State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference 1996
Background Paper
IMPACTS OF CHANGING LAND USE
Steve Thorp
Great Lakes Commission
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ray Rivers
Environment Canada
Burlington, Ontario
Victoria Pebbles
Great Lakes Commission
Ann Arbor, Michigan
October 1997
ISBN 0-662-26034-1
EPA905-R-97-015d
Cat. No. En40-11735-4- 1997E
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.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use /'/'/
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
1.0 Overview, Findings, and Conclusions 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Brief History of Land Use 2
1.3 Trends in Land Use 3
1.3.1 Urban and Rural Development Land Uses 3
1.3.2 Industrial Land Uses 4
1.3.3 Agricultural Land Uses 6
1.4 Land-Use Concerns 7
1.4.1 Nearshore Development 7
1.4.2 Urban Sprawl 7
1.4.3 Brownfields 8
1.4.4 Conversion of Farmland 8
1.4.5 Local Land-Use Decisions and Regional Impact 9
1.4.6 "Hardening" of the Landscape and Stream Degradation 9
1.4.7 Auto and Truck Transportation 10
1.4.8 Agricultural Land Management 10
1.5 Indicators 11
1.6 Findings and Conclusions 13
2.0 Land Use and Its Impacts 14
2.1 Development 14
2.1.1 Coastal Population and Development 15
2.1.2 The Advancing Urban Frontier 16
2.2 The Trend to Sprawl 17
2.2.1 Land-Use Planning 18
2.3 Changing Urban Structure and the Benefits of Renewal 20
2.3.1 Changing Urban Structure 20
2.3.2 The Economics of Urban Form 22
2.3.3 Industrial Restructuring and Industry Relocation 22
2.3.4 The Benefits of Renewal 23
2.4 Industrial and Municipal Activity 24
2.4.1 Wastewater and Stormwater Treatment Discharges 25
2.4.2 Industrial Water Use and Discharges 26
2.4.3 Air Discharges 27
2.4.4 Opportunities and Challenges 27
2.5 Transportation 28
2.5.1 Pollution Issues and Solutions 29
2.6 Agriculture 31
2.6.1 Soil Erosion and Sedimentation 32
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2.6.2 Pesticide Use 33
2.6.3 Manure Management 33
3.0 Lake By Lake Perspective 34
3.1 Hydrologic and Natural Features 34
3.2 Land Use 37
3.3 Land Use Trends and Their Impacts 39
3.4 Key Future Issues 47
4.0 Case Studies of Best Practices, Trends, and Issues 50
4.1 Farmland Conversion: A Major Issue for the Basin 50
4.2 Planning for Sustainable Growth in Cottage Country: Tay Township 53
4.3 Dredging and Confined Disposal Facilities 56
4.4 Redevelopment of Cobourg Harbourfront 63
4.5 Watershed-based Planning and Innovative Land Use in Northwest Michigan 65
4.6 Planning North Aldershot Development 71
5.0 Land-Use Planning Across the Border 74
5.1 Binational 74
5.2 United States 75
5.2.1 The Framework 75
5.2.2 Planning Roles and Responsibilities 80
5.2.3 Tools and Techniques 84
5.3 Canada 91
5.3.1 The Framework 91
5.3.2 Planning Roles and Responsibilities 94
5.3.3 Tools and Techniques 101
5.4 Conclusions 104
5.4.1 Background 104
5.4.2 Extending the Tool Kit 104
5.4.3 The Challenge for the Future 105
6.0 References 107
List of Figures
Figure 1. Land Use in the Great Lakes Basin 1
Figure 2. The Five Individual Lake Basins of the Great Lakes Basin 34
Figure 3. Land Use and Urban Buffer Zones in the Great Lakes Basin 53
Figure 4. Township of Tay Shoreline Cottage Growth 55
Figure 5. Location of Confined Disposal Facilities (CDF) US Great Lakes 58
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List of Tables
Table 1. Land-Use Indicators 12
Table 2. Land Needed for Sprawl and Central Forms of Development, Greater Toronto Area 2021 ... 21
Table 3. Potential Benefits of Restoration and Renewal for Areas of Concern (1991 and 93 values) ... 24
Table 4. Great Lakes Basin Land And Water Areas and Populations 37
Table 5. Farming Intensity in the Great Lakes Basin 43
Table 6. Percent Changes in Agricultural Land Use Between 1981/82 and 1991/92 45
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Acknowledgments
This paper is the product of a collaborative effort. Its several principal authors developed the format,
contributed text, and coordinated the efforts of the many contributing authors. The project management
team consisted of Mike Donahue and Steve Thorp, Great Lakes Commission; and Ray Rivers,
Environment Canada. All the authors express their thanks to the many reviewers for their comments and
suggestions.
Principal Authors
Victoria Pebbles, Program Specialist
Transportation and Economic Development,
Great Lakes Commission
Ray Rivers, Senior Economist
Environment Canada, Ontario Region
Steve Thorp, Program Manager
Transportation and Economic Development,
Great Lakes Commission
Contributing Authors
Paula Arvo and Jake VanderWal
Lake Superior Programs Office,
Environment Canada
John Barr
Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto
Suzanne Barrett
Waterfront Regeneration Trust (Toronto)
Tony Wagner
Waterfront Regeneration Trust (Toronto)
Judith E. Beauty C.P.G.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Ian Bender
County of Simcoe (Ontario)
Pamela Blais
Metropole Consultants (Toronto)
Gregg Bluth
Michigan Technological University
Jim Bredin
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Nick Close
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Peter Croskery and Associates (Grimsby,
Ontario)
Wesley Crown
Township of Tay (Ontario)
Leo DeLoyde
City of Burlington
Dick Draper
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation
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Jim Ford
Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission
Carol Johnston
Natural Resources Research Institute
(Minnesota)
Blair Orr
Michigan Technological University
Larry Schut
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs
Keith Sherman, Judi Barnes, Peter Templin, and
Dr. Gary Westlake
Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy
Janet Silbernagel
Washington State University
Heather Stanworth and Don Greer
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Wayne Warren
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
viii Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Notice To Readers
This Background Paper is one of a series of such papers that were prepared to provide a concise
overview of the status of the nearshore conditions in the Great Lakes. The information they present has
been selected as representative of the much greater volume of data. They therefore do not present all
research or monitoring information available. The Papers were prepared with input from many
individuals representing diverse sectors of society.
The Papers provided the basis for discussion at SOLEC 96. Participants were encouraged to provide
specific information and references for use in preparing the final post-conference versions of the Papers.
Together with the information supplied by SOLEC discussants, the Papers have been incorporated into
the 1997 State of the Great Lakes report, which provides key information required by managers to make
better environmental decisions.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use ix
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SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use xi
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Impacts of Changing Land Use
1.0 Overview, Findings, and Conclusions
1.1 Introduction
The Great Lakes basin encompasses 762,932 square kilometres (295,710 square miles), with the Great
Lakes and their connecting channels making up about a third of this area. As shown in Figure 1, forests
account for the largest percentage of total basin area, at about 40 percent. Agriculture accounts for about a
quarter of present basin area, and the "built environment"— representing industrial, commercial,
residential, institutional, and transportation uses—takes up less than 3 percent of the area of the Great
Lakes basin.
The Great Lakes basin is home to 33.5 million people, with about 8.5 million in the Canadian province of
Ontario and the other 25 million distributed among the eight Great Lakes states. Population density is
highest in the southern part of the basin and around Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario. The Greater
Toronto Area (GTA), situated on Lake Ontario, accounts for about half of the Canadian basin population,
whereas about 80 percent of the U.S. basin population is located in its 11 largest metropolitan areas.
Land Use in the Great Lakes Basin
Legend
• Urban
D Forest
D Cropland
D Water
Lake Ontario
* '*.
185km
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Figure 1. Land Use in the Great Lakes Basin
Responsibility for land-use decisions that affect the Great Lakes and its basin is fragmented among a very
large number of government entities, with the greatest degree of decision-making authority resting with
local governments. Government jurisdictions involve two federal governments; one province and eight
states, each with a myriad of agencies; 13 regional and 18 county municipalities in Ontario, many substate
regional planning commissions and councils of government, and 192 counties in the United States;
thousands of U.S. local governments and about 250 Canadian local governments; and more than 100 First
Nations and tribal authorities. In addition, significant influence is brought directly to the development
approval process by private sector developers and consultants, non-profit organizations such as
environmental groups and residents' groups, the media, and the public.
Development is a major ecosystem stressor for the Great Lakes basin and its nearshore areas. The many
forms of development—covering industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural, and transportation-related
activities—carry specific, significant, and cumulative impacts for the natural world and particularly for
Great Lakes water quality. These activities take place throughout the basin, but their most immediate and
direct impact on the Great Lakes appears to be on lands proximate to the lakes themselves and their
tributary waters. Land use in coastal areas of the Great Lakes is changing in response to the region's
evolving economy and industrial restructuring as well as to the relentless forces of urban sprawl. The
aesthetic and recreational attraction of the shores is also spurring renewed public appreciation and use of
this asset, whether it be an urban waterfront or a remote location.
1.2 Brief History of Land Use
Land use in the Great Lakes basin is subject to continual change. Although natural forces have the greatest
potential for altering landscapes and land cover, the current human imprint on the land in the Great Lakes
area is obvious and substantial. Human activities ranging from farming to city building are affecting the
basin's ecosystem. The nearshore areas of the Great Lakes suffer from a particular and disproportionate
environmental burden because of their unique and sensitive environments and proximity to development.
The extent and effects of these human impacts have changed over time, corresponding to habitation and
technological developments, resulting in both negative and positive trends.
The Great Lakes, as the most prominent physical feature, are not the only vestige of area glaciation. Many
of the basin's landforms and distinctive terrains were created during the period of glacier retreat. Climate
changes since that time (9,500 years ago) have altered the general vegetation patterns influencing the extent
of coniferous and deciduous forests along with open areas of prairies and savannah-type landscapes.
Although the number and size of inland wetlands were subject to periodic fluctuation during this prehistoric
period, coastal wetlands were generally more stable, being mostly influenced by changes in the levels of the
Great Lakes.
The indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes basin, with their hunting and gathering activities, periodic
encampments, and use of fire as well as the practice of burning areas for various purposes had no apparent
long-term adverse impact on the ecosystem. The next settlement phase, which is continuing through today,
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witnessed successive stages of resource exploitation and landscape alteration. Europe-influenced
exploration and the subsequent development of the fur trade diminished particular animal populations and
native culture. With both westward domestic migration and immigration, the shores of the Great Lakes
became magnets for settlement during the 19th century.
The major settlement period of the Great Lakes region coincided with the rapid development of industrial
technologies and processes. Proximity to productive agricultural land and access to important raw
materials, coupled with an available labour force, gave the region an unparalleled advantage in domestic
and overseas markets. Water transportation was the foundation of shore-based manufacturing and related
activities. Water-intensive industrial operations, whether located on the waterfront or nearby, were a
natural result of water availability. In many cases, having the option of waterborne shipment for the
delivery of raw material and movement of finished goods was a major factor in determining the location of
industrial activity.
Economic development created the modern Great Lakes region. Employment opportunities paved the way
for population growth and a relatively high standard of living with associated quality of life. But with these
good times of ever-increasing prosperity came the seeds of future challenges. The industrial and supporting
infrastructure matured, and competition within a developing global economy sharpened. Hundreds of
thousands of high-paying jobs disappeared, resulting in severe economic dislocation for some communities
and families. Environmental degradation was another outcome of rapid and spontaneous growth in the
industrial era. Some of the region's bountiful natural resources that helped sustain economic growth were
depleted, in some cases recklessly. The Great Lakes, the region's resource centerpiece and the world's
largest system of freshwater, was damaged by basin development and is still threatened.
1.3 Trends in Land Use
1.3.1 Urban and Rural Development Land Uses
The Great Lakes basin is home to more than 33 million people. In addition many more each year visit for
business or to enjoy its beauty and amenities. Four-fifths of this largely urban population live in 17
metropolitan areas (11 in the United States and 6 in Canada). The U.S. basin population declined during
the 1980s but has now stabilized. By contrast, the Canadian population, however, has increased
dramatically in Ontario over the past 20 years. Although the built environment constitutes less than 10
percent of the land area of the basin, most of this development is situated on or near the shores of the Great
Lakes or on major tributaries. The Greater Toronto Area on Lake Ontario, for example, concentrates more
than 40 percent of Ontario's population on 1 per cent of the province's land base.
Ontario's population is projected to increase by about 2 million people (20 percent) over the next 20 years.
Growth in Canada's economic heartland will be in response to the promise of economic opportunity in
Ontario's "Golden Horseshoe" and continued immigration into this area, which is known for its cultural
and ethnic diversity. In contrast, the U.S. basin will likely see only limited population growth. The long-
term trend of redistribution of economic activity and population from the older industrialized regions of the
Great Lakes basin to new and expanding regions elsewhere is moderating. Central city areas will continue
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to suffer from under-utilized infrastructure and social problems, whereas coastal areas will continue to
grow.
Traditional urban development that was once characterized by high population densities and therefore more
efficient city services has virtually disappeared. The modern age of the automobile has facilitated the
widespread emergence of urban sprawl over the last half century. Today, urban sprawl is the predominant
pattern of development on both sides of the border. Land-use projections for the State of Michigan, for
example, indicate that a state population increase of less than 12 percent may result in as much as an 87
percent increase in new developed land by the year 2020. A 6 percent population increase in southeastern
Michigan alone is expected to result in a 40 percent increase in land consumption during this same period.
