will im-
prove existing fisheries and result in positive steps towards resto-
ration of the Bay.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Great Lakes Partners for
Wildlife Program continues to focus its efforts on restoring and
protecting federal "trust species" habitats on private lands. The
restoration of wetlands and adjacent uplands remain a priority because
of their value to migratory birds, endangered species, anadromous
fish, and their broad ecological value. In FY 1994, approximately
3,000 acres in the Great Lakes counties were affected by this program.
Much of this acreage was planted as native prairie species. Planning
assistance for fish and wildlife habitat improvement was provided to
many private landowners, affecting over 30,700 acres. Also, 68
projects received funding through the Challenge Cost-Share Program.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has initiated a multi-agency
discussion to pursue potential restoration projects for the Crane Creek
watershed in the western Lake Erie basin. This watershed terminates
in an estuary with significant fish and wildlife values.
EPA is working with its partners, including the Fish and Wildlife
Service, states, tribes, and The Nature Conservancy, to develop a
strategic conservation plan to identify high quality habitats for
protection and restoration. Habitats to be inventoried include wet-
lands, fish spawning and nursery areas, old growth forests, dunes,
savannas, prairies, and areas needed by endangered and threatened
plant and animal species. A classification and inventory framework
for freshwater aquatic biological communities is being developed by
The Nature Conservancy to guide the identification and conservation
of aquatic biodiversity in the basin.
Through the Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) process, the
Corps is cooperating with federal, state, and local agencies to identify,
grade, and map wetlands and other waters within a regional area. The
plan is used to help identify high quality wetlands and expedite the
Section 404 regulatory process. The Corps-St. Paul District, working
with a local steering committee, completed a SAMP for the City of
Superior, Wisconsin which identifies wetlands and upland areas to be
preserved, and plans for the creation and restoration of wetlands where
mitigation is required by permits.
The Corps constructed five streambank stabilization projects in FY
United States Progress Report
26
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1994-1995 at tributaries to the Great Lakes in: Oconto, WI; Dundee,
MI; Sheffield Lake, OH; Seneca Falls, NY; and Muskegon, MI. The
Detroit District is preparing to begin construction in F Y1996 of a 210
foot long inflatable dam on the Clinton River Spillway which will
improve the overall water quality in the lower portion of the Clinton
River, Michigan.
The Corps-Detroit District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are
providing support to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
in the design of nearshore spawning reefs for lake trout. The Detroit
District has also provided support to the Potowatomi Community and
Oneida Nation in Wisconsin for the development of geographic
information systems for mapping resources, including wetlands.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corps, the Coast Guard, and
the State of Michigan are implementing a Memorandum of Agree-
ment for extended winter navigation in the Great Lakes. Signatory
agencies are undertaking a series of ongoing study tasks to evaluate
navigation effects due to season opening prior to the traditional date
of April 1. Resources of greatest concern include St. Marys River
wetlands and river-spawning populations of key fish species, particu-
larly lake herring. The National Biological Service, the State of
Michigan, the Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Fish and Wildlife
Service will be involved in follow-up study monitoring activities
through 1998.
The Great Lakes Mayors, led by the mayors of the Indiana cities of
Hammond, Gary, Whiting, Michigan City, Portage, and East Chi-
cago, passed a joint resolution to protect biodiversity in the Great
Lakes. This was a direct result of The Nature Conservancy report,
The Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes
Ecosystem.
A multi-agency task force is implementing a comprehensive
interagency fish and wildlife habitat restoration plan for the Buffalo
River Area of Concern. This plan was prepared by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
The State of Illinois has funded two erosion control projects on the
Waukegan River under Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.
The State is also exploring the opportunity to promote terrestrial
habitat restoration along the lakefront as an overall program for
erosion control, esthetics, and habitat restoration to protect and
27 United Sates Progress Report
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Inspection of ocean going ves-
sels help protect the Great
Lakes from the introduction of
exotic species.
restore Lake Michigan.
• The City of Chicago, as part of a regional partnership with EPA, The
Nature Conservancy, and local forest preserve districts, is actively
involved in ongoing wetland and prairie rehabilitation efforts. These
urban restoration projects are important not only for maintaining
habitat, but also for pollution prevention and environmental justice
implications associated with these efforts.
Exotic Species
• Ballast water exchange and inspection regulations have been in place
in the U.S. since May 1993 to help limit the introduction of exotic
species to the Great Lakes. Under the Coast Guard Ballast Water
Inspection Program, the U.S. Coast Guard boards all vessels with
ballast entering the St. Lawrence Seaway and spot checks, with
additional boardings, those vessels reporting "no ballast on board" in
order to insure that they are not carrying pumpable ballast. This
program would not be possible without the full cooperation of the
Canadian Coast Guard. These regulations are expected to profoundly
diminish the number of new invasions of exotic species in the Great
Lakes. The Coast Guard will continue to investigate further measures
for preventing new exotic species from being introduced to the Lakes.
• In November 1993, New York became the first state to develop
federally approved and funded nonindigenous aquatic species com-
prehensive management plan as required under the Federal
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Species Prevention and Control
Act of 1990. The plan lays out a strategy for preventing the
introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species to the waters of New
York State.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the States of Minnesota, Michi-
gan and Wisconsin, and the Province of Ontario are considering
control mechanisms for the ruffe. The potential benefits and environ-
mental impacts of chemical controls is currently being evaluated. The
maritime industry implemented a voluntary ballast water manage-
ment plan for ruffe in 1993, in consultation with Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Coast Guard.
• Ruffe surveillance, conducted since 1992 by the Fish and Wildlife
Service, seeks to provide the earliest possible detection of ruffe. The
United States Progress Report
28
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program consists of both field survey and educational components.
Thirty-seven sites in the upper Great Lakes, seven sites on Lake Erie
and one on Lake Ontario were surveyed in 1994. In August 1995,
ruffe were identified by the Service in northern Lake Huron for the
first time. To help combat this exotic species, ruffe identification
posters and wallet-size cards have been developed and distributed
throughout the basin. In addition, more intensive sampling is being
initiated by the Service to better define the degree to which this new
population has become established.
• The Great Lakes Fishery Commission, through its agents (U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans) is implementing an Integrated Pest Management program
for sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. This has reduced the dependence
on lamprey treatment chemicals by 20-percent to date, and is
expected to further reduce the use of these chemicals by increasing
the use of barriers and the release of sterile male sea lamprey. In
addition, the Commission, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
Corps of Engineers have developed a partnership agreement to
cooperate on barrier technology for sea lamprey control. The
Commission, through its agents, is also developing a control strategy
for sea lamprey in the St. Marys River. This is a vital first step for
the restoration of native lake trout in northern Lake Huron.