Although urban sprawl, a principal outcome of the post-war economy, has been the dominant form of
development, interest is growing in returning to higher-density, mixed-use community planning and
redevelopment of under-utilized or brownfields locations that would enhance the efficiency of municipal
services such as transportation. Planning systems and approaches that can compensate for the
fragmentation of municipal decision-making will be fundamental to curbing urban sprawl.
The high cost and environmental impact of sanitary, stormwater, and combined sewage systems will be
restraining factors to new development and constraints to public use of urban beaches and other
environment amenities. Groundwater availability may serve to limit new growth in communities not
adjacent to the lakes. Those communities will, no doubt, be among those advocating water conservation and
higher water prices to reduce the excessive usage and wastage that has characterized North American
society, but they will likely also advocate increased access to water from the Great Lakes. Conflicts over
water rights and in-basin as well as inter-lake basin transfers of water will be a challenge for municipalities
pursuing high growth strategies.
Transportation continues to become more oriented towards the private automobile and trucking, as opposed
to more efficient public transit and rail goods systems. Continued urban sprawl will mean heightened
awareness of and greater pressure to control urban air pollution from both smog and greenhouse gases.
Traffic congestion and commuting delays will further promote work-at-home practices; and the imposition
of toll roads by jurisdictions may be needed to assist with the high costs of maintaining roads and
highways.
There has also been a significant trend in the basin towards the extensive construction of seasonal "second
homes" or recreational cottages. This trend is now shifting towards more permanent, year-round residences
in rural areas as the leading edge of the baby boom generation approaches retirement age. The emerging
trend towards multiple careers over one's lifetime and more home-based work for the new "information"
generation allows greater workplace mobility, which adds to the desirability of owning these second homes
as personal offices, away from home.
Changing demographic and settlement patterns present opportunities to rethink traditional rural
development patterns and to develop innovative, efficient, and pleasing alternatives to rural estate lot
severances. Local government decision makers will need to consider the service needs of an active but aging
population accustomed to the amenities of the city.
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1.3.2 Industrial Land Uses
The Great Lakes basin has been conducive to the development and sustenance of an industrial economy.
The lakes themselves have provided transportation links as well as water for industrial processes and
opportunities for wastewater release. The close availability of raw materials and natural resources, from
lumber to iron ore, and a growing population gave the basin an unparalleled advantage for industrial
development in North America for most of the last century.
The evolving change to a global economy and to a North American information-based economy has
resulted in a shift away from once-dominant manufacturing activities in the Great Lakes basin. Road and
air transportation have increased dramatically, at the expense of shipping and rail, making traditional
linkages to ports and rail spur lines less important for manufacturing. Further, many firms faced with
modernization are choosing to shut down older and less efficient operations, many of these located on the
nearshore, and to relocate manufacturing activities to other areas, including outside the basin. The
motivation for relocation rather than re-investment with modern technologies at existing sites can be
attributed to a number of factors, including labour costs, taxation levels, and improved access to
transportation.
The restructuring of the basin economy has resulted in a surplus of industrial locations that require
environmental cleanup before they can once again be put to a productive land-use activity. These
"brownfields" (vacant or inactive industrial or commercial properties with known or suspected soil or water
contamination problems) pose a unique opportunity and challenge for the development industry,
government environmental agencies, and the banking industry, which must weigh the financial rewards of
new development against the increased cost and potential environmental liability of providing loans to those
undertaking redevelopment of these sites. Mining and forestry activities, on the other hand, which are
concentrated in the northern half of the basin, are likely to remain relatively stable into the future.
The retreat of industry from its traditional location along the nearshore presents new opportunities for
waterfront and harbour redevelopment as communities become involved in grass-root efforts to "take back
the waterfront" for public and commercial uses. Redevelopment of these former industrial sites also
presents new opportunities for high-technology manufacturing, commercial service, residential or leisure or
some mix of these activities for tomorrow's economy. There are, however, costs and environmental hurdles
associated with cleaning up and restoring these sites that pose difficult challenges to governments and
interested communities alike.
Public education, awareness, and opinion have made a clean environment a priority for the public over the
past 20 years. Almost everyone has accepted the interconnectedness of the environment and the economy
and also that sustainable development means discarding the "jobs versus the environment" paradigm. With
elementary school children now routinely taught environmental basics such as waste recycling and the
importance of conservation in the water cycle, and with widespread public awareness of potential
carcinogenic and other public health effects of industrial processes, tolerance for sources of pollution will
continue to be low, even considering potential employment possibilities.
Higher environmental standards and improved technologies for reduced vehicle and industrial pollutant
releases have been established over the past 20 years. In addition, the adoption of pollution prevention as
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the preferred approach to environmental management is resulting in additional improvement. Voluntary
actions are being promoted and utilized to complement regulatory initiatives. Yet, while the basin's
transportation system is largely mature, urban sprawl will increase the network of roads and traffic,
adversely affecting air quality. Further, the new "just-in-time" delivery system is reducing the need for the
traditional warehouse, but is expected to contribute to increased traffic congestion and truck traffic
generally.
Current government efforts at fiscal restraint are conflicting with traditional methods of environmental
protection, and alternative delivery systems are being explored to ensure environmental protection through
industry's meeting or exceeding environmental standards. With governments financially handicapped by the
fiscal realities of high public debt, a greater share of the challenge for expanded environmental remediation
and restoration will fall to the private sector and local authorities. In general, innovative and more private
sector and citizen-based initiatives will be required if the growing public expectations for a healthy
ecosystem are to be met.
1.3.3 Agricultural Land Uses
About a third of the land in the Great Lakes basin is used for agriculture, with usage concentrated in the
southern half of the basin. Nearly three-quarters of the basin's agricultural land is on the U.S. side. In parts
of the basin, agriculture-related sediment, pesticide, and nutrient loading of the Great Lakes tributary rivers
is a leading cause of non-point source pollution.
There is a trend towards fewer but larger farms with more intensive crop production, declining livestock
numbers, and less land overall in agricultural production. From 1981 to 1992 basin farmland declined by
almost 10 percent and cropland by almost 6 percent. The conversion of agricultural land to urban sprawl
development, in addition to other global and continental competitive pressures, is causing a shift of
agricultural activities to areas with less productive soils, shorter growing seasons, and greater distances to
major markets.
An increasing environmental awareness among the public and farmers is resulting in a growing market for
pesticide-free agricultural produce. At the same time, farmers are switching to environmentally conserving
practices such conservation tillage, integrated pest management, and better manure management
techniques. The ramifications of an emerging trend to greater dietary substitution of vegetables and fruit for
animal products, in response to the apparent health risks associated with meat products, have yet to be felt
to any significant extent. One consequence may be greater truck (produce) farming at the edge of cities as
increasingly sophisticated consumers demand more locally grown and fresher vegetables.
Efforts at controlling nutrient and pesticide pollution of tributaries to the Great Lakes have been partially
successful, although much more effort will be required to meet public expectations from the agricultural
sector. Groundwater contamination, which has been occurring for decades, is now recognized as a serious
environmental problem that requires even greater attention to farm pesticide and manure management
practices.
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Land-use conflicts, especially the conversion of farmland to urban sprawl, will continue to be perhaps the
greatest threat to the long term-viability of the agricultural sector. The greatest challenge to planners and
municipal decision makers is to resist pressure for the conversion of viable agricultural land into lots to
meet the ongoing demand for residential and other uses. Adequate protection of farmland from the
encroachment of rural and urban sprawl is not commonplace throughout the basin, although in some places
"demonstration" projects are being implemented. However, the new provincial policy statement on land use
(issued May 1996 under section 3 of the Ontario Planning Act) does permit expansion into prime
agricultural areas "only where: 1) there are no reasonable alternatives which avoid prime agricultural areas,
and 2) there are no reasonable alternatives with lower priority agricultural lands in the prime agricultural
area."
1.4 Land-Use Concerns
1.4.1 Nearshore Development
Development in the nearshore areas of the Great lakes has been substantial and is continuing. The
nearshore area of the Great Lakes has been a magnet for development since large-scale population
settlement first began. The proximity to water for transportation and industrial purposes were initial
factors. The shorelines themselves focused and concentrated transportation corridors and related
manufacturing areas. The shoreline and the amenities it offers are also attractive for residential use,
whether it be in metropolitan areas or in rural places. Construction of second homes (also known as cottage
development) near the Great Lakes has been a major trend during the past 50 years.
Four-fifths of the population of the Great Lakes basin resides in the 17 largest metropolitan areas and most
of these have coastal locations. The nearshore areas are environmentally sensitive; they represent the
interface between land and the lakes, and support special communities of flora and fauna. Development
alters land and ecosystem processes, ranging from stream flow to beach sand supply and distribution. It
also leads to temporary and long-term contamination of land and water resources. Planning, coordination,
and information sharing among levels of government and multiple jurisdictions as well as appropriate
regulations are essential to reduce these detrimental consequences. Continuing control and mitigation,
pollution prevention, and remedial action for existing contaminated sites are elements of an effective
environmental management process. Voluntary as well as regulatory initiatives for implementing land-use
policy can be effective when developed in full consultation with the residents concerned.
1.4.2 Urban Sprawl
The most significant development issue in the Great Lakes basin and surrounding region is the continuing
growth of major metropolitan areas and the virtually uncontrolled sprawl of low-density residential areas
and other development. The detrimental consequences of these trends are well-known. Population-related
generation of pollution, higher transportation and residential energy use, increasing encroachment on
agricultural lands and natural areas, and burdensome physical infrastructure requirements portend an
unsustainable future.
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Development is the connection between the city and the countryside—not only in terms of more houses, but
also in terms of industry and service businesses, which have been decentralizing from built-up city locales
to suburban-exurban fringe areas and connecting corridors between metropolitan areas. Land and water
availability, lower wage scales, transportation access, proximity to new residential markets, and other
cost/service factors are propelling this kind of sprawl. The central city anchor for rail transportation, multi-
storey factories, and apartment life has given way to interstate truck transport, one-storey industrial
buildings, sprawling office parks, and a house and lot of one's own. Natural market forces responding to
the escalating cost of extending utilities and other basic urban services to these lower-density regions
should ultimately act to retard urban sprawl and stimulate a more efficient and sustainable pattern based on
intensification of development within prescribed boundaries and employing existing infrastructure.
Unfortunately, an ongoing pattern of tax-based subsidies to developers by municipal governments eager to
see growth at any cost has served to constrain these market forces to date.
1.4.3 Brownfields
The economy of the Great Lakes region is completing a transition from heavy manufacturing to a more
diverse and increasingly service-oriented economy. Brownfields have been a consequence. The Great Lakes
basin contains thousands of former industrial sites or brownfields where once-thriving manufacturing
operations have now become blighted areas of neglect and, in many cases, sources of continuing toxic
pollution. These problem places, particularly in the central urban areas, have thwarted efforts at
redevelopment. New development is rejected for many reasons, including cleanup costs and lingering
uncertainty over liability issues, thus encouraging such development to migrate to outlying undeveloped
areas or greenfields.
One of the policy issues facing Great Lakes basin states, provinces, and communities is whether and how
brownfields redevelopment and greenfields protection can be linked. A potential linkage already exists in
that development of a brownfields site may reduce the pressure for a greenfields site to be developed.
Redeveloped brownfields represent opportunities to make urban areas more efficient by utilizing existing
infrastructure. Impact fees and development charges, by which developers pay for the costs of new
infrastructure for development, may also serve as an incentive for the redevelopment of brownfields. A
surcharge on these fees could be scaled and put into a brownfields redevelopment fund for that purpose.
This approach would forestall sprawl and development in rural areas by encouraging greater use of
metropolitan sites. Alternatively, a portion of the "tax increment" from new metropolitan development
could be used to purchase open/green space or, in the case of farmland, the purchase of development rights.
1.4.4 Conversion of Farmland
Land classified as "farmland," which includes cropland, woodland, and permanent pasture categories,
declined in the Great Lakes basin by more than 1.83 million hectares (4.52 million acres) or 9.6 percent
between 1981-82 and 1991-92. Much of this land conversion has taken place near the metropolitan
population centres in the basin but the phenomenon is occurring in more remote rural areas where
particular residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation development pressures also exist. For
example, in Michigan 70 percent of the converted farmland acres between 1982 and 1992 was located near
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three urbanized areas—southeast Michigan, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. On the Canadian side, 96
percent of the land consumed by metropolitan Toronto's tremendous growth between 1966 and 1986 was
prime farm land. Land consumption caused by sprawling development has been a dominant postwar trend
and, in some places, has eliminated important wildlife habitat and good agricultural land.
The total 345,000 hectare (850,000 acre) decline in Michigan farmland during the decade included 121,500
hectares (300,000 acres) of cropland, much of it with a prime soils classification. A governor's task force
estimated that this impact represented a potential loss of $60 to $120 million (U.S.) for each year in gross
sales. If significant levels of farmland conversion continue in the Great Lakes basin, the agricultural
production base will decline, and with it, the agrifood sector of the economy. With nearly two-thirds of
basin cropland located within 50 kilometres of medium-sized cities and large metropolitan areas, efforts to
preserve farmland may also help to contain sprawling development patterns and improve sustainability.
1.4.5 Local Land-Use Decisions and Regional Impact
Though the intent of a land-use planning process is to empower local governments to meet the needs of
their communities, the result has been highly fragmented decision making, with little or no coordination to
consider regional needs or regional consequences of local action or inaction. As cities, suburbs, and rural
areas continue to grow, local land-use decisions are no longer autonomous. Increased traffic congestion,
pollution, strip commercial development, inability to finance adequate infrastructure, disinvestment in older
communities, brownfields, inability to find sites for locally undesirable land uses, and excessive
consumption of open space, among other problems, are often the cumulative consequences of independent
local land-use decisions on a regional level.
As now practiced, each new development increases the demand for infrastructure such as roads and
utilities. It usually adds to negative impacts on the environment, such as discharges to waterways, loss of
habitat, and motor vehicle emissions. The effect of each individual land-use decision takes on a new
dimension when they are considered cumulatively at the regional level. Another planning concern relates to
multijurisdiction agreements and institutions, and their focus on water quality and quantity issues with only
limited reference to related land-use activities. Greater coordination among local levels of government is
needed to ensure that development takes place in a way that is financially and environmentally sustainable
for the region.
Greater participation in regional councils of governments or planning commissions or creation of regional
planning authorities, in locations in the basin where this does not already exist, can empower local
governments to work together and realize the benefits of considering regional planning needs as part of the
local planning process. Also, re-establishing the primacy of the comprehensive land-use plan for land use
and related hydrologic resource planning, and using the zoning ordinance as a tool to assist in achieving the
goals of the plan, can help curb uncontrolled sprawl and degraded water resources as well as recreate
unique and vibrant communities.
1.4.6 "Hardening" of the Landscape and Stream Degradation
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Impervious or "hardened" surfaces such as roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and rooftops block rain from
recharging groundwater and drinking water supplies, impair the ability of natural systems to cleanse runoff
and protect wetlands and nearshore biota from contaminants, increase the potential for flooding and
erosion, and contribute to the degradation of streams and lakes. Stream degradation caused by development
is a classic example of both long-term cumulative environmental change and the difficulty of responding to
such change. For example, of the more than 63,000 hectares (156,600 acres) that comprise Metropolitan
Toronto, only one quarter of that area remains as agricultural, vacant land or open space.
Development is a gradual, continuous process that takes place over a wide region. It is, however, composed
of many small-scale, short-term projects that generally transform only a few acres. As a result, the true
scope of stream degradation due to imperviousness associated with development may not be fully realized
at the watershed level for many years. At first glance, it might seem appropriate to limit impervious cover
by restricting development per available area. But on a regional scale, this would spread the same amount
of development over a wider area while requiring additional impervious areas in the form of housing and
roads to link the far-flung areas together. Paradoxically, the best way to minimize imperviousness and its
negative impacts on a regional scale is to concentrate it in higher-density clusters or centres (Schueler
1994). The planning process requires evaluation of the long-term watershed impacts of each individual
development proposal.
Another form of hardening takes place along the lake shores and tributaries when shoreline residents act to
protect their real estate from wave and flood damage by hardening the shoreline with concrete, gabion and
other shoreline covering. Extension of shoreline protection, sometimes coupled with piers and abutments,
alters natural functions along the shoreline. This has been the case for much of the north shore of Lake
Ontario and has led to the permanent loss of once productive beaches.
1.4.7 Auto and Truck Transportation
High-capacity road systems have not only changed how people and goods move, but have had a significant
effect on land use and the environment in the Great Lakes basin. Development requires roads, and roads
often spur development. Since the 1950s, much of suburban expansion has been tied to new highway
construction. Rural locations for second homes, whether on the Great Lakes or not, have also been made
more accessible by new and improved highways. During the last 40-odd years, public transit use has
declined, private auto use has skyrocketed, and freight movements have increasingly been undertaken by
motor carriers, mainly at the expense of the rail mode.
The land consumption and more energy intensive and polluting aspects of these transportation modes are
well known and documented. Dependence on auto and truck transport is so entrenched in current society
that significant change in the future will be very difficult. There are, however, a few positive developments.
Government policies promote pollution control from mobile sources and encourage fuel efficiency. Design
and maintenance of road systems is becoming less destructive to the environment. Emerging technology for
moderating congestion and policies geared towards integrating transit use with new development will also
provide short-term relief.
10 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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1.4.8 Agricultural Land Management
According to the 1996 Great Lakes Basin Agricultural Profile (coordinated by the Great Lakes
Commission), soil erosion and sedimentation, agriculture pesticide use, and manure management are three
basin land-use issues with significant implications for water quality and the agricultural economy.
Most of the soil erosion and sedimentation in tributary rivers and streams to the Great Lakes is caused by
human activity. Although agricultural practices are the primary cause in many sub-basin areas,
construction activity and the relative imperviousness of the built environment also contribute to sediment
loads and transport dynamics. Exacerbated by inefficient and conflicting land-management practices and
policies, runoff and wind erosion result in substantial economic costs and environmental harm. Agricultural
productivity is reduced, resulting in lower yields and/or higher fertilizer requirements. Sediment transport
and deposition degrades water quality and aquatic habitat, limits uses of water resources and incurs
significant infrastructure costs, including harbour dredging.
Agricultural runoff is also a major vehicle for pesticide and nutrient transport. Herbicides represent about
two-thirds of the pesticides used in the Great Lakes Basin. Although usage of pesticides for agriculture is
declining—mostly attributed to changes in application rates—the risk to wildlife and human health of
pesticide exposure is a matter of increasing public concern. Nutrient transport is a growing problem
because of a trend in the basin of fewer farms with livestock but more animals per operation. These farms
must wrestle with diverse manure-related issues ranging from storage and odour control to crop nutrient
management and implications for water quality. Other problems such as waterborne pathogens connected
to manure can raise serious public health concerns. Management of manure and its associated runoff and
leaching problems is the focus of much research and solutions will certainly increase the costs of farm
operation.
1.5 Indicators
The indicators outlined below are intended to be instructive and to generate discussion on how to measure
the impacts of human land-use activities on the nearshore ecosystem. This initial identification of indicators
related to land use also demonstrates the extent to which information is available for belter understanding
of the impacts of land use on the nearshore and other ecosystems.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 11
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Table 1. Land-Use Indicators
Desired
Outcome
Efficient
urban
development
Human
health
protection
Non-human
resource
health
protection
Indicator
Urban population density
Suburban land conversion
Centre town economy
Brownfields
Recreation opportunity
Energy use
Waste created
Wastewater quality
Industrial water use
Residential water use
Traffic congestion
Transit use
Air pollution levels
Beach closings
Land fill capacity
Stormwater quality
Sewage quality
Pollution-prevention programs
Respiratory illness
Fish advisories
Outdoor recreation
Wetland habitat
Agricultural and natural land loss
Wildlife populations
Forest clearing
Forest replant and renewal
Mineral extraction
Fisheries pressure
Hunting pressure
Hardening of land surface
Municipal pesticide/fertilizer use
Agricultural pesticide/fertilizer use
Conservation tillage
Groundwater quality
Contaminated sites
Cottage and second homes
Actual
State
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Poor
Mixed
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Good
Poor
Poor
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Likely
Change
Stable
Deteriorate
Deteriorate
Stable
Improve
Improve
Improve
Improve
Improve
Stable
Deteriorate
Deteriorate
Improve
Improve
Stable
Stable
Improve
Improve
Stable
Stable
Improve
Deteriorate
Deteriorate
Stable
Stable
Stable
Stable
Deteriorate
Stable
Deteriorate
Stable
Improve
Improve
Deteriorate
Improve
Deteriorate
Data
Urban population per area
Land conversion rates
Fiscal condition/ vacancies/ etc.
Number and area
Number and area of parks
Energy usage per capita
Residential and industrial waste
Loadings of nutrients and toxics
Volume per facility/ per capita
Volume per household
Time spent commuting
Public transit commuting rates
Particulates and ozone levels
Days unswimmable
Capacity remaining
Loadings of nutrients and toxics
Loadings of nutrients and toxics
Industrial and municipal programs
Illness and mortality incidences
Allowable fish consumption
Opportunities and participation
Number and area
Area lost to rural development
Species and population
Cutting rates
Successful replant rates
Depletion rates
Fishing restrictions
Hunting restrictions
Area of roads and buildings
Application rates
Application rates
Area practising no-till
Area/number contaminated wells
Area and number
Occupation per coastal area
Data*
Status
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Good
Good
Good
Mixed
Good
Good
Mixed
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Mixed
Poor
Mixed
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Good
Good
Poor
Mixed
Good
Mixed
Poor
Poor
Mixed
*Data status: Good = universally available in a usable form;
varies among different jurisdictions; Poor = not available at
Mixed = basic data available but needs assembly or
all or severely deficient database.
12
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1.6 Findings and Conclusions
Land use has been destructive to the nearshore ecosystem
Rapid population growth, intensive industrial and agricultural activity, and sprawling urban development
have resulted in significant stress to the nearshore ecosystem. Nearshore waters continue to be polluted, and
in some cases have become severely contaminated, from sanitary sewage, industrial toxic substances, and
urban and agricultural runoff.
Although there has been some improvement to air pollution from industrial sources, air quality affecting
living organisms in the nearshore ecosystem is a major concern, especially for ground level ozone, as urban
transportation systems become more energy intensive. Increasing greenhouse gas releases continue to pose
a challenge. Wetlands and other natural habitat areas within the nearshore ecosystem are under threat of
destruction and alteration by increasing urban sprawl and second-home cottages. Finally, shoreline
protection and other shore hardening caused by development have interfered with natural shoreline
processes and, in some cases, resulted in the irreversible loss of beaches.
Current land use is not efficient
Notwithstanding recent attention to more intensive forms of urban development, development throughout
the basin continues to be predominantly land-intensive urban sprawl. By contrast, high-density intensive
development facilitates the economic viability of public transit as an efficient alternative to the private
automobile for commuters. Urban communities with higher population densities typically require less costly
municipal infrastructure through sewers and roads, use less water and energy, and create less pollution. As
a result, taxation to pay for municipal services may be significantly lower, making higher-density
communities more competitive from that perspective.
Economic efficiency resulting from reduced urban sprawl is accompanied by higher environmental
efficiency. Urban services, such as transportation, and water and wastewater can be provided at reduced
levels of energy and natural resource usage. Reduced use of natural resources generally implies reduced
pollution and stress on ecosystems, including the nearshore ecosystem. Urban sprawl has also contributed
to the loss of some of the best farmland in the basin, as housing and industrial development replaces
agriculture. Farming that shifts to lower productivity soils and at greater distances from final markets is
less efficient and more resource-intensive. In addition, urban sprawl promotes the clearing and conversion
of natural habitat lands, including wetlands.
Planning and incentives are the keys to sustainability.
Despite increasing levels of awareness about the consequences of urban sprawl among urban officials and
planners at all levels of government, urban sprawl continues to be the major pattern of new development.
The incentives of relatively low market prices for agricultural and natural lands and the ease of conversion
of those lands into other uses continue to favour low-density development. Planning systems that are
intended to bring order to and ensure balance in development have not been able to contain urban sprawl.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 13
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Fragmentation of responsibility for planning issues among levels of government has no doubt contributed to
this problem. Agricultural land protection through land banking, conservation easements, or specific
prohibitions against urban encroachment on agricultural and natural lands are options to this end.
Finally, marketplace incentives that would promote more sustainable development, such as full cost, user-
pay development charges or impact fees, are inconsistently applied in different jurisdictions. At the same
time many jurisdictions believe they should compete for the short-term jobs and tax revenues that come
from new development. Direct and indirect subsidies for new development through the public provision of
roads, water, and sewage treatment facilities mask the real long-term economic and environmental
consequences of urban sprawl and continue to favour unsustainable development.
2.0 Land Use and Its Impacts
2.1 Development
Land use and its various forms of development has become a key determinant of ecosystem health in the
Great Lakes basin and elsewhere. Development, for the purpose of this paper, is defined as human use of
land connected with industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural and transportation activities that
substantially alters the natural landscape or affects the ecosystem. Development usually conveys progress
and prosperity. It is a natural result of economic growth. Jobs are created, buildings are constructed, and
human communities are sustained. However, some aspects of development merit continual scrutiny because
of their implications for society and the environment. Economic growth-related development should be
sustainable. Living "beyond one's means" is a prescription for trouble. For example, extreme resource
depletion such as the clear-cutting of the northern Great Lakes white pine forests and commercial
overfishing in the 19th century jeopardized sustained use of these resource products.
How and where development takes place is another issue. For example, the process of preparing land and
constructing buildings creates site and off-site environmental problems. Wildlife habitat can be eliminated,
and runoff and erosion are usually exacerbated. Mitigation efforts for those problems may or may not take
place. Development is a double-edged process—it can be both good and bad.
Development in all its forms is a leading stressor of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem and the nearshore
area. Agricultural activities usually entail less substantial changes to the natural landscape compared with
more permanent construction projects, but its potential to damage the environment is also great.
Development involving construction and occupancy generally disrupts natural vegetative cover and alters
the lay of the land. It creates impervious surfaces (roads, rooftops, parking lots, etc.) that reduce areas of
water infiltration, thereby increasing volumes of storm water that drain directly into the Great Lakes and
their tributaries. During storms, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, solids, and trace metals deposited from the
atmosphere, plus pet droppings, leaf litter, vehicle leakage, and urban surface decay are delivered to
streams. In urban streams, higher pollutant loadings translate into water quality problems such as nutrient
enrichment, bacterial contamination, organic matter loadings, toxic compound loadings, trash/debris, and
higher temperatures (Schueler 1992). Development also causes soil erosion, which contributes to sediment
loading of streams, which in turn decreases stream water quality. For example, a 17-county study in
14 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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northwest Michigan identified commercial and residential development as a primary cause of soil erosion
and sedimentation—a major resource-related concern for that region (USDA 1992).
2.1.1 Coastal Population and Development
Much of the Great Lakes basin's population (estimated at 33.2 million in 1991) is concentrated in
metropolitan areas. On the Canadian side, only six metropolitan areas, ranging in size from Oshawa to
Toronto, represented 66 percent of the 1991 Canadian basin population. The 11 largest U.S. metro areas
located completely or partially in the basin accounted for 81 percent of the 1990 U.S. basin population.