• Lake Ontario sea lamprey control has never been more effective, with
1994 rates of lake trout lamprey wounds at record low (less than
1.1 wounds per 100 fish).
• The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is
comprised of eleven tribes in the Lake Superior Basin, is preparing
a report on the status of Lake Superior wetlands and the restoration
efforts needed to mitigate the impacts of purple loosestrife, a
European invader which displaces native plants in wetland habitats.
Protecting the Health of Basin Residents
• The Great Lakes States, in consultation with the Food and Drug
Administration and EPA, have jointly developed a draft of the
nation's first uniform fish consumption advisory. This effort seeks
to set consistent recommendations for determining the amount offish
that can be ingested without significant health risks. This will foster
consistency among states in their advisories, which helps the public
better understand the risks associated with consumption of contami-
Consumption advisories help
the public understand the risks
associated with consuming
Great Lakes fish.
29
United Sates Progress Report
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Educating medical profession-
als about environmental risks will
help protect the health of basin
residents.
nated sportfish and game. The protocol is currently undergoing
additional scientific review. In the interim, three of the states have
adopted a modified version of the protocol while two more are
considering the same action. Discussions of adopting the original
protocol will occur after the review is completed in 1995.
• EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are
funding a variety of projects to develop core curricula in environmen-
tal medicine and occupational health aimed at educating healthcare
professionals about environmental risks. These professionals can
then serve as environmental educators, helping to increase public
awareness of health concerns in their Great Lakes communities.
• New York State DEC has implemented a project to improve aware-
ness of the health risks associated with eating contaminated fish
among people in New York metropolitan areas of the Great Lakes
basin. Simplified fish consumption advisory brochures are being
translated into Spanish, Ukrainian, and other languages for distribu-
tion in Buffalo and Rochester. Meetings on effective health-risk
communication have been conducted with community health orga-
nizations in the area.
• The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission developed
and produced an educational video on mercury and fish consumption
for use in Native American schools in the Lake Superior basin.
• The Chippewa-Ottawa Treaty Fishery Management Authority has
initiated testing of tribal commercially harvested species for con-
taminant loads and are relaying the information through media
outlets for the benefit of the consumer public.
• Targeted risk communication materials have been developed and
distributed to populations which are heavy consumers of Great Lakes
fish or to medical professionals who serve these populations, which
include Asian immigrants, expectant mothers, Native Americans,
charter boat captains, and urban poor.
Fish and Wildlife Populations: Actions and Successes
• The American bald eagle, the national symbol that almost disap-
peared from the continental U.S. just 25 years ago, was removed from
the endangered species list in July 1995. After a year-long review,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to change the status of the
United States Progress Report
30
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eagle from "endangered" to "threatened" in the 48 contiguous states.
There are currently about 4,500 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the
U.S., up from 417 back in the 1970s. Environmental laws which
reduce toxics and protect vital habitat, and hunting restrictions, are
credited with this turnaround. Examples of this recovery in the Great
Lakes include:
-The number of successful bald eagle nesting territories within New
York State's Lake Ontario Basin has increased from none in 1979 to
six in 1994. To date, these nests have successfully fledged more than
sixty eaglets.
-A record 98 bald eagles were found taking up winter residence in
Ohio. From a low of only four active nests in 1979, nests in 1995
numbered a record high of 29, with 17 in the Ohio Lake Erie basin.
The American peregrine falcon has soared to near recovery. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service has issued its proposal to delist the
peregrine falcon from the endangered species list. This species
narrowly escaped extinction from the effects of the pesticide DDT.
The falcon has been listed as endangered since 1970 and has been
brought back thanks to the ban on DDT, protection and recovery
programs under the Endangered Species Act, and the determined
efforts of a dedicated cadre of falcon enthusiasts. Populations of
American peregrines are now estimated at nearly 1,000 nesting pairs
in the lower 48 states. Numbers have been steadily climbing even
though the American peregrine was eliminated in parts of its range.
In some areas, it is more numerous now than it was before the use of
DDT.
The bald eagle, our national
symbol. Is recovering in the
Great Lakes Basin.
The endangered Kirkland's warbler, a songbird with nesting
habitat found nowhere else in the world but in northern lower
Michigan, has been increasing in numbers since 1990. A record
count of 1,260 adults was achieved in 1994. A new record was
assured for 1995, as a minimum of 765 male warblers were
confirmed, and for the first time, two pairs were documented
nesting in the upper peninsula where eight males were heard
singing during the annual June survey. Each year thousands of
visitors from throughout the U.S. and worldwide, specifically
visit the Grayling and Mio areas of Michigan to see this unique
bird. Tours of the warbler's jackpine ecosystem were developed
through a partnership of federal and state agencies and local
groups and businesses. This has proven economically benefi-
31
United Sates Progress Report
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Record duck populations are
being observed in the Great
Lakes.
rial to the local communities, while informing the public of the
importance in protecting this species. These collaborative
efforts provide a national model of constructive species recov-
ery as a result of protection and funding provided under the
Endangered Species Act, and in concert with non-governmental
and state partnerships.
• The cormorant population in Ohio's portion of the Lake Erie
basin has increased to the point that they are taking over the
nesting sites of blackcrowned night herons and the great blues.
• Double-crested cormorant populations in the Lake Ontario
basin are healthy and breeding normally. Current popula-
tions are nearly three orders of magnitude greater than the
mid-1970s and are at an all time historic high.
A positive example of multiple species protection on private lands is the
interagency cooperation exhibited by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
U.S. Forest Service, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture, as
called for by the Endangered Species Act. This enables the annual
treatment of up to 257,000 acres of private forested Michigan lands to
control gypsy moth defoliation, while at the same time protecting the
threatened bald eagle and the endangered Kirkland's warbler and Karner
blue butterfly. This partnership has worked quietly and efficiently for
years, yet affects about 126,000 Michigan landowners annually.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that a second year
of plentiful rains and a decade of intensive wetland conservation efforts,
fueled by a tremendous partnership among government, conservation-
ists, and private landowners, have yielded the largest breeding duck
population in 15 years. The annual breeding duck survey recorded an
estimated 35.9 million ducks, up more than 10 percent from last year.