Most of the basin metropolitan areas have coastal locations. Other coastal areas represent a sizable portion
of the remaining basin population. The 85 coastal counties in the Great Lakes states have about 19 million
residents, which represents about 17 percent of the U.S. coastal population.
With only 25 percent of the total Great Lakes states' population located in Great Lakes coastal counties,
this attribute is not a hallmark of the region compared with other coastal areas, but it is particularly
significant for several states. Michigan and Illinois have about half of their states' populations residing in
coastal counties, and Wisconsin has more than a third. Nevertheless, the coastal county population is
spread quite unevenly. For example, coastal population density ranges from a paltry 22 people per square
mile in Minnesota to 4,040 in Illinois, but averages 275 persons throughout the region compared with 183
persons per square mile for the entire eight-state area. Coastal population can also be measured on the
basis of shoreline mile, and on that basis, the Great Lakes county shorelines in 1988 had the highest
average number of persons per mile (3,835) for a major coastal area in the U.S. Illinois' two coastal
counties lead the nation with more than 91,000 persons per mile of shoreline.
The Great Lakes coastal population and areas of concentration reflect the basin's historical connection to
its shorelands. The U.S. Great Lakes coastal population declined between 1960 and 1990. The trend
masked a dispersal from the large urban counties to suburban and some rural shore counties where "coastal
amenities" and growing employment opportunities combined to increase those county populations. Since
1990, some U.S. coastal areas have been growing again. For example, from 1990 to 1995, the total
Wisconsin coastal county population along Lake Michigan increased by 2.8 percent, which was about
double the rate for the prior decade. These population changes were still below growth rates for the entire
state. If, however, coastal population growth is considered without counting Milwaukee County's decline,
then the 5.3 percent growth from 1990 to 1995 is higher than for the state. Obviously, with this coastal
population growth comes housing and commercial development. During the 1990-95 period, Wisconsin's
Lake Michigan counties added 41,584 housing units, and commercial land use on the shore occupied even
more space than that for residential use.
A specific effect of development on the nearshore area is the disruption to the natural process of beach
creation and replenishment by interference with the process of sand supply and distribution. The
construction of harbours, marinas, lakefills, erosion control structures, cottages in dune areas, and other
coastal developments that protrude into the lake form barriers to wave-induced littoral drift and cut off the
supply of sand. Some major developments in the basin have trapped littoral sand on their updrift sides and
caused sand deprivation and severe erosion on their downdrift sides (Chrzastowski 1996). The Illinois
shoreline is an example where the long-term and regional effects of extensive shoreline development have
become apparent. Construction of marinas, harbours, and erosion control structures along the southern
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 15
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Wisconsin and northern Illinois shore has impeded littoral sand from reaching Illinois beaches in the south.
In another example, the construction of a navigation channel for shipping to Hamilton Harbour has reduced
sediment supply to Burlington Beach, affecting the development of natural fish spawning grounds in the
area. In addition to the obvious loss of recreational opportunities and aesthetics, depletion of nearshore
sand allows the energy from storm waves to amplify certain erosional forces which, in turn, cause
additional beach erosion.
Various remedial and mitigation actions can be taken. Beach nourishment is among the most common
practices. Artificial bypass, whereby sand is dredged from an updrift area and placed in the downdrift
nearshore, is another more recent remediation tool. In some areas, allowing erosion to reach equilibrium is
the most effective, long-term solution to coastal erosion (Chrzastowski 1996). In heavily developed coastal
areas, a more practical solution is to integrate structural measures, beach nourishment, and management
activities to conserve, enhance, and recycle coastal sand resources.
2.1.2 The Advancing Urban Frontier
The most significant development issue in the Great Lakes basin and surrounding region is the continuing
growth of major metropolitan areas and the virtually uncontrolled sprawl of lower-density residential areas
and other development. The detrimental consequences of these trends, which range from environmental
degradation to burdensome physical infrastructure requirements, portend an unsustainable future. However,
the escalating cost of extending utilities and other basic urban services to these lower-density regions may
ultimately help slow the process and stimulate a more sustainable pattern. This new land-stewardship ethic
would rely more on intensification of development within prescribed boundaries and existing infrastructure
capacity.
The migration of development to suburbia and beyond into rural areas continues unabated. The central city
anchor for rail transportation, multistorey factories, and apartment life has given way to interstate truck
transport, one-storey industrial buildings, sprawling office parks, and a house and lot of one's own. The
advancing urban frontier has a voracious appetite for undeveloped land. In northeastern Illinois, the overall
population of a six-county area increased only 4.1 percent from 1970 to 1990 but residential land
consumption increased by an estimated 46 percent. The picture is no different in the "Great Lakes state,"
where the Michigan Society of Planning Officials projects a 63 to 87 percent increase in urbanized land
between 1990 and 2020 even though the population may increase by only 12 percent during that period.
Much of this past, present, and future land consumption has been or will be at the expense of agricultural
land. In Michigan, between 1980 and 1990 farmland was converted to some other use at the rate of 4
hectares (10 acres) an hour. Development has become the connection between the city and the
countryside— not only in terms of more houses, but also in terms of industry and service businesses, which
have been decentralizing from built-up city locales to suburban-exurban fringe areas and connecting
corridors between metropolitan areas. Land and water availability, lower wage scales, transportation
access, proximity to new residential markets, and other cost/service factors are propelling this kind of
sprawl.
The economy of the Great Lakes region is making a transition from heavy manufacturing domination to a
more diverse and increasingly service-oriented economy. Brownfields have been a consequence. The Great
16 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Lakes basin contains thousands of these former industrial sites or brownfields where once-thriving
manufacturing operations have now become blighted areas of neglect and, in many cases, sources of
continuing toxic pollution. These problem places, particularly in the central urban areas, have thwarted
efforts at redevelopment. New development is rejected for many reasons, including cleanup costs and
lingering uncertainty over liability issues, thus encouraging such development to migrate to outlying
undeveloped areas or greenfields.
Although there is no comprehensive inventory of brownfields sites in the Great Lakes basin, the amount of
land categorized as such is significant—tens of thousands of acres is no exaggeration. For example,
officials estimate that up to 14 percent of Cuyahoga County land, in Ohio, contains brownfields. About 18
percent of land in Chicago is vacant or inactive, much of it with a former industrial use. Urban
redevelopment is not easy and when a parcel has contamination problems, the challenges of cleanup and
reuse are even more daunting. Brownfields are associated with high information, transaction, and site-
preparation costs. Also, with redevelopment, site suitability is an important consideration. Many
brownfields sites are not large enough for a contemplated new use or not viable for such use. For example,
a large retail store may need extensive parking space, or a possible residential use would not be appropriate
for an existing warehouse area.
A variety of ways exist to reduce development pressure on open space. Through comprehensive plans,
zoning ordinances, and subdivision regulations, local governments have the capacity to substantially affect
land use. However, the plethora of jurisdictions and multitude of decision makers is not conducive to any
consistent pattern of planned development and open space preservation. The resulting hodgepodge is
carving up the landscape with interspersed fragments of development. Encroachment on agricultural land
and other open space seems relentless. Although the problem defies a simple, quick fix, some approaches
are making progress.
One of the policy issues facing Great Lakes basin states, provinces, and communities is whether and how
brownfields redevelopment and greenfields protection can be linked. A potential linkage already exists in
that development of a brownfields site may mean that a greenfields site remains undeveloped. A more direct
connection would be the use of financial incentives to spur brownfields redevelopment if a specific
greenfields site is left alone. Another possibility could be something similar to an impact fee that a
developer pays to help compensate a jurisdiction for utility and other infrastructure costs. Depending on the
nature and location of the land at issue, the fee could be structured to set aside an amount for a brownfields
redevelopment fund. This approach would not prevent development but would forestall some
redevelopment in rural areas by encouraging greater use of metropolitan sites. The reverse could also work,
where part of a "tax increment" from new metropolitan development could be used for open-space
protection through outright purchase or, in the case of farmland, the purchase of development rights.
Many combinations are possible. What is needed is a commitment on the part of communities to recognize
the many facets of development and support decisions that encourage sustainable development and
economic growth based on appropriate land-use policies.
2.2 The Trend to Sprawl
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 17
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The predominant post-World War II land-use trend in the U.S. has been a major shift from high-density
urban areas to low-density surburban and rural areas, known as "sprawl." Sprawl is characterized by low-
density residential development; automobile dependency; scattered rural subdivisions; high cost of utility
expansion/extension; strip residential development along country roads; reduced retail shopping
opportunities downtown; strip commercial development at the edges of town; loss of unique character;
energy inefficiency; high ratio of road surface to development served; and high land consumption (MSPO
1995). For example, since 1980, almost 60 percent of all Greater Toronto Area housing has consisted of
low-density urban sprawl. (Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department 1995) Even worse, much of the
high-density development was set in sprawl communities that still required use of the private automobile to
commute to work, to shop and for recreation—a kind of higher density urban sprawl.
Fragmented decision-making and reliance on zoning are the two main elements of the U.S. planning process
contributing to this trend to sprawl. The intent of the U.S. planning process has been to empower local
governments to meet the needs of their communities, but this has resulted in little or no coordination to
consider regional needs or regional consequences of local action or inaction. This is exacerbated by the
primacy of zoning over planning. Zoning is not effective as the primary tool for land use planning because
it does not incorporate planning. The zoning process is generally reactive once a zoning ordinance is in
place. It can be modified relatively frequently and easily to accommodate proposed development. Zoning
specifies where development can take place but not when and how it can take place. The zoning process
does not consider the efficiency of development, nor does it adequately take into account the cumulative
effects of individual "lot" decisions such as the need for infrastructure and environmental protection.
2.2.1 Land-Use Planning
Increases in population along with demographic shifts and the negative effects of sprawl raise the question:
Can land-use planning be done autonomously and independently and still serve the basin's needs
effectively? As cities, suburbs, and rural areas continue to grow, local governments can no longer make
land-use decisions that are truly autonomous. Increased traffic congestion, pollution, strip commercial
development, inability to finance adequate infrastructure, disinvestment in older communities, brownfields,
inability to find sites for Locally Undesirable Land Uses (LULUs), loss of unique character and excessive
consumption of open space, among other problems, are often the cumulative consequences of independent
local land-use decisions on a regional level (Downs 1996).
Several states have responded to these issues by moving comprehensive planning to the state level. At least
13 states have enacted comprehensive planning and growth management schemes—though none of them
are Great Lakes states. However, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan are among the states currently
showing interest in state and/or regional planning schemes. These programs vary widely from state to state,
but share several common denominators:
1. consistency—between local, regional, and state plans and state-legislated goals and
regulations;
2. concurrency—between infrastructure capacity and new development;
3. compactness—of urban growth, to limit sprawl;
4. affordability—of new housing; and
18 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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5. sustainability—promoting economic development while protecting natural systems
(DeGrove 1996).
In a departure from traditional zoning, where plans are not legally binding, the hierarchical consistency
requirement gives both the plans and their implementing regulations the force of law.
State growth-management planning is part of a larger trend to counter the sprawl trend and involves a host
of innovative planning tools and techniques (see section 5.2.3, "Tools and Techniques"). This counter trend
is inspired by a growing consciousness that recognizes that sprawl is neither sustainable nor desirable and
that challenges the parochial governance and piecemeal decision-making that characterize the predominant
form of American land-use planning. This consciousness includes a new vision for land-use planning whose
goal is development, not growth per se, and greater efficiency, not just getting bigger. The vision supports
the importance of place—where development takes place is just as important as how and when; job creation
over job migration; and the value of rural land for what it is: agricultural land, ecological preserves, and
recreational areas that should be protected and enhanced accordingly, not developed.
Converting the new vision for land-use planning from concept to application on a larger scale, however,
will require dealing with broader public policy issues. Important among them is the need to rethink the
relationship between public and private interests in land-use planning.
An increasingly vocal and powerful property rights movement is also influencing current land-use planning.
Those involved in this movement see many environmental and land-use regulations as infringing on
property owners' rights to use their property as they desire. In the United States some people are
demanding government compensation for the land-use restrictions imposed by such regulations.
The property rights movement is in conflict with, and presents enormous obstacles to, planned growth. It
sends a message to state and local governments that planning will require additional resources to deal with
potential litigation and increased transaction costs associated with guiding the pattern and pace of
development (Libby 1996). Many U.S. states have or are considering property rights protection laws. In the
Great Lakes basin, for example, Indiana has a law that requires review of potential impacts on private
property value of pending environmental and planning regulations.
These opposing trends in the 1990s—on the one hand, the recognition of the need for new ways to plan for
and manage growth and, on the other hand, the growing property rights movement influenced by an
antiregulatory political climate—have given rise to a number of innovative non-regulatory or incentive
programs that pertain to land use. These are described in detail, along with traditional and innovative
regulatory techniques, in Section 5 of this paper. They include purchase of development rights (PDR) and
transfer of development rights (TDR) whereby farmland or open space is preserved while the land remains
in private ownership; planned unit or cluster developments that allow higher density development in
exchange for preservation of open space; tax increment financing whereby increased taxes resulting from
development are earmarked for specific purposes, and many others.
Many of the voluntary programs are successful by virtue of their application within the context of
regulatory programs, which they complement. For example, voluntary cluster zoning complements regular
zoning regulations by allowing higher density development on the most appropriate portion of a parcel in
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 19
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order to provide increased open space elsewhere on the parcel. This type of development can protect
environmentally sensitive lands, preserve open space, and reduce infrastructure costs associated with new
development. The overall density of the development prescribed by zoning regulations remains intact, but is
rearranged more efficiently with cluster zoning.
Voluntary or incentive-based programs differ widely in their application, depending on the political climate,
the geographic area, and the extent to which they are applied as separate tools or as part of a more
comprehensive program. Examples within and outside the Great Lakes basin show promise that innovative
planning mechanisms can revitalize urban centres and keep unlimited low-density sprawl in check. Yet
these planning tools are only as effective as the context in which they are implemented. Like all planning
tools, they require the political will as well as the technical know-how for their effective application.
Moreover, the problems created by sprawl are regional in nature and, as such, require regional solutions.
Adopting a PDR program will have limited impact on solving growth-related problems if it is not
complemented by other strategies, such as revitalizing inner cities.
Two policies at the federal level in the United States have particular implications for land-use planning in
the Great Lakes basin. In 1991 the federal Advisory Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable
Housing recommended state zoning reform to include comprehensive planning requirements and enactment
of statewide land-development ordinances for use by localities. Also, the Intermodal Surface Transportation
and Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) requires a regional transportation planning process (including land-
use planning) as a condition for eligibility for federal highway funding. Extending this concept to all public
services (housing, open space, sewer, water, solid waste, etc.) would be an important federal step towards
instituting comprehensive regional land-use planning (Downs 1996).
There is no single formula or model that can apply effectively to every state, province, region, or
municipality—each must consider its own unique natural, political, and cultural circumstances. Yet current
success stories in planned growth and growth management reveal some common elements essential for a
sustainable land-use planning system that can control unlimited low-density sprawl and provide for
economic development, environmental protection, and a high quality of life. Such a planning system
requires:
• political will;
• vision—a commitment to long-term well-being over short-term gain;
• recognition of the mutually supporting goals of a healthy environment and a strong
economy;
appreciation for the interdependence between cities, suburbs, and rural areas;
strategic application of growth management and planned growth tools and techniques; and
• a system of regional governance to ensure coordination among government entities that
builds on the existing institutional framework of provincial/state and local or municipal
governments.
2.3 Changing Urban Structure and the Benefits of Renewal
20 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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2.3.1 Changing Urban Structure
Urban sprawl has had an impact on the central city areas in the Great Lakes basin. Many U.S. basin cities
have seen declining inner city populations and, along with that, a loss of business and residential tax
revenue. The industry and commerce that once drove the economies of bustling central city areas have
deserted them for the suburbs or other locations.
It has taken longer for Canada's cities to develop and mature and, as a result, Canadian cities have not
experienced the same degree of decline as their U.S. counterparts. Metropolitan Toronto (Metro) is made
up of six municipalities including the original City of Toronto and is surrounded by four municipal regions
of similar physical size. The population of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) more than doubled over the 30
years from 1961 to 1991, and fully 60 percent of that growth occurred as urban sprawl in the suburbs
outside the already expansive Metro boundaries. Even then, much of the development that took place within
Metro was urban sprawl on some of the last remaining greenfields in that municipality.
The trend for future development in the GTA is a continuation and magnification of the past. Between 1990
and 1993, while Metropolitan Toronto developed only 26% of all housing as low density single and semi-
detached, the figure for the surrounding suburbs was 72% (Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department
1995). According to a 1993 study prepared for the Office of the Greater Toronto Area, the GTA is
expected to grow by another 50 percent (to more than 6 million people) over the next 30 years, given
current development patterns. Over the 30-year period from 1991 to 2021 Metro is expected grow by less
than 6 percent, whereas the suburbs will mushroom by over 117 percent and become almost twice as
populated as the existing Metro. A 1990 study of projected development for the GTA identified significant
differences between continued urban sprawl and more efficient central development involving the use of
brownfields and other opportunities for redevelopment in the central city area (IBI 1990).
Table 2. Land Needed for Sprawl and Central Forms of Development, Greater Toronto Area 2021
Urban Form
Sprawl
Central
Land Needed in 2021
242,000 ha
187,000 ha
Greenfield Space Lost
91,000 ha
36,000 ha
% Additional
Land Needed
60%
23%
Urban Density
39/ha
50/ha
Source: IBI Group , Greater Toronto Urban Structure Concepts Study (Toronto, 1990).
As is shown in Table 2, the amount of land that would be needed to accommodate an additional 2 million
people is perhaps the most telling aspect of the difference between these alternative forms of development
and shows the relative inefficiency of urban sprawl. In 1986, the GTA included approximately 152,000 ha
(376,000 acres) of urbanized area. Continued urban sprawl would see an increase of some 60 percent in
land usage by 2021 to 242,000 ha (600,000 acres). By contrast, a more efficient redevelopment and
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use ,
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concentrated form of development would result in significantly less land used, with an increase of only 23
percent to 187,000 ha (464,000 acres). The existing population to land ratios of over 15:1 would be
maintained with continued urban sprawl, whereas a more concentrated 20:1 would be achieved with the
more efficient higher-density alternative.
In the case of urban sprawl, greater land use per capita (lower population densities) involves greater
requirements for sanitary and storm sewers, roads, schools and other facilities, and urban infrastructure. In
addition to the need for more infrastructure and higher capital costs per capita, it is likely that operating
costs will also be higher in the Great Lakes basin. Of course, greater use of cleared land will typically mean
greater amounts of storm water, and more roads will mean greater amounts of road salt being applied and
more runoff. Given the inefficiency of public transportation systems in urban sprawl communities, greater
use of the private automobile will lead to higher levels of pollution for the nearshore ecosystem.
2.3.2 The Economics of Urban Form
Dr. Pamela Blais conducted an analysis of the economics of alternative forms of development, which was
released as part of a review of governance of the GTA in 1996. This work has revealed significant
economic differences between the two extremes of urban sprawl and city-centred development for the GTA.
If planned growth targets of 2 million persons over the next 25 years are achieved, urban sprawl will cost
an estimated $90 billion in supporting capital investment for new municipal infrastructure. The more
compact, re-urbanized, mixed land-use option would reduce those municipal expenditures by as much as
$16 billion for infrastructure capital and as much as $4 billion for operating and maintenance over that 25-
year period. When external costs, such as health care and policing are added, city-centred development will
lead to a net saving of about $1 billion per year. In total, urban sprawl will cost taxpayers 25 percent a
year more than they would be faced with by adopting a more compact, city-centred urban form.
Improved municipal competitiveness, with significant savings to home buyers, taxpayers, and businesses
could be achieved by shifting development from sprawl to a more compact urban form. Yet, GTA
municipalities continue to favour sprawl as a result of standards and economic mechanisms that distort the
market against efficient land-use patterns and redevelopment. In spite of the significant economic
advantages that would accrue from a city-centred compact urban form, biased development charges and
zoning restrictions continue to influence municipal decision-making towards low-density greenfields
development.
The adoption of a more compact urban form, in addition to improving the competitiveness of the GTA
through reduced capital and maintenance costs for infrastructure, would also reduce the negative
consequences of traffic congestion, air pollution, noise pollution, traffic-related accidents (medical costs,
highway policing), and the loss of agricultural, recreational, and natural lands.
2.3.3 Industrial Restructuring and Industry Relocation
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Migration of industries out of the city centres of the Great Lakes basin has occurred for a number of
reasons. For example, real estate prices are typically lower for greenfields land than for inner city property.
Greater land availability in general and reduced restrictions and constraints to building may exist in
suburban areas as growing communities compete among themselves to attract new industry. Construction
of land-consuming low-profile buildings is more likely in the suburbs than the city. The costs of necessary
site environmental remediation and liability exposure from past polluting uses do not usually exist for
greenfields.
Since rail and other traditional forms of industry transportation are shifting to road, suburbs offer improved
access to highways and (initially) reduced traffic congestion. Since labour may not be as strongly unionized
in outlying areas, labour costs may be lower. And since many business owners and managers are more
likely to live in the suburbs, firms contemplating a change may be attracted to locating close to home.
Direct or indirect subsidies for municipal infrastructure and services may be offered by outlying
communities competing to attract new employment. Finally initially low property and business taxes may
exist in suburban communities that do not have to support social services to the same degree as established
cities.
The experience of Toronto from 1975 to 1985 demonstrates the flight of business and employment from the
city centre to the outskirts. Over that 10-year period, while manufacturing employment in the GTA rose by
13 percent, job growth for Metro was virtually static, growing by only one-tenth of a percent. In the inner
city of Toronto itself, manufacturing employment fell by almost 18 percent. By contrast, employment in
manufacturing industries rose by about 46 percent in the GTA suburbs beyond Metro limits. This
migration to the suburbs is similar for office employment, although not as dramatic. Whereas Metro was
able to command 84 percent of GTA office employment growth between 1971 and 1981, Peel, York, and
the other surrounding suburban communities had reduced that level to just over 50 percent by 1991.
The industrial restructuring that has taken place throughout the basin is both a consequence and a cause of
urban sprawl. A major challenge for cities in the basin is to identify opportunities to restore, rebuild, and
renew the economies of areas that have been vacated as brownfields or other vacant property. It is
important to recognize, however, that the trend away from industrial employment that has been happening
in the downtowns of cities is part of a basinwide trend.
For example, between 1984 and 1995 Ontario's total real (adjusted for inflation) gross domestic product
rose by 31 percent from $162 billion to $ 213 billion. Yet, manufacturing rose by only 25 percent over the
same period, notwithstanding the strong role of the automotive industry in Ontario, which declined from 27
percent to just over a quarter of the Ontario economy. Sectors with significantly greater growth rates
included wholesale trades, communications, business services, health, finance and insurance, and
transportation sectors. Manufacturing employment has fallen even more in response to advances in labour
productivity—from 27 percent of total Ontario employment in 1981 to just 18 percent in 1993. In the U.S.
Great Lakes states, manufacturing employment declined from 26 percent to 19 percent of total employment
over the same period.
2.3.4 The Benefits of Renewal
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Recent studies by Environment Canada into the potential economic benefits that could result from restoring
Great Lakes watersheds are impressive. The studies examined scenarios resulting from restoration of
beneficial use at five environmental Areas of Concern that are currently undergoing the process of
Remedial Action Planning. Table 3 below illustrates some of the potential economic benefits of restoration
and renewal for these communities.
Table 3. Potential Benefits of Restoration and Renewal for Areas of Concern (1991 and 93 values)
Area of
Concern
Thunder Bay
Hamilton
Harbour
Metropolitan
Toronto
Annual Direct
Use Benefits
$7.3 million
$43 million
$133 million
Annual Local
Employment
340 persons
58,000 persons
860,000
persons
Annual Local
Tax Recovery
$20 million
$18 million
$150 million
Capital Costs
for Cleanup
$210 million
$674 million
$1,515 million
Avoided
Future Costs
$250,000
$80 million
$1,094 million
Source: Environment Canada, Restoring Great Lakes Watersheds: Adding up the Economic Benefits (Burlington,
ON, 1995).
The benefits of restoring and renewing cities around the basin include those uses associated with having a
healthy ecosystem, healthy and productive fisheries, wildlife habitat areas, and general aesthetics. In
addition to the qualitative benefits to the ecosystem, Table 3 above indicates that it is also economically
advantageous to restore lost and deteriorated beneficial uses at these locations. Restoration and further
redevelopment of these areas offer significant potential for spin-off economic activities that can restore
employment in depressed centre-city areas.
This new economic activity will assist in returning tax revenues to city coffers for the investments that will
need to be made to facilitate and, in some cases, perhaps partner in the renewal of brownfields,
contaminated sites, impaired use areas, and vacant downtown opportunities. However, perhaps one of the
more significant benefits of environmental restoration is the avoidance of future costs associated with
further deterioration of the environment and subsequent measures needed to clean up as a result. Clearly,
much analysis must be done before investors will be comfortable with the concept of funding renewal of
inner cities and brownfields.
2.4 Industrial and Municipal Activity
Industrial and municipal activities on the land affect the nearshore in a number of ways. This discussion
focuses on a major nearshore stressor from municipal and industrial activities—water consumption and
discharges into water and air. The release of wastes from facilities and municipal wastewater (sewage)
treatment plants has implications for water quality, plant and wildlife populations, and other elements of
the Great Lakes basin ecosystem in the nearshore and elsewhere.
24
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Human population in the Great Lakes basin increased to more than 33 million in 1990 from about 100,000
indigenous people scattered throughout the area in the early 1600s. Today, most of the population is
concentrated in major urban centres in coastal areas. The stress imposed on the natural ecosystem results
not only from the need to provide water and sewage treatment to support this level of human population,
but also from industrial activities. One measure of a community's ability to move towards sustainability is
its ability to control its consumption of energy. Unfortunately energy use trends do not indicate increased
sustainability. For example, electric energy consumed per capita in Metropolitan Toronto rose from 25
kilowatts in 1981 to over 30 by 1991. This increased use of energy may be partly explained as a
consequence of expanded urban sprawl development in the municipality over that time period.
2.4.1 Wastewater and Stormwater Treatment Discharges
Though the upgrading and construction of wastewater treatment plants during the past two decades has
reduced the amount of pollution discharged from sewage and wastewater treatment plants, these discharges
have had and continue to have an important effect on the Great Lakes nearshore. Municipal wastewater
treatment plants treat sewage from residences and businesses, but may also treat wastewater from
industrial sources. Discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), also known as sewage treatment
plants (STP), vary around the basin.
The quality of WWTP discharges varies depending on the level of treatment. For example, sewage
treatment plants on the largely undeveloped Ontario nearshore of Lake Superior discharged poor quality
effluent in 1991, since most plants provided only primary sewage treatment—the most basic level. Many
areas in the basin, particularly urbanized areas, have either secondary or tertiary wastewater treatment
systems. Nonetheless, large amounts of pollutants are still discharged into Great Lakes waters. In 1991, for
example, sewage treatment plants in Ontario alone discharged 5.6 million cubic metres (197.7 cubic feet)
of wastewater containing 112 tonnes characterized by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), a common
measure of water pollution, 103.9 metric tonnes of suspended solids, and 4.11 metric tonnes of total
phosphorus. Almost 90 percent of this effluent was released into the Great Lakes; nearly all of it went into
Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Ottawa River (and eventually the St. Lawrence River).