Breeding mallard populations rose 18 percent to 8.3 million, the highest
level since 1972 and above the 8.1 million goal contained in the North
American Waterfowl Management Plan. Some associated Great Lakes
successes include: (1) Population estimates for total ducks in the State
of Wisconsin was 51-percent higher than the 22 year mean and the third
highest population recorded in the last 23 years; (2) Michigan has realized
a 43-percent increase in total ducks over the last four years; in the same
period, their Giant Canada Geese population has doubled; (3) Minnesota
has recording a doubling of total duck breeding population since 1975.
United States Progress Report
32
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The endangered gray wolf, under the protection of the Endangered
Species Act, is reoccupying Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Wolf
pups were born there for the first time in forty years in 1992.
Wolves have increased in number to 58 in 1994. With a viable and
secure wild population of more than 100 wolves in Michigan and
Wisconsin for the next four years, as well as 2,000 in Minnesota,
the wishes of Michigan's citizenry for the wolf will become a
reality. These wishes were illustrated by the fact that over 90
percent of individuals commenting in 1993 at public forums
supported wolf recovery in Michigan.
Since the severe depletion offish communities by the 1950s, some
heartening progress to improve fish resources has been made.
Lake whitefish populations are increasing and expanding in all of
the Great Lakes. Bloaters have made a dramatic recovery in lakes
Michigan and Huron, surpassing alewife as the most numerous
forage species. Lake herring have also made a dramatic recovery
in Lake Superior. Lake trout reproduction has been so successful
on Lake Superior that management agencies are facing the deci-
sion to cease stocking in some regions of the lake. Small but
consistent numbers of wild lake trout have been sampled in both
lakes Ontario and Huron for the last 3-10 years.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, states, tribes, and the Province
of Ontario have begun restoration of Lake Superior's unique
"coaster" brook trout, once the predominant nearshore game fish
in Lake Superior. A status report on the remnant coaster popula-
tion has been drafted, genetics and movement studies are under-
way, small-scale restoration experiments have been done, and the
Service will collect gametes from remnant stocks for disease
clearance as hatchery brood stock in the Fall of 1995.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources, with the assistance of Lake Huron commercial
fishers and the cooperation of the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, have initiated a lake sturgeon tagging project to en-
hance available information on relative abundance, movement and
seasonal distribution of this depleted native fish. Biological and
spatial information collected from this long-term project will be
used to develop a database regarding status and trends, and assist
in the development of inter-agency recovery plans for lake stur-
geon in the Lake Huron basin. Long range goals of the project
include identification and quantification of critical habitat needs of
33 United States Progress Report
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the various life-history stages, assisting in the protection, enhance-
ment, and restoration of those important habitats to aid recovery
efforts, and to prevent the need for federal listing.
• In cooperation with the National Biological Service, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service has retrofit the fish stocking vessel M/V
Togue for gillnetting to enable continued monitoring of the devel-
oping spawning population of lake trout on the Six Fathom Bank
reef complex in the central main basin of Lake Huron. This
collaborative effort has allowed the agencies to pool fiscal and
personnel resources for the collection of data that has identified a
strain of lake trout (Seneca Lake strain) that avoids sea lamprey
attacks during the first four years of lake residence, enhancing
survival and allowing successful reproduction. Collection of
genetic material from the spawning population will enable re-
searchers to identify the most probable strain of origin of progeny
resulting from natural reproduction at this site.
Recent data indicates that the structure of Lake Ontario's offshore fish
community is changing in response to improved environmental con-
ditions, and that the direction of that change is towards a fish
community that more closely resembles that which existed histori-
cally. Specific signs of progress illustrated by this encouraging data
include:
• Whitefish and burbot populations, Great Lakes native species that
require habitat similar to that required by lake trout, have made
significant recoveries in Lakes Erie and Ontario.
• The occurrence of natural reproduction of lake trout in Lake
Ontario has now been documented for several years. As of August
1995, the number of naturally reproduced lake trout collected
during routine New York State fishery survey trawls is eight times
greater than the total number collected by New York State and
Ontario efforts in 1994. Wild lake trout were caught in every area
of the lake in 1994, indicating that successful natural reproduction
and survival in the early stages occurred lake wide in 1993-1994.
In addition, initial signs of lake trout natural reproduction have
been noticed in Lake Erie.
• For the first time in many decades, several year classes, including
young, of native lake sturgeon have been observed in the upper
United States Progress Report 34
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Niagara River, indicating a significant recovery of this species in
this area.
• Once indigenous to Lake Ontario and its tributaries, the Atlantic
salmon disappeared by 1900 due to mill dams obstructing spawn-
ing migrations, and overfishing, as well as deforestation and
pollution. The Fish and Wildlife Service is participating in the
investigation of the feasibility of restoring Atlantic salmon popu-
lations in historic spawning tributaries that flow into Lake Ontario
and in the upper St. Lawrence River.
• An Aquatic Habitat Classification System, developed by the Fish
and Wildlife Service, was applied to assessing the health of the
Lake Ontario ecosystem. The process allowed for the identifica-
tion of areas of stress. As an expansion of this habitat evaluation,
five river enhancement plans (for the Genessee, Oswego, Raquette,
Salmon and Black Rivers) were prepared that address water flow
and access by fish to these tributaries.
• Control of sea lamprey and stocking of lake trout and pacific
salmonids have contributed to the growth of important sport and
commercial fishing industries. For example, although once pro-
claimed "dead," Lake Erie is now globally recognized as the
foremost walleye fishery in the world. And for the U.S. side of the
basin, five million sport fishermen spend more than $4 billion each
year fishing all the Great Lakes.
Public Involvement
A cornerstone of the Great Lakes Program is the promotion of public
stewardship and direct involvement. Community stakeholders are
strongly involved in planning processes. Public Forums are in place
and actively engaged on the LaMPs for Lakes Michigan and Superior
and are being formed for Lakes Erie and Ontario. In addition, most of
the Great Lakes AOCs have Public Advisory Groups which are
participating in RAP development at a variety of levels.
EPA and its partners are vigorously pursuing greater public access to
relevant Great Lakes environmental information through the
INTERNET. Active participation in the Great Lakes Information
Network (GLIN) and the Great Lakes Regional Environmental Infor-
Active public involvement is one
of the keys to success in the Great
Lakes.
The Great Lakes program has
made sharing of information one
of its top priorities.
35
United Sates Progress Report
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mation System (GLREIS) contributes to a full set of information about
the Great Lakes available to the public.
In addition, the Great Lakes Computer Center provides a database to
support regional information systems including Great Lakes Envirofacts,
which consists of USEPA facility information in an easily accessible
format, the Regional Air Pollutant Inventory Development System
(RAPIDS), and the database of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance. The
public is now able to easily search Great Lakes Envirofacts through the
INTERNET.
EPA is sponsoring a survey of the general public in the U.S. portion of
the Great Lakes basin that will determine perceptions of how clean the
Lakes are and how successful our efforts have been to restore and
maintain their integrity
Building the Knowledge Base
One of the pillars of the Great Lakes program is a need to gather, act
upon, and disseminate accurate and timely information regarding the
ecosystem. To ensure that environmental decisions are based on the
best scientific information, EPA and its partners are working to
improve their understanding of the health of the ecosystem. In the last
biennium, the Great Lakes Program has implemented a number of
important research related activities to provide governments and the
public with the tools they need to make decisions.
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference
The highly regarded first-ever State of the Lakes Ecosystem Confer-
ence (SOLEC '94) brought together Great Lakes experts, managers and
other decision makers working in the fields of pollution control, natural
resources and human health to review the state of the ecosystem and
information that could lead to better consideration of impacts on the
Great Lakes. A major result of this conference was agreement that
habitat loss, exotic species and toxic substances should be given equal
attention in working to restore and protect the integrity of the basin's
ecosystem. A joint U.S./Canadian report entitled State of the Great
Lakes-1995 was released on September 1,1995. Final versions of the
technical papers prepared for SOLEC '94 will be available as appen-
dices to this Report. They include papers on human health, aquatic
community health, habitat, toxic contaminants, nutrients, and the
United States Progress Report 36
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economy of the basin. SOLEC '96 is being planned with a focus on
nearshore areas of the ecosystem.
HabCARES Workshop
United States and Canadian environmental protection and natural
resources agencies, in recognition that the degradation and loss of
habitat is impairing the integrity of the Great Lakes basin, sponsored
HabCARES, a workshop on the science and management of habitat
restoration and conservation strategies in the basin. The HabCARES
Workshop provided contexts and the framework for describing a
variety of methods for beneficially modifying habitat. The 47 projects
described in the workshop proceedings reasonably reflect the diversity
of habitat modification and conservation activities in the basin and
provide a framework for selecting and evaluating habitat rehabilitation
and conservation methods from a "toolbox" of options. The intended
audience for this information are the public and private agencies and
organizations working on the RAP and LaMP programs and other
watershed activities.
ATSDR Study
EPA is finalizing a Report to Congress outlining the variety of studies
being implemented by the Great Lakes Human Health Effects Research
Program. This program, mandated by Congress, addresses the poten-
tially adverse human health effects from consuming Great Lakes fish
on particularly sensitive populations. These groups include: pregnant
females, nursing mothers, fetuses and nursing infants, infants and
children, Native Americans, sport anglers, urban poor, and the elderly.
The program is being administered by the Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry. The report will provide an excellent and
comprehensive historic overview of previous health effects research
conducted in the Great Lakes basin, as well as summarizing the current
research taking place under the Program. The findings from this
Program will provide some of the information that Great Lakes
policymakers need to further protect the health of the inhabitants of the
Basin.
Great Waters Program
Under section 112(m) of the Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990,
Congress authorized EPA to undertake the Great Waters Program to
Protecting the health of all gen-
erations of Great Lakes residents
is of vital concern to the Great
Lakes Program.
37
United Sates Progress Report
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evaluate the atmospheric deposition of fifteen hazardous air pollutants
(including mercury and PCBs) to the Great Lakes and other waters. The
Program's Report to Congress (May 1994) includes information on the
contribution of atmospheric deposition to pollutant loadings, associ-
ated environmental or public health effects, source information, and a
description of regulatory revisions under applicable federal laws that
may be necessary to assure protection of human health and the
environment. Program findings concluded that a significant portion of
loadings of the pollutants studied are coming from the atmosphere,
including 76 to 89 percent of PCB loadings to Lake Superior and 95
percent of lead loadings to Lake Michigan. In addition, pollutants of
concern originate from sources that are local to, as well as distant from,
the impacted waters. The principle recommendations in the Report are:
• EPA will continue ongoing efforts to implement section 112 and
other sections of the Clean Air Act, and will use the results of this
report in taking reasonable actions to reduce emissions of Great
Waters pollutants of concern;
• Recognizing the need for an integrated multi-media approach to
atmospheric pollution, EPA will consider authorities beyond the
Clean Air Act to reduce exposure to these pollutants; and
• EPA will continue to support research activities and will develop
and implement a strategy describing research and policy assess-
ments to address the mandates of section 112(m) of the Clean Air
Act.
Related Air Monitoring Activities:
The Regional Air Pollutant Inventory Development System (RAPIDS)
has been developed to identify the sources and source categories that
contribute most to the total emissions in a given geographic area. Using
RAPIDS, the Great Lakes States' air regulatory agencies are building
statewide air toxics inventories for point, area, and mobile sources for
49 air pollutants of potential concern to the Great Lakes. These
inventories will help guide the States in future regulatory efforts.
EPA and Environment Canada have established five master stations for
the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN), one on each
of the Great Lakes, to monitor atmospheric deposition of toxic contami-
United States Progress Report 38
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nants. These five sites have been operational since December 1992. In
addition, eight U.S. satellite sites have been established around Lake
Michigan as part of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study and one
U.S. satellite site has been established on Lake Superior. The U.S. also
began an intensive one year mercury monitoring program at U.S.
IADN sites in October 1994. The first binational report on IADN data,
published in December 1994, indicated that there is rather little spatial
variability in many of the critical chemical species across the basin.
Another focus of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study is the
development of integrated air-water models. Once complete, the
models will use monitoring information, emission inventory data, and
modeling of dispersion/deposition, tributary and sediment loading,
and air-water exchange to link concentrations of pollutants in the
tissues of lake fish to the original sources of the pollutants (atmospheric
point sources, tributary loading). The modeling framework will then
be available to adapt to the other Great Lakes. Identifying the sources
of contaminants will allow for cost-effective reductions of these
pollutants and corresponding improvements in lake ecosystem quality.
The Lake Michigan Ozone Study is a comprehensive investigation of
the formation and transport of smog in the Lake Michigan airshed. The
study is a joint effort involving the states of Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Indiana, along with USEPA. The study represents a
coordinated approach to a regional problem - ozone formation and
transport in the Lake Michigan region. State-of-the-art computer
modeling will help planners organize and interpret data. The purpose
of the study is to gather the information needed to develop improved
ozone control strategies for each of the four participating states.
Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project
Since 1992, the Rouge River AOC National Wet Weather Demonstra-
tion Project has been investigating sources and controls of water
pollution in a highly urbanized watershed during wet weather events.