The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy (MOEE) has estimated total loadings from Ontario
municipal wastewater treatment works, including lagoons, at 21,000 tonnes per year for BOD, 25,000
tonnes per year for suspended solids, and 1,700 tonnes per year for total phosphorus.
The wastewater discharge problem is exacerbated in many areas that have combined sanitary and storm
sewer systems, where storm drains are fed into the same set of pipes that carry household sewage and
industrial wastes. Combined systems represent an initial cost saving to municipalities by not requiring the
construction of separate sewers. However, the greater volume that the sewers are required to carry during
periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt frequently exceeds the capacity of the combined system, causing
overflow that bypasses the treatment plant and discharging raw, untreated sewage to the receiving waters,
seriously polluting them. Metropolitan Toronto has 79 combined sewer outfalls of which 74 are designated
as priority for pollution abatement action. In addition, the maze of underground piping associated with
urban sprawl has led to a major challenge of just maintaining sewer and water supply systems and
controlling leakage into and out of the systems. In 1993, the Metropolitan Toronto municipality of
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 25
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Scarborough conducted an audit of some 600 km of water supply lines and discovered enough leaks to fill
9000 swimming pools.
Nearly 30 percent of Ontario STPs reported system bypasses in 1991, which resulted in 9.6 million cubic
metres (339 million cubic feet) of sewage bypassing secondary treatment and 2.2 million cubic metres (78
million cubic feet) of sewage bypassing primary treatment. For this reason, building combined sewer
systems is generally not permitted today, and municipalities are being encouraged to replace them as
rapidly as possible. Even without these bypass situations, STPs may exceed effluent guidelines or
standards. In Ontario alone, fully one-quarter failed to meet their effluent guidelines or approved release
limits in 1991.
2.4.2 Industrial Water Use and Discharges
The abundant water supply of the Great Lakes region is an important resource for industry. Water use in
manufacturing operations is concentrated in five major sectors: steel production, food processing,
petroleum refining, chemicals/allied products, and paper—all of which are well represented in the regional
economy. The intensity of water use in the area is illustrated by the fact that the Great Lakes states account
for 40 percent of U.S. industrial water use and much of this demand comes from the Great Lakes basin.
Water withdrawn from the Great Lakes satisfies more than three-quarters of total industrial demand in the
basin. In Ontario, the degree of dependency is even more pronounced at nearly 85 percent.
Many industries in Ontario manage their own waste treatment facilities and discharge directly into surface
waters in the Great Lakes basin. The MOEE assessed 169 industries for compliance with their "certificates
of approval" in 1991. Of these, only 84 had been in compliance throughout the year; the other half had not.
Following this assessment, 22 companies made physical changes to their treatment systems, 45
implemented best management operational procedures, 5 ceased operations for economic reasons, and 13
were required to take further action or were simply excused by MOEE as one-time exceedances. Of the 169
companies examined, 137 (81 percent) discharged directly into the Great Lakes basin.
Over the four-year period from 1988 to 1991, compliance by those discharging directly into the Great
Lakes had improved slightly less than 9 percent. In 1993, direct industrial discharges of wastewater in
Ontario amounted to more than 71 million cubic metres (2,506 million cubic feet) per day, including 48
million cubic metres (1,694 million cubic feet) of water used for electrical power generation. Most of the
water used in electricity generation is used for cooling, resulting in largely thermal pollution. Nevertheless,
23 million cubic metres (812 million cubic feet) of industrial wastewater is discharged in Ontario, almost
five times as much as that discharged by municipal STPs, which also includes indirect industrial discharges
to municipal STPs. These 1993 discharge levels are more than twice as great as those from direct industrial
dischargers in 1973, some 20 years earlier.
In Ontario, the Municipal-Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA) has established regulations for the
petroleum, pulp and paper, organic chemical, metal mining, metal casting, industrial minerals, iron and
steel manufacturing, and electric power sectors. These regulations are designed to reduce toxic and other
pollutants by approximately 11,000 tonnes per year, including an average 18 percent reduction for
conventional contaminants and 51 percent for non-conventional and persistent toxic compounds. The
26 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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virtual elimination of persistent toxic substances is a goal of the federal as well as the Ontario government
in Canada.
Major industrial plants account for about 80 percent of the U.S. total treated wastewater discharged into
the Great Lakes watershed. Over 18 million kg (18,000 tonnes) of heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc,
chromium, mercury, cadmium), oil and grease, PCBs, and other important pollutants were discharged
between June 1994 and June 1995 through municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants on the
U.S. side of the Great Lakes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Michigan (8 million
kg) and Ohio (6.8 million kg) were the leading sources of these pollutants, followed by Indiana at almost 3
million kg. The Detroit wastewater treatment plant, for example, discharged 5.6 million kg of oil and
grease, 56,000 kg copper, 10,000 kg chromium, and 47,000 kg zinc into the Detroit River and Lake Erie.
2.4.3 Air Discharges
Many industrial activities release pollutants into the air. Since the 1970s, some of the major industries in
the basin such as power plants and steel and paper mills have, as a result of federal regulations, modified
their air releases and reduced related pollution significantly. Industrial air pollution, however, remains a
significant problem in the basin. Some of the major industrial air pollutants include sulphur oxides,
nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Particulates represent a smaller, though
important, element of industrial air pollution.
The province of Ontario maintained 387 continuous monitors or high-volume samplers for air quality in
1991. Twenty-year trends in air quality show significant decreases in average levels of lead (99 percent),
carbon monoxide (75 percent), sulphur dioxide (75 percent), and total sulphur particles (49 percent), and
levels of nitrogen oxides have decreased by 17 percent over the last 17 years. Another air pollutant, ozone,
has actually increased over the past 13 years.
Air quality as measured by the provincial air quality index in 1991 indicated that Cornwall on Lake
Ontario suffered at least one hour of poor air quality on about 24 percent of the days on which it was
monitored, Windsor 21 percent, Toronto 16 percent, and Hamilton 14 percent. The Inco and Falconbridge
smelting operations in the Sudbury area are responsible for the large number of air quality exceedences
there. Over the last 10 years, there has been only a slight decrease in emissions of VOC in Ontario, a result
of improved vehicle emissions and industrial processes.
Ozone, a by-product of nitrogen oxide pollution, is a powerful lung irritant and has been set at an
occupational exposure, eight-hour time weighted concentration limit of 100 parts per billion (ppb)
(American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists measure of threshold limit values). Most
exceedances of limits for this pollutant in Ontario occurred at rural shoreline sites, such as Long Point and
Tiverton, nearest to U.S. industrial states. During the hot summer of 1988, only six of the monitoring sites
in Ontario did not exceed the eight-hour 100 ppb criterion on at least one day.
2.4.4 Opportunities and Challenges
SOLEC 96 Impacts of Changing Land Use 27
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The continued supply of underpriced water encourages over-consumption of water and high relative levels
of water use and wastewater discharge. Continued population growth and urban development will mean
increases in levels of wastes from municipal activities. However, another scenario with less pollution and
more efficient use of water resources is possible. The current economic shift away from heavy industrial
activities to a more service-oriented regional economy may result in reduced discharges from the industrial
sector. However, industrial activities are integral to the regional economy and, as such, will likely remain a
major pollution source for the Great Lakes basin.
Improved pollution-control systems, such as tertiary treatment for wastewater, offer hope. Renovating and
separating obsolete combined sewer systems is another action that can significantly reduce pollution in the
nearshore area. The most promising and cost-effective action to reduce municipal and industrial pollution,
however, is pollution prevention. Many industries have already reduced the amount of water used for
processing. Reducing water usage has been shown to improve the quality of wastewater discharges in
addition to reducing the total amount of water needing treatment and discharge. With access to the largest
freshwater resource in the world, however, industry and residents have treated the resource much too
casually. Whether the focus is at the tap or outfall, we must pay more attention to pollution prevention and
conservation.
The production of solid waste poses a major problem for a society that realizes the long term problems
associated with such waste. Canada and the United States produce more waste per capita than all other
nations on the planet. Although waste recycling has become commonplace in the Great Lakes basin, waste
generation continues. Metropolitan Toronto, for example has increased its waste generated per capita
continuously from 33 kg/capita in 1971 by almost 40% to 46 kg/capita in 1991 (Metropolitan Toronto
Planning Department 1995). Fortunately by 1991, 73 kg/capita were diverted from the limited availability
of landfill space in Toronto through a recycling program.
Municipal waste disposal through landfill or incineration poses an ongoing threat to the nearshore
ecosystem. Incinerators have acquired a reputation for unreliability. The provincial government of Ontario
placed a moratorium on solid waste municipal incinerators in 1991 because of concerns about the effect of
air emissions on public health and the potential disincentives for pollution prevention and recycling.
Although new design and construction standards aim to prevent contamination of fill material with toxic
substances, many older landfills are loaded with toxic contaminants that threaten the surrounding land,
ground and surface waters. Metropolitan Toronto, for example has over 80 waste disposal sites that have
been closed (Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department 1995). In addition there are the contaminated sites
such as the leaking toxic chemical dumps on the US side of the Niagara River that continue to be a major
source of persistent and other toxic substances to Lake Ontario.
2.5 Transportation
The development and growth of an extensive transportation system at both the provincial/state and
municipal levels has many significant impacts upon the nearshore, nearshore waters, wetlands, and
terrestrial biological communities. In the case of the Great Lakes basin, the transportation system is
28 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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approaching maturity, and future trends indicate an emphasis on preserving the system and managing and
optimizing the infrastructure, with limited expansion of the system.
Transportation was a pivotal factor in the development of the Great Lakes region. The combination of an
in-place water transport infrastructure and a strong natural resource base promoted population settlement,
agricultural development, and a manufacturing economy. Over time, an extensive rail, road, and pipeline
grid was laid out and eventually a high-capacity air transportation network was built. Freight movements in
the binational region serve both domestic markets and international trade. The relatively high level of
freight in the region is attributable, in part, to the efficiency of the transport system. Particular modal
patterns are evident in commodity movement and route structure. Historically, east-west freight routes have
had more capacity and volume compared with north-south links. In recent years, however, cross-border
north-south commodity flows have been increasing, and the infrastructure to support this trend is receiving
more attention.
Great Lakes commodity movements are dominated by relatively low-value bulk commodities and average
about 154-163 million metric tons (170-180 million tons) per year. From a land-use standpoint, shipping
facilities and general port infrastructure occupy a small portion of the Great Lakes nearshore area.
However, for the principal commercial harbours in urban centres, there are increasing development
pressures as well as environmental concerns over dredging and contaminated land (see case study section
for more discussion of the dredging issue). Rail and motor carrier freight transportation complement the
more energy-efficient and less polluting waterborne mode in the region, but both maintain well-established
service profiles while engaging in intermodal operations and head-to-head competition in some instances.
Although annual truck and rail freight tonnages fluctuate in response to business cycles, one trend is
significant. The combined modes account for three-fifths of Canadian and two-thirds of U.S. intercity
tonnage but highway use is expanding rapidly. For example, U.S. highways carried a third more total
tonnage in 1990 than in 1980, whereas U.S. rail movement of manufactured goods declined by about 15
percent during the decade. Timely delivery and broad access throughout the road network has given the
trucking sector a strong competitive advantage over rail in the movement of manufactured goods especially
within an 800-kilometre (a 500-mile) delivery range. This relatively dense regional road network,
encompassing around 1.6 million kilometres (1 million miles) of right-of-way, represents a mobility asset
but also a tremendous maintenance and land-use burden.
2.5.1 Pollution Issues and Solutions
Development pressures around the Great Lakes will increase traffic densities and the number of local
roadways. Air quality is affected by an increasing number of vehicles on the road. As the number and use
of roadways increase, so will vehicle operations and frequency of maintenance, which will likely increase
the resulting pollution of the surrounding environment. Commercial traffic is also increasing and associated
air pollution, air turbulence, and the increased potential for cargo and fuel spills are some of the effects.
Road transportation facilities have the potential to pollute surface water with salt, sediments, operating
roadway runoff (oils, heavy metals, etc.) and transportation-related spills because they act as direct
pathways for pollutants to receiving water bodies. Traditional design of roadway facilities encouraged the
rapid movement of stormwater from the driving surface to the receiving watershed, with potentially
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 29
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significant effects on the previous hydrology of watersheds and subwatersheds. The growing recognition of
these potential effects and the search for solutions have lessened the likelihood of serious future impacts.
Current efforts to solve these problems are focusing on integration of roadway drainage design with the
watershed to minimize impacts and, in some cases, mitigate existing hydrologic problems found in the
watershed.
Many pollutants are dissolved into stormwater, and effective treatment of such dissolved pollutants,
including road salt, is not cost effective. The most effective control for contaminants and pollutants is
through the design of roadway drainage. Current efforts are focusing on the removal of suspended particles
from roadway runoff. This ranges from construction activities with improved erosion and sediment control
to the building of oil/grease separators in parking lots and permanent in-line check dams and sediment
ponds to slow runoff and capture contaminants before they enter a drainage system. Techniques in
engineering design and the use of artificial wetlands are also being investigated to permit more surface
percolation of stormwater. Alternative means to control surface-water drainage on exposed earth slopes,
reconstructed drainage channels and road rights-of-ways in general have emphasized quick stabilization
with less dependence on hard engineering materials. Research and promotion of various proprietary
erosion-control blankets have provided a wider range of products capable of reducing or eliminating
sediment-laden runoff during construction. Applying bioengineering such as the use of natural plant
materials for stabilizing earth and drainage channel slopes is another proven means of controlling these
highly credible areas.