The Project's centerpiece is the construction of eleven retention
facilities and the separation of seven combined sewer systems, which
will be assessed for effectiveness in mitigating pollution from com-
bined sewer overflows (CSOs). Pollutant loadings from nonpoint
sources, including contaminated sediments and abandoned landfills,
will also be assessed through the Project. Information collected will
be used to model water quality improvements resulting from the full
39 United Sates Progress Report
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application of various pollution control measures throughout the Rouge
River watershed. Program findings will be transferable to other Great
Lakes AOCs.
Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration Study
Hard work and intensive research by partnering states, federal agencies,
tribal governments, and non-governmental partners with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, has resulted in completion of the Great Lakes
Fishery Resources Restoration Study - Completion Report to Con-
gress (1995). The Study summarizes historical and current trends in
lake resources and the causes of change in fishery resources and
management strategies for each lake and for the basin overall. Discus-
sions on implementing an ecosystem approach, setting ecosystem goals
and objectives, and achieving basinwide ecosystem partnership coordi-
nation are included. Recommendations to meet the Fish Community
Goals and Objectives for each lake were provided. They call for
continuing partnerships between the diversity of interests reliant on the
Great Lakes to achieve a functional healthy ecosystem in the future. The
Report's information, findings, and recommendations, are intended to
guide federal assistance to state partners in their management of the
living resources of the Great Lakes, ensuring maximum public benefit
and guaranteeing the sustainability of these resources.
Great Lakes National Water-Quality Assessment Program
The U.S. Geological Survey currently has two National Water-Quality
Assessment (NAWQA) Program studies underway in the Great Lakes
area - the Western Lake Michigan Drainages and the Lake Erie-Lake St.
Clair Basin. The long-term goals of the NAWQA Program are to
describe the status and trends in the quality of a large representative part
of the Nation's surface and groundwater resources and to identify the
natural and human factors that affect their quality. In particular, the
Survey is measuring the concentrations in surface and ground waters of
pesticides used in agricultural and urban areas to determine their
distribution and frequency of occurrence. The presence and distribution
of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are also being studied to
determine if the major sources of these are agricultural practices,
discharges from sewage treatment plants, or combined sewer over-
flows. The NAWQA Program will produce water quality information
that will be useful to policymakers and water managers at the local, state,
and national levels of government.
United States Progress Report 40
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Progress Under the Lakewide Management Plans
The Great Lakes Program has established the Lakewide Management
Plan (LaMP) process to restore and protect the beneficial uses on an
individual lake basin scale. Agencies working on the LaMPs are
developing strategic management plans to streamline and strengthen the
integration and application of environmental programs and to create
strategic monitoring plans to aide in the analysis and use of environmen-
tal data in making decisions regarding the lakes' ecosystems. The LaMPs
are also developing ecosystem objectives, targets and indicators as
measures of progress. In addition to activities already highlighted under
specific topics of this report, a variety of other significant LaMP
accomplishments have also occurred during the last two years.
Lake Superior
• Major facilities in the United States that discharge into the Lake
Superior basin, and which discharge the nine critical pollutants
identified for zero discharge by the Lake Superior Binational Pro-
gram, are at or close to non-detection levels. These contaminants are:
chlordane, dieldrin, octachlorostyrene, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, mercury,
DDT and metabolites, hexachlorobenzene, PCBs, and toxaphene.
• The loadings of two of the targeted substances, PCBs and mercury,
from maj or U. S. facilities have significantly decreased from approxi-
mately 20 and 13 pounds per year respectively in 1991-1992, to non-
detect for PCBs and 5 pounds per year for mercury in 1993-1994.
These load reductions were calculated by using data from the Great
Lakes Enforcement Strategy.
• The monitoring of stormwater discharge from eleven municipalities
is being conducted as a cooperative effort between the USGS and the
states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Funding for this
effort is being provided by EPA as part of the Nonpoint Source
Program. Initial findings indicate that none of the nine zero discharge
critical pollutants are present in the monitored discharges.
• The Special Designations Subcommittee is currently undertaking a
Biosphere Reserve feasibility study for Lake Superior.
By surface area Lake Superior is
the largest freshwater lake in
the world. It holds just over one
half of the water in the Great
Lakes system.
41
United Sates Progress Report
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Lake Michigan is the only Great
Lake that lies wholly within the
United States.
• The Lake Superior Binational Public Forum has drafted reduction
targets for mercury, PCBs, and some pesticides, which they have
forwarded to the Governments for their consideration in setting load
reduction targets.
• The Lake Superior States have instituted a "Riverwatch Program"
which provides support to schools for Great Lakes educational
materials and for tributary monitoring by students.
• The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District is building pollution
prevention capabilities in the basin by: pollution prevention aware-
ness training for wastewater treatment plant managers and operators
across the basin; a toxic pollution prevention needs survey; facilitat-
ing local toxic reduction meetings with local organizations; develop-
ing business-specific pollution prevention opportunities and waste
management guidelines; and assisting three local communities to
develop toxic reduction plans.
Lake Michigan
• The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study/Enhanced Monitoring Pro-
gram is designed to answer questions that will help environmental
managers make well-informed, scientifically based decisions on
reducing toxic pollutants in Lake Michigan. Partners in this effort
include EPA, USGS, the Lake Michigan states, and a number of
universities. The chemicals being monitored are: PCB congeners,
frms-nonachlor, atrazine and its major breakdown products, and total
mercury. The monitoring of loads from tributaries, atmospheric
deposition, and contaminated sediments will help determine the
importance of each of these sources in the total amount of pollutants
entering the lake. The Mass Balance Model will determine what
effects reduction in pollutant loads will have on the lake and, in
particular, on contaminant levels in fish tissue. The Model's findings
will help target future Lake Michigan LaMP toxic load reduction
efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels.
• The LaMP has identified lakewide critical pollutants and the four
Lake Michigan states have completed their assessments of benefi-
cial use impairments caused by all stressors.
• Michigan DNR is conducting sediment assessments for PAHs in the
Manistique and Muskegon Rivers, which ultimately will lead to
United States Progress Report
42
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Lake Erie is the smallest of the
lakes in volume but is exposed
to the greatest stress from ur-
banization and agriculture.
remediation of PAH hotspots. In addition, LaMP staff have been
providing support to Superfund action on PCB-contaminated sedi-
ments in the Manistique River.
• The LaMP Technical Coordinating Committee is finalizing a LaMP
workplan which will be used to set priorities for prevention,
remediation, and restoration activities.
• The Lake Michigan Forum is securing computers and INTERNET
access for selected AOCs around Lake Michigan, and ultimately
hopes to secure access for all AOCs. This will improve communi-
cations among the RAPs and with the Forum.
Lake Erie
Recent activities and accomplishments include: (1) the release of a
Concept Paper for public comment, which describes the framework for
LaMP development; (2) the completion of four public workshops to
receive input on Lake Erie ecosystem objectives, which are descriptions
of the desired future state of the Lake Erie ecosystem; (3) the initiation
of the assessment of impairments to beneficial uses, including impacts
from pollutants, habitat loss, and exotic species; and (4) the initiation of
steps to convene a LaMP Public Forum.
Lake Ontario
The existing Lake Ontario Toxics Management Plan is being expanded
into a LaMP. In support of this, Canadian and U.S. agencies have
completed draft beneficial use impairment assessments which have
identified the following lakewide impairments: restrictions on fish and
wildlife consumption, degradation offish and wildlife populations, and
bird or animal reproductive problems. In addition, the following
lakewide LaMP critical pollutants have been identified: PCBs, dioxins,
mirex, DDT, and dieldrin. A Canadian sources and loadings report has
been completed, while a U.S. report is being finalized. A U.S. report
identifying New York hazardous waste sites with a significant potential
for contributing critical pollutants to Lake Ontario is also being finalized.
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is literally the lake in
_ _ . ,,/-,, the middle both geographi-
USEPA, the State of Michigan, the Province of Ontario, and other federal caiiy ancj in environmental
agencies are looking to develop and implement a LaMP for Lake Huron, quality.
Lake Ontario is the smallest of
the lakes in surface area. The
Canadian population within
the basin is about twice that of
the U.S.
43
United Sates Progress Report
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New and innovative partner-
ships will help lead the way to
restore and protect the Great
Lakes.
based on the lessons learned in developing LaMPs for the other Great
Lakes. At the current time, no date has been set to begin this process.
Progress on Remedial Action Plans
Highlights of current and planned activities to implement Remedial
Action Plans (RAPs) in Great Lake Areas of Concern have been
incorporated throughout this report. These highlights can only begin to
capture the breadth of activities underway in the twenty-six U.S. AOCs
and the five connecting channel AOCs shared with Canada. Active
multi-stakeholder involvement in all the AOCs is achieving marked
progress towards the restoration of beneficial uses. For a much more
thorough review of these activities, USEPA and Environment Canada
produced a September 1994 report entitled Progress in Great Lakes
Remedial Action Plans: Implementing the Ecosystem Approach in
Great Lakes Areas of Concern. This report, produced in cooperation
with the individual RAP groups, is the most comprehensive portrayal to
date of progress in the RAPs. This report is available from EPA's Great
Lakes National Program Office.
Innovative Partnerships
Partners to the U.S. Great Lakes Program have recognized the need to
create new and innovative solutions to the impacts affecting the basin.
This approach includes the recognition that new partnerships are needed
amongst all sectors of society to achieve the goals of the Program. The
following activities present highlights of the implementation of this
approach.
Tribal Relations
EPA has expanded its multi-media staffing grants to place an environ-
mental specialist in the majority of tribes in the Basin. This program has
been productive in creating and improving EPA-tribal partnerships and
professional relationships, building an overall tribal environmental
infrastructure, developing capacity to manage media-specific programs,
and achieving on-the-ground improvements on tribal lands. Accom-
plishments under these grants include: surface and groundwater surveys;
identification of underground storage tanks; woodburning studies; in-
door air education efforts; development of tribal environmental codes
and ordinances; draft water quality standards; dump closures; develop-
United States Progress Report
44
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ment of recycling programs; radon testing; reviews of environmental
impact statements; and environmental education efforts.
EPA and the tribes in the states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin
have initiated a formal process to develop joint planning agreements to
identify and prioritize tribal environmental needs for 1995-1997. The
Minnesota Tribes/EPA agreements were formally signed in May 1995.
EPA is funding a project entitled "Building Great Lakes Tribal Capac-
ity". The purpose of this project is to allow the Native American Tribes
in the Great Lakes Basin to raise their levels of awareness and to help
tribes determine at what level they wish to be involved in the variety of
Great Lakes federal programmatic activities occurring in the Basin.
Such activities include, but are not limited to, Lakewide Management
Plans, Remedial Action Plans, the USEPA Great Lakes Five Year
Strategy, and data integration. The project also seeks to ensure that a
tribal perspective is included in all programs and research activities.
In both 1994 and 1995, the Wisconsin DNR provided support for the
University of Wisconsin Institute for Environmental Studies to provide
workshops entitled "Pre-college Program for Native American Youth in
the Lake Superior Basin".
Brownfield Redevelopment
A "Brownfield" can be loosely defined as a site where real or perceived
contamination curtails redevelopment or reuse. Redevelopment of these
sites is a promising solution for cleaning up valuable land that may have
sat idle because of fears of potential liability and cleanup costs. These
sites are usually closed or abandoned industrial sites predominantly in
urban areas, with the vast majority ranging in size from no more than a
storefront to a city block. Through the development of partnerships
between federal, state and local governments and public and private
organizations, Brownfield redevelopment will seek to benefit the envi-
ronment and economies of local communities by assessing the extent of
contamination at a site, developing risk-based cleanup protocols that are
linked to future use scenarios, and by addressing liability issues, while
still being protective of human health. Grants have been made to Great
Lakes state and local governments to develop the capacity to conduct
Brownfield assessments, to perform cleanup and redevelopment activi-
ties, and to develop regulations for their respective programs.
Redevelopment and reuse of
urban sites will help improve
the environment and economy
of these areas.
45
United Sates Progress Report
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Ashtabula River Partnership
EPA, the Corps, the State of Ohio, and a large number of diverse public
and private organizations at the federal, state and local levels have formed
the locally based Ashtabula River Partnership. The Partnership, an
outgrowth of the Ashtabula River RAP process, seeks to address and
implement an ambitious, comprehensive full-scale cleanup of the con-
taminated sediments in the Ashtabula River and Harbor in Ohio in order
to restore beneficial uses. Signatories to the Partnership are strongly
committed to investigating the extent of contaminated sediments in the
river and harbor, to developing a plan for the dredging and disposal of
river sediments, to identifying resources necessary to carry out the
cleanup, and to generating a timeline of milestones and activities. The
sediments are contaminated with PCBs, other chlorinated organic com-
pounds, and heavy metals which have limited the amount of dredging and
which precludes open water disposal. The Partnership plans to remove
and properly dispose of roughly 750,000 cubic yards of contaminated
sediments from the river and harbor through the innovative use of
multiple authorities.