Transportation infrastructure has been associated with impacts on aquatic fish habitat in nearshore areas.
For example, the loss of fish habitat most frequently occurs as a result of
• infilling of nearshore habitat areas
• straightening (and shortening) of tributary streams
• destruction of fish habitat features
• alteration of water quality with loadings of salt and other pollutants
• alteration of runoff temperatures or flow volumes that affect aquatic biota
Transportation agencies employ a number of methods to compensate for, avoid, or mitigate damage to
aquatic ecosystems. For example, in Ontario the provincial Ministry of Transportation tries to avoid the
infilling of nearshore areas or wetlands where possible. Where this is unavoidable, fish habitat structures
are created—for example, artificial reefs or shoals or other habitat features such as rock cribs. A
transportation agency should avoid straightening or shortening waterways when spanning these with a
bridge or culvert. A better solution would be to use larger bridge spans where possible to avoid having to
relocate waterways. In cases where stream straightening is unavoidable, however, compensating measures
are undertaken, including replacing in-stream habitat features that were lost. The primary goal in fisheries
protection is to prevent damage to fish habitat and minimize direct impacts by avoiding construction during
spawning periods or when young fish are present.
Road transportation with its significant ecosystem impacts is an area of public policy and activity where
increasing attention is being given to environmental and land-use planning considerations. For example, to
meet public expectations in environmental assessments of highway projects, the Ontario Ministry of
Transportation plans its construction and major maintenance projects in an environmentally sound manner,
3 0 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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documenting the effects, developing policies and mitigation techniques to reduce the impacts, and where
necessary, compensating for detrimental impacts on natural areas. In the U.S. a landmark transportation
law, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), requires that transportation
planning on a statewide basis and for metropolitan areas consider the economic, energy, environmental, and
social effects of transportation decisions. State and local transportation officials are directed to coordinate
their work with land-use planning and development and have been given more flexibility in using federal
money to achieve ISTEA's goals.
According to the Transportation Research Board (part of the U.S.-based National Research Council), a
major thrust of ISTEA "is to encourage transportation alternatives that mitigate traffic and air quality
problems." This new direction in federal transportation policy with its focus on environmental impact
planning at the local and regional levels signals a major turning point in public policy. The integration of
environmental and transportation issues was necessitated by rising public interest as well as the critical
need for viable solutions to transportation and related environmental protection problems.
However, current transportation patterns carried into the future are clearly unsustainable given this sector's
energy-intensive, emissions-generating, land-consuming and transit-damaging characteristics. The Toronto
situation exemplifies these problems. Transportation in Metropolitan Toronto consumes over one third of
all energy used—more energy than from all other individual sources including residential, commercial and
industrial sectors. As a result, transportation is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions for this
municipality. In 1987, transportation was also responsible for almost 80% of all nitrous oxide and over
35% of all volatile organic compound emissions in Toronto—two important precursors for the creation of
ground level ozone and smog. In recently-created suburbs, "lane -kilometers" per capita are three times
what they are in more built-up areas of the central city. While inner city populations are served by public
transit, lower density urban sprawl suburbs continue to be heavily reliant on the private automobile for
travel. For example, in 1993 more than 60% of person trips in the Greater Toronto area were by public
transit in the central area core while in the suburban areas over 80% of person trips were dependent on the
private automobile (Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department 1995).
Transportation, whether it be infrastructure or operations, affects the nearshore. Within the Great Lakes
basin, many high-volume transportation corridors are in the nearshore area because the lakes and
connecting channels can be barriers to particular long-distance routings and often funnel surface routes to,
or concentrate them in, the coastal areas. For this reason, the increasing attention given to assessing
environmental impacts and coordinating related land-use policy among transportation agencies and
communities should be encouraged, if not required.
2.6 Agriculture
Agricultural land constitutes approximately 24 percent of the area of the basin or 35 percent of the
terrestrial land base. Much of this farmland is located in the southern half of the basin, with the Lake Erie
basin having the highest concentration. The land and water resources of the basin have shaped its
agricultural heritage and, overtime, are being altered by agricultural activity. The conversion of land to
agricultural use in North America has led to a major reduction and restructuring of native ecosystems.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 31
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Through the husbandry of plant and animal communities, with their myriad connections to the natural
world, agriculture is a significant part of the basin ecosystem. Certain agricultural practices, though (such
as tillage methods, the concentration of livestock, and selected pesticide use), pose a risk to ecosystem
health. Agriculture represents a grand experiment in landscape alteration. Its importance to human society
has been determined, but its role in the natural world is still being shaped.
Great Lakes basin agriculture is diverse and productive. Commodity sales from all basin farms in 1991
(Canada) and 1992 (U.S.) amounted to $15.2 billion (U.S.). This figure represented 35.7 percent of the
total product sales from all eight Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario. With only 29.8 percent of
the greater region's cropland, basin production has a relatively large share of higher-valued commodities.
Corn, which occupies 35 percent of cropland (1991-92), is the principal crop grown in the basin. Soybeans
and hay follow at 22 and 20 percent respectively.
There were 203,993 farms in the Great Lakes basin as defined by the Canadian (1991) and U.S. (1992)
agriculture censuses. Within the basin, changes in farm numbers have parallelled regional trends. There are
fewer farms and some have grown larger. This is primarily attributed to the conversion of farmland to
development and farm consolidation patterns (as farms are sold, existing farms acquire the available
acreage). From 1981 to 1992, basin farmland and cropland declined by 1.83 million hectares (4.52 million
acres) and 714,000 hectares (1.76 million acres) respectively (for discussion of the farmland conversion
issue see "Farmland Conversion: A Major Issue for the Basin"). A reduction in cropland, which represents
about 65 percent of total basin farmland, usually reduces particular causes of pollution such as farm
chemical and sediment-laden runoff, but if development takes place on former cropland or farmland,
another set of environmental consequences usually follow. For example, a developed parcel becomes more
impervious, interfering with groundwater recharge and amplifying runoff. The changing of farmland to
residential and commercial use leads to the negative impacts of sprawl, such as increased energy use and
related pollution. For these and other reasons, the farmland/development balance in the Great Lakes basin
has a major effect on natural resources including water quality.
Great Lakes basin agriculture represents an important part of the regional economy. Its complexity, as
expressed in its dynamic production cycles, large land area, diversity of management actions, and effect on
the environment, makes it a significant land-use issue. One of society's biggest challenges in moving
towards sustainable development is to balance food and fibre production with a land and water stewardship
ethic.
2.6.1 Soil Erosion and Sedimentation
Of the two major basin crops, corn requires relatively high levels of fertilizer, mainly nitrogen and
phosphorus, whereas soybeans, a legume, is more dependent on phosphorus. If land used for these row
crops is prepared under conventional tillage practices with extensive ploughing, it is more susceptible to
erosion. In parts of the basin, agriculture-related sediment and nutrient loadings of Great Lakes tributary
rivers is the leading cause of non-point source pollution. In recent years, more responsible land-use
practices in agricultural areas have gained ground, and future prospects are brighter as more demonstration
programs and assistance are directed toward the problem. Other measures such as contour ploughing, no-
till and conservation tillage, vegetative and woodland cover in erosion-prone areas, filter strips, and
32 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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sediment detention ponds have proved that progress is possible. The marriage of agriculture and
conservation is recognized as a complex, long-term undertaking.
The increasing adoption of conservation tillage practices, whereby crop residue is kept on cropland
surfaces has, however, resulted in a marked reduction in erosion and related phosphorus loadings. Nearly
50 percent of corn and soybeans in the U.S. portion of the basin is currently grown using conservation
tillage. For the portion of the Lake Erie basin that is in Ohio, an annual phosphorus load reduction of 524
metric tons in 1995 has been realized through use of no-till and limited-till methods. On the other hand,
nitrogen (nitrate) concentrations in Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries are increasing, possibly as a result of
increased water infiltration and leaching of farm fields attributed to crop residue cover (Baker 1996). Other
techniques such as soil testing and more precise nutrient application are allowing farmers to carefully
manage nutrient levels and prevent overuse of fertilizers.
2.6.2 Pesticide Use
Pesticides are an important part of Great Lakes basin agriculture. These chemical compounds are widely
used for the control of weeds, insects, and diseases that can reduce production. The risk to wildlife and
human health of pesticide exposure is a matter of public concern, and continued scientific research is
necessary to characterize the nature of any risk and help devise effective and safe formulations and methods
of use. According to a report prepared by the World Wildlife Fund, agriculture in the Great Lakes basin
uses an estimated 26 million kg (58 million Ibs) of pesticides annually. Herbicides represent about two-
thirds of the pesticides applied, with corn and soybeans receiving much of this amount.
Perennial specialty crops such as tree fruit tend to have more insect and disease problems than field crops
grown in rotation and receive higher levels of insecticide and fungicide. Production areas for specialty
crops are concentrated in Great Lakes coastal counties and a few inland areas where microclimate factors
are conducive to their production. Trends in basin pesticide use for agriculture indicate an overall decline in
usage as a result of reduced cropland and changes in application rates. For example, farms in Ontario have
decreased their usage of atrazine by two-thirds since 1983. This is significant since atrazine is one of the
most common herbicides in use and also has a higher level of persistence (especially in lake water) than
many other pesticides. However, some places in the basin such as the northern Lake Ontario basin, reveal
higher usage over the past twenty years. Projected declines in pesticide use will be complemented by
introductions of "new generation" pesticides that are more target-specific and less persistent.
2.6.3 Manure Management
A trend of fewer farms with livestock but more animals per operation is affecting the basin environment.
These farms must wrestle with diverse manure-related issues ranging from storage and odour control to
crop nutrient management and implications for water quality. Other problems such as waterborne
pathogens connected to manure and feed-contamination can raise serious public health concerns. The
basin's relatively large forage base (pasture, hay, and silage) gives the area inherent production advantages
for beef and dairy cattle, swine, and sheep; but livestock numbers, except for swine and poultry, have been
SOLEC 96 Impacts of Changing Land Use 33
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declining. The farm-animal population in the Great Lakes basin produces an estimated 80 million tons of
manure each year, which is about 20 times greater than the volume of human excreta in the basin (D'ltri
1996).
The large amounts of manure from livestock concentrations degrade water quality through runoff and
related phosphorus loadings as well as nitrate leaching into groundwater. The use of manure as a fertilizer
for crops is a long-standing practice, but the increasing amounts have produced nutrient levels well beyond
what crops can utilize. More widespread distribution of manure for this purpose has not been economical.
Manure management is a topic of intensifying research, and solutions to these problems will likely add
substantial expense to farm operations.
3.0 Lake By Lake Perspective
Due to its large size, physical characteristics such as climate, soils, topography and land cover vary
throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The northern portion of the basin has a colder climate, poorer soils and
is densely forested, primarily with coniferous trees. The southern part of the basin has a warmer climate
and more fertile soils that once supported widespread deciduous forests but have been cleared for
agriculture and sprawling urban development. Each of the five Great Lakes is also unique. Though they
share commonalities and differences based on the characteristics of the larger Great Lakes Basin, each of
them also has a unique land use profile that has physical, socio-cultural, economic and environmental
quality components. This section describes the unique physical aspects of each Great Lake basin and
examines the demographic, social, industrial, agricultural and environmental commonalities and differences
of each basin with respect to land use.
34 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Great Lakes
Drainage Basins
Canad
Chicago
km 25 0 125km
Figure 2. The Five Individual Lake Basins of the Great Lakes Basin
3.1 Hydrologic and Natural Features
Hydrology
Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes. It holds more water than all the other Great Lakes
combined and has the largest surface area of any lake in the world. Lake Superior serves as the headwaters
for the other four Great Lakes, receiving its water mostly from precipitation and surface runoff. Lakes
Michigan and Huron are one lake hydrologically as they are connected by the Straits of Mackinac and
receive water from Lake Superior through the St. Mary's River. However, they are generally viewed as
separate lake basins. Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes and Lake Michigan is the third.
The fourth largest Great Lake, Lake Erie, receives ninety-five percent of its water from Lakes Michigan,
Huron and Superior, which flows out of Lake Huron via the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit
River. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Lakes and is especially vulnerable to fluctuating water levels. The
smallest of the Great Lakes is Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario receives more than 80 percent of its waters from
the other four Great Lakes. For some it has been known as the "last least littlest lost lake" because it is the
lowest and smallest in the system of Great Lakes. Nonetheless, Lake Ontario ranks as the twelfth largest
lake in the world (Herdendorf 1982).
Diversions and Other Hydrologic Modifications
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use ,
35
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Over the past 200 years, the hydrology of each of the five lakes has been altered by human created
diversions, regulatory structures, urbanization, dredging and filling and other human activities. Structures
at Long Lac and Ogoki divert an average of 5,600 cubic feet per second (158.87 cubic meters) of flow
from the James Bay/Hudson Bay watershed into Lake Superior, effectively expanding the functional
boundary of the Lake Superior basin. Two major diversions in the Lake Michigan basin—the reversal of
the natural flow of the Chicago River through a system of locks and channels and a diversion of the
Calumet River—have resulted in the transfer of 1,743 square km (673 square miles) from the Lake
Michigan watershed to the Illinois River/Mississippi River drainage basin. As a result, water now leaves
Lake Michigan through the Chicago river at a regulated flow of about 3,200 cubic feet (90.71 cubic
meters) per second. Other major modifications of the flow of water through the Great Lakes have occurred.
For example, the flow out of Lake Huron into Lake Erie has been increased by dredging in the connecting
channels between those two lakes. The outflow of Lake Erie into Lake Ontario has been slowed by infill
and bridge construction and the Welland Canal system diverts some water around the Niagara River/Falls
to provide a means for water transport between Lakes Erie and Ontario. And regulatory structures at Sault
Ste. Marie and Lake Ontario that help control lake levels also affect the natural water flow.