Fox River Coalition
EPA, the Corps of Engineers, and the Fish and Wildlife Service have
provided technical assistance to another public-private partnership which
is dedicated to contaminated sediment remediation planning and imple-
mentation in the Fox River, Wisconsin. The Fox River Coalition is a
group of industry, business, and local and state government officials
established in 1992. The group's goal is to cooperatively develop a
process for determining the degree of cleanup, cost-effective methods,
funding mechanisms, and a timetable for addressing 39 miles of the river.
Based on the estimates from the EPA-led 1989 Green Bay Mass Balance
Study, there are about 44,000 - 88,000 pounds of PCBs in 9-11 million
cubic yards of contaminated sediment in the Lower Fox River. The Mass
Balance Study, the first in the world to determine the presence, transport,
and fate of bioaccumulative toxic substances in a river and bay environ-
ment, provided a substantial data base to begin sediment management
decision-making. Since 1992 the Fox River Coalition has also deter-
mined the presence of heavy metals at levels consistent with impacts to
aquatic insects, prioritized contaminated sites in 32 miles of river, and
funded and initiated remedial investigations and feasibility studies on
four sites. The group has used Mass Balance computer models to draft
remediation strategies and provided partial funding for additional PCB
United States Progress Report 46
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data collection on seven miles of river. The additional data, to be
gathered with EPA assistance, is needed to increase confidence in model
prediction and evaluate the appropriateness of preliminary recommen-
dations for remedial projects. Cleanup of the Lower Fox River is an
important step in the implementation of the RAP for lower Green Bay
and the Lake Michigan LaMP.
Coordinating Monitoring Efforts in Wisconsin
Effective environmental monitoring is essential to understanding, man-
aging, and protecting water resources. Personnel from several agencies
are collecting water quality information throughout Wisconsin. In 1992,
the USGS, Wisconsin DNR, and EPA began a partnership to try and
strengthen the coordination of these monitoring efforts. This partnership
is part of a national thrust program called the Intergovernmental Task
Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM). The primary goals of the
ITFM program in Wisconsin are to (1) develop a framework that will
coordinate and improve information being collected on surface and
groundwater quality; (2) develop and recommend application of envi-
ronmental indicators and standard descriptors of aquatic conditions; and
(3) recommend linkages between various information systems that
would result in a water information network that allows personnel from
various agencies to share data quickly and easily. A field study was
conducted as part of this program during the summer of 1994 to compare
water quality sample collection methods used by the USGS and WDNR.
The goal of this study was to determine the comparability of methods
being used to collect data by these two agencies. By understanding the
similarities and differences in the data collection by each agency, a larger
data base will potentially be available to all data users in Wisconsin.
Partners for Clean Air
The City of Chicago's Department of Environment is an active partici-
pant and steering committee member of the Partners for Clean Air. This
innovative coalition consists of regulatory agencies, private industries
and businesses, and not-for-profit organizations working together to
promote the idea of voluntary reductions of emission-generating activi-
ties on days when ozone levels are forecast to be unhealthy. Partners for
Clean Air is a regional coalition, combining efforts of the Chicagoland
ozone attainment area with counties in northwest Indiana. It is similar
to programs operating in Milwaukee, Detroit, and other Great Lakes
cities. This approach avoids regulatory mandates, and educates both
47 United Sates Progress Report
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industry and the general public as to the effect that individuals and
individual operations can have on air quality.
Government/Industry Partnerships
As part of a national initiative to address municipal waste combustors
(MWCs) that were deemed likely to cause high emission levels of
dioxin/furans, EPA Region 5 has been working with identified MWCs
located within the Region. These are MWCs that utilize high tempera-
ture electrostatic precipitators. Some of these MWCs have decided to
close or be retrofitted with dry scrubber/baghouse systems. Since
compliance with proposed revisions to the emission guidelines for
existing sources is still several years away, Region 5 has approached
two of these MWCs about incorporating short term voluntary emission
reduction measures. These sources have indicated a willingness to
consider steps to reduce the emissions through changes in combustion
practices. Region 5 has asked these MWCs prepare a strategy and to
enter to Memoranda of Understanding that would formalize such
efforts.
Future Actions in Support of the Great Lakes
Reducing Releases of Toxics to the Environment
EPA and Environment Canada are drafting a Binational Strategy for
the Virtual Elimination of Persistent Toxic Substances in the Great
Lakes Basin. The Strategy is based on a set of fundamental principles:
a commitment to open, interactive, public participation; an emphasis
on pollution prevention; the support of state and provincial initiatives;
and the use of the LaMPs and RAPs as the primary means of achieving
in-basin reductions. The LaMPs and RAPs are also responsible for the
development of quantitative targets and timeframes for contaminant
reductions of LaMP/RAP identified critical pollutants. The Strategy
will be the primary mechanism by which to achieve load reductions
within the Great Lakes from out-of-basin sources. The Strategy will
include: quantifiable targets and timeframes for the reduction of
specific persistent toxic substances; baseline measurements (where
possible) for tracking and measuring progress towards reductions; a
process for evaluating the sources of the toxics; assessing the current
regulatory framework for addressing the toxics; and options for
achieving further reductions. It is anticipated that the Strategy will be
finalized by February 1996.
United States Progress Report 48
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EPA will continue to develop and implement its Virtual Elimination
Project which is exploring options for improving current regulatory
and non-regulatory frameworks so that it encourages individuals and/
or firms to make ongoing reductions ~ beyond compliance - in their
use and release of selected toxic chemicals. The Project builds upon
the work of the IJC's Virtual Elimination Task Force and seeks to
implement elements of their findings, along with new elements as
developed by the Virtual Elimination Project, on the U.S. side of the
Basin. In its initial phase, the Project is addressing mercury and PCBs.
To date, the Project has convened two meetings of stakeholders which
helped form the basis for the development of a Virtual Elimination
Strategy for mercury. A similar PCB options paper is being developed.
In addition, the following toxic reduction actions are planned:
\
• EPA and the Great Lakes States will continue to implement the
highly successful Great Lakes Enforcement Strategy which fo-
cuses state and federal enforcement of point source discharge
limits on targeted toxic pollutants.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture, states, and EPA will invite
the public via Clean Sweep campaigns to dispose of pesticide
stocks.
• States and EPA will continue the cleanup of priority abandoned
hazardous waste sites and oversight of active ones, focusing
cleanups and corrective actions on sites suspected of loading
bioaccumulative contaminants to the Lakes.
• States and EPA will continue to inspect oil facilities in order to
review their spill prevention measures and readiness to respond to
accidental spills.
• States and EPA will continue to implement mercury pollution
prevention outreach to the medical community to achieve reduc-
tions of mercury going into medical waste incinerators, wastewa-
ter treatment plants and landfills.
• States and EPA will continue to exchange information on mercury
reduction activities through the Great Lakes Air Mercury
Workgroup. Some EPA programs have included mercury reduc-
tion projects as funding options in their FY 1996 grant guidance.
49 United Sates Progress Report
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• EPA is proposing the development of a joint project with states,
tribes and other entities to demonstrate a full-scale contaminated
sediment remediation project in the Great Lakes basin. The
Agency is offering to commit $1 million over the next two years
to help jump-start such a project. The goal is to combine these
monies with other potential sources of funding to conduct a
remedial project. This project will demonstrate how coordination
and leveraging of resources can work and help begin to address the
contaminated sediment problem, leading to site remediation.
Protecting and Restoring Habitat
• Through proposed 1995 Farm Bill legislation, the Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service will be addressing nonpoint source
pollution impacts and prevention through an ecosystem-based
planning process focusing on a watershed approach. The Service's
national policies, such as water conservation, flood control, ripar-
ian areas, wetland restoration and enhancement, water manage-
ment, and soil quality protection and improvement will also be
considered in the planning process.
• Continuation of the existing Conservation Reserve Program, along
with enrollment of additional acres, will protect the most highly
sensitive lands, reducing excessive pesticide and sediment loading
into lakes, rivers, and streams. Broadening land eligibility within
the Wetlands Reserve Program will increase the enrollment of
environmentally sensitive wetlands.
• EPA, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, and states will work together on demonstra-
tion projects to restore important Great Lakes habitats.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service will support states and tribes in the
restoration of beneficial uses in Areas of Concern by identifying
the habitat requirements of various fish and wildlife species in
these areas. The Service will similarly work with EPA, states, and
tribes to identify the habitat needs of species on a lakewide basis.
• States, EPA, and the Fish and Wildlife Service will pursue
Advance Identification projects that identify wetlands of high
ecological value and inform landowners of this information.
United States Progress Report 50
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• The Corps of Engineers and EPA will continue their
administration of the primary federal program regulating the
physical modification of wetlands and others waters. Pursuant to
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, they administer a permit
program to regulate the discharge of dredge or fill materials into
the waters of the United States, including most wetlands. Approxi-
mately 7,100 permits were issued by Corps districts within the
Great Lakes basin during FY 1994-1995 (through the third quarter
of FY 1995).
• The Corps of Engineers will look for opportunities to incorporate
environmental improvements into its Great Lakes projects.
The Detroit District is scheduled to begin construction of a
barrier trap for sea lamprey at the old U.S. hydroelectric power
house at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in FY1996. Another potential
project which would restore coastal wetlands at Hennepin Marsh
on the Detroit River is being considered.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service will work with its partners to the
North American Waterfowl Management Plan to protect, enhance,
and create critical waterfowl habitat. The Service will add protected
acreage through its Private Lands Program and increase surveil-
lance for illegal dredge and fill activities.
• All eight Great Lakes States will take specific actions to restore
and protect vital aquatic and terrestrial habitats within the Great
Lakes Basin.
• The Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service have begun a five-year
research project to develop a single method for restoring native
vegetation to the 16,000 acres of steel slag in the Calumet Region.
The results may also apply to other Great Lakes locations with steel
slag site.
Protecting Human Health and Restoring Fish and
Wildlife Populations
• EPA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the
Great Lakes States, medical researchers, private industry, and
academia will continue to research the health implications and
51 United Sates Progress Report
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impacts of consuming Great Lakes fish and wildlife and other
potential health-effects, posed by persistent toxic substances.
* Partners to the U.S. Great Lakes Program will continue to monitor
for and address new and existing, sources of persistent toxic
substances. For example, recent data indicate that a mixture of
chlorinated chemical&similar to the pesticide toxaphene (banned in
the U.S in 1982 and one of tfee zero-discharge substances under the
Lake Superior Binaiional Program) is a principle source of fish
consumption risk in Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan.
Initial studies of Great Lakes fish and sediments indicate the
possibility of local seimces aud coatinued loadings of this mixture
to these areas. SPA wiJl convene a meeting of experts to examine
the data and determine the steps required to address this issue.
• States, EPA, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service
will implement programs to reduce human exposure to harmful
bacteria in Great Lakes waters. One focus will be ending the
discharge of untreated human wastes from combined sewer
overflows by upgrading municipal sewer systems and treatment
capacity. The Service will promote adoption of waste manage-
ment systems to reduce runoff from livestock facilities.
• A variety of agencies will work together to prevent further
introductions of exotic species and to mitigate the harmful effects
of those that have already entered the Great Lakes. They will
monitor the ecosystem for new exotic species and conduct re-
search on environmentally kind control techniques for disruptive
exotic species.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service, states, and tribes will continue to
stock hatchery reared fish, such as lake trout, to bolster the
abundance of important species. The Service will also continue
application of lampricides to tributaries where sea lamprey spawn
in order to control the ravages of mis exotic species upon sport fish.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service and states will continue to take
measures to protect and restore populations of endangered and
threatened Great Lakes species.
United States Progress Report 52
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• The Fish and Wildlife Service and states will continue to pursue
Natural Resource Damage Assessments and Claims for past
harm to the Great Lakes.
• EPA, states, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will
continue activities to reduce phosphorus loadings to areas of the
Lakes that are vulnerable to nutrient overenrichment.
Implementing the Great Lakes Five-Year Strategy
Partners to the Strategy will continue to focus efforts on critical
pollutants and on geographic areas which have the highest ecological
and human health risks; will use the Remedial Action and Lakewide
Management planning processes to define research priorities, ecologi-
cal needs, objectives and indicators, and appropriate remedial actions;
will develop a Report to Congress and to the people of the Great Lakes
region on implementation of their joint Strategy and progress toward
their environmental goals; and will continue to pursue opportunities to
work with our Canadian partners on Great Lakes issues of common
concern.
By successfully implementing these goals, the United States Great
Lakes Program will continue to make significant progress towards the
time when there is a balanced, productive, self sustaining fishery, when
fish consumption advisories are no longer needed, and when the bald
eagle and other vulnerable species can again thrive within the Great
Lakes ecosystem. Heartening environmental progress during the past
several decades offers promise that today's challenges can be met.
53 United Sates Progress Report
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