Distinctive Features
Each lake basin has common and distinctive nearshore and natural features. A companion paper to this
series, "Land By The Lakes: Nearshore and Terrestrial Ecosystems" identifies twelve unique Great Lakes
shoreline ecological communities, including: sand beaches, sand dunes, bedrock and cobble beaches,
unconsolidated shore bluffs, coastal gneissic rocklands, limestone cliffs and talus slopes, lakeplain prairies,
sand barrens, arctic-alpine disjunct communities, atlantic coastal plain disjunct communities, shoreline
alvars, and islands (Holland, Reid 1996). That work describes in detail where these unique areas exist in
each of the Great Lakes. While some of these communities are found in each of the Great Lakes, several
stand out as distinguishing features in only certain lake basins.
The features that distinguish Lake Superior are its relatively pristine character, heavily forested watershed
and high water quality. Lake Superior is the only lake that contains stretches of the arctic-alpine disjunct
communities—plants and animals adapted to cooler, wetter weather whose primary range is further north,
but which are found in isolated areas along Lake Superior's northern shore (Holland, Reid 1996). Though
Superior's basin is sparsely populated with less than 2 percent of the entire Great Lakes population, the
shoreline has been substantially modified in certain areas; particularly in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
where urban areas have replaced wetlands, especially at the mouths of rivers.
Though every Great Lakes Basin has some sand dunes and beaches, the expanse of sand dunes and beaches
along Lake Michigan's eastern shore is one of its most impressive features. This extent of sandy beach and
dunes is accented by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the north and the Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore in the south—the latter containing the third highest plant diversity of all U.S. national parks
(U.S. Geological Survey 1991). The greatest alteration of the Lake Michigan nearshore has been in the
southern part of the basin where intensive urban and industrial development has resulted in filling and
"hardening" of the shoreline and discharge of large amounts of pollutants into the air, water and lands of
that coastal region.
3 6 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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A ridge of sedimentary rock forms an arc in the middle of the Great Lakes Basin and is the source of
prominent natural features found in several of the Great Lake basins. In the Lake Michigan basin, this ridge
is the source of the Door and Garden Peninsulas that separate Green Bay from Lake Michigan. Perhaps the
most spectacular part of this ridge, known as the Niagara Escarpment, runs through the Lake Huron and
Lake Erie basins in Ontario forming the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island in the north and extending
south and to the east, where the waters of Lake Erie spill over it on their way to Lake Ontario, forming one
of North America's single most famous tourist attraction: Niagara Falls (Ashworth 1986).
Lake Huron is renowned for its more than 30,000 islands, one of which—Manitoulin—is the largest
freshwater island in the world. When island shorelines are included, Huron boasts the longest shoreline of
the Great Lakes. The Michigan side of Lake Huron has nearly 37 percent of all Michigan's coastal
wetlands on the Great Lakes, most of which are found in the Saginaw Bay, which is home to 138
endangered or threatened plant and animal species (Michigan DEQ 1996).
The Carolinian forest species found primarily along Lake Erie's sandy-loam north shore and part of Lake
Ontario are unique within Canada. Once an important water recharge area, these forests have been almost
completely cleared for agricultural use. Lake Erie's nearshore generally has limited sand. However, a
succession of sand bars or spits created by littoral drift stand out as unique nearshore features, particularly
along the north shore (Herdendorf 1993). The marsh and open waters between the bars provide significant
plant and animal habitat and are a popular attraction.
Lake Ontario's most unique nearshore features include the rocky and highly convoluted shoreline of the
Kingston basin. This area accounts for more than 50 percent of Lake Ontario's total shoreline. The rocks
that form this shoreline are part of a unique ecological community known as coastal gneissic rocklands and
are found elsewhere in the Great Lakes Basin only along the island-studded eastern coast of Georgia Bay
on Lake Huron (Holland, Reid 1996). Lakes Ontario and Huron share another unique shoreline community:
the limestone cliffs and talus slopes associated with the prominent edges of the Niagara Escarpment at the
upper portion of the Bruce Peninsula in the Huron basin and along the Niagara Gorge in the Ontario basin
(Holland, Reid 1996). Another unique aspect of Lake Ontario's nearshore is that exposure to strong winds
and wave action make much of the nearshore zone unsuitable for rooted plant growth, whereas for the other
Great Lakes, this zone is generally occupied by rooted aquatic vegetation.
SOLEC 96 Impacts of Changing Land Use 37
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Table 4. Great Lakes Basin Land and Water Areas and Populations
Total Basin Area
Water Surface Area
Land Drainage Area
Basin Population
mi2
km2
mi2
km2
mi2
km2
Superior
81,000
209,800
31,700
82,100
49,300
127,700
607,121
Michigan
67,900
175,800
22,300
57,800
45,600
118,000
10,057,026*
Huron
74,700
193,700
23,000
59,600
51,700
143,100
2,694,154
Erie
40,050
103,700
9,910
25,700
30,140
78,000
11,682,16
9
Ontario
32,060
82,990
7,340
18,960
24,720
64,030
8,150,895
Source: The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. Toronto and Chicago. Environment
Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 3rd ed. 1995.
*Based on the original Lake Michigan basin Boundary, before present Lake Michigan diversions. Lake Michigan
basin population based on modern hydrologic boundary is estimated at 7,142,776.
3.2 Land Use
Lake Superior
Over 90 percent of the Lake Superior basin is forested. Agricultural, urban and public/recreational land
uses make up the balance. The importance of agricultural lands in the Lake Superior basin is limited due to
small cropland acreage and a shorter growing season. The shoreline is relatively undeveloped compared to
the other Great Lakes. On the U.S. side, much of the eastern shoreline as well as important tracts in the
western basin is under federal or state ownership. Over 90 percent of the northern shoreline is owned by the
Canadian Crown. These government-owned lands are generally classified as "public" and recreational
lands. Urban land use in the basin is concentrated in the two largest urban areas of Duluth-Superior and
Thunder Bay. Residential lands are clustered in these urban areas, but shoreline areas are increasingly
being subdivided for potential residential development as demands continue for lake-adjacent second
homes.
Lake Michigan
The Lake Michigan basin land use profile varies considerably from north to south. Forested lands dominate
the northern portion of the basin. Preliminary data collected in 1993 by the U.S. Forest Service indicate
that each of the Lake Michigan-adjacent counties in Michigan's upper peninsula contains more than
202,500 hectares (500,000 acres) of forested land. Historically, the northern basin has also been an
important mining area—primarily dolomite (limestone) with some marble, granite and iron ore (Michigan
State University 1977). The heavily forested north gradually gives way to predominately agricultural lands
in both the eastern and western portions of the basin. In 1991/92, 35.7 percent of the basin's land was
38
.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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farmland, most of which was cropland and pasture. The Door Peninsula in the western basin and the "fruit
belt" along the coastal counties of the eastern basin are important areas for orchards and specialty crops.
Southward, agricultural land is increasingly interspersed with urban areas. The extreme southern portion of
the basin— a relatively narrow band of land adjacent to the lake—is heavily urbanized. Between 40 and 46
percent of the land in the Indiana-Illinois portion of the basin is classified as urban.
Lake Huron
The Lake Huron basin has some commonalities with the basins of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Like
the Lake Superior basin, the Lake Huron basin contains no major metropolitan areas. The largest urban
centers in the basin are Sudbury and Sarnia on the Ontario side and Saginaw and Bay City on the Michigan
side. With populations under 100,000, these urban areas are relatively small compared to urban areas in
the more populous Great Lake basins. Another similarity with Superior is that the Lake Huron basin is
heavily forested, particularly in the northern portion. As with the Lake Michigan basin, however, land use
in the Lake Huron basin becomes increasingly agricultural from north to south and its urbanized areas are
along the southernmost portion of the lake. However, the extent of agricultural and urban lands in the
Huron basin is much less than the Michigan basin. Much of southern part of the Huron basin is devoted to
intensive cultivated field crops. Beef and dairy farms are also numerous throughout the southern part of the
basin, particularly in the "thumb" area of Michigan and along the Bruce Peninsula and extending
southward toward Kitchener. Mining of limestone, nickel, uranium, copper, platinum and gold has been an
important land use in the northern portion of the Lake Huron basin. Mining of gypsum, limestone, lime and
clay occurs in the southern part of the basin (MSU Press 1977). Though residential land use makes up a
small percentage of total land use, much rural development has occurred along the shoreline.
Lake Erie
Agriculture is the primary land use in the Lake Erie basin representing 58 percent of the total land use in
the basin (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada 1991). Major cash crops (wheat, grain, corn, soybeans and
barley) dominate the Erie basin's agricultural land use, particularly in the southwestern basin where in 1991
cropland represented 81 percent of the agricultural land base and cash crops made up more than 80 percent
of total cropland. Urban land use on the American side is concentrated in the Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland,
and Buffalo metropolitan areas which contain about 86 percent of the Erie basin population. Urban land
use on the Canadian side is concentrated in the Windsor area, and along the province's major highway, the
401, which travels in an east-west direction in southernmost Ontario and connects many of Ontario's urban
centres. Populated areas along the Canadian Lake Erie shoreline are mainly small "port" towns and
villages.
Lake Ontario
The Lake Ontario basin probably has less of a contrast in land use types (i.e., urban, forest, agriculture)
than any of the other Great Lakes. In 1992, farmland made up 28.1 percent of the total land use in the Lake
Ontario basin, about half of which (48.2 percent) occurred as cropland. Forested and urban lands are
equally important land uses in the Lake Ontario basin.. The large stretch of forested land that characterizes
much of the northern Great Lakes Basin is also found in the extreme northern reaches of the Lake Ontario
basin. Concentrations of forested land are also present in the extreme southern and eastern portions of the
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 39
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basin—the latter which extends to the Adirondack mountains. Urban land use in the Lake Ontario basin is
most concentrated on the Canadian side, in a band of coastal land along the western portion of the basin
known as the "Golden Horseshoe." Toronto is the anchor of this metropolis. By contrast, the U.S.
population is dispersed mainly throughout the Rochester, Syracuse and Oswego areas of New York State.
3.3 Land Use Trends and Their Impacts
Land Use and Population/Demographic Trends
With the exception of the Lake Ontario basin, whose population is concentrated in Canada's Golden
Horseshoe, population of the individual Great Lakes Basins is greater on the U.S. side, though only slightly
so in the Lake Huron basin. The populations of the Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario basins
increased between 1980 and 1990 while populations in the Lake Superior and Lake Erie basins declined.
Though the population in the Superior basin overall is declining, population in the basin's two major urban
areas, Duluth-Superior and Thunder Bay, is expected to increase. Over the past 10 or more years,
population on the U.S. side of the Lake Erie basin has been declining, due in large part to regional
industrial restructuring trends away from heavy industry, which has historically dominated the economy of
U.S. urban areas in the Lake Erie basin. However, there has been notable growth on the Canadian side in
urban areas along and near Highway 401.
The population shift away from central cities coupled with rapid growth in the surrounding metropolitan
areas is a significant population trend for Lake Michigan Erie and Ontario basins. The City of Chicago, for
example, lost population between 1980 and 1990 while the Chicago metropolitan area experienced
continued growth in areas outside the central city. The Milwaukee/Racine area in Wisconsin provides
another example of where population decreases in the central city are countered by either lower rates of
decrease or population increases at the county level. The cities of Buffalo in the Lake Erie basin and
Rochester and Syracuse in the Lake Ontario basin serve as additional examples. Over the past thirty years,
their central city populations have declined an average of 44 percent while outlying areas within the
metropolitan areas have grown by 39 percent (New York State DEC 1992). In Canada's largest
metropolitan region, the Greater Toronto Area, the picture is no different. Low net population growth in the
City of Toronto has been replaced by suburban expansion and development of outlying rural areas.
In some places this outlying growth is reflective of an increase in the number of households only, not a real
increase in population, while in others, it is a true increase in population. For example, the Rochester
metropolitan area's population remained stable through the 1980's, though the central city lost population
while the first and second ring of suburban towns around Rochester experienced rapid growth. This
suburban population growth is due to two primary demographic trends that have important implications for
land use. First is the trend toward lower density households due to the fact that people are having smaller
families and more people are living alone. Second is the propensity to have a house and a lot of one's own.
Both require more housing, more infrastructure and more land to serve the same number of people.
A second important demographic shift is the remarkable population decrease related to job loss in several
of the lake basin's highly-urbanized areas. For example, the hub of North America's steel production in
40 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Northwest Indiana has been influenced by the downsizing of steel mills. As a consequence, population
decline for the tri-city area of East Chicago, Hammond and Gary between 1980 and 1990 was 14.8%,
10.1% and 23.2%, respectively. The Buffalo metropolitan area has experienced similar demographic shifts,
due in part to the virtual loss of its steel-making and other heavy industries (New York DEC 1992). This
trend has been occurring since the 1970s and is expected to continue, though at a slower pace.
Land Use and Society
The latter half of the twentieth century has witnessed a renewed societal appreciation for coastal amenities
and water-related recreational opportunities. Significant land use implications have manifested from this
societal shift. The desire to reap the benefits of nature (physical, spiritual and psychological) has resulted in
a booming increase in second home or "cottage" development along the shorelines of many of the Great
Lakes. Coupled with increased societal awareness of the benefits of physical fitness, it has also spurred the
demand for shoreline access and recreational opportunities in and around the Great Lakes, be it swimming
at a public beach or jogging in an urban waterfront park.
COTTAGE DEVELOPMENT
The trend toward second home or cottage development is particularly important for several of the Great
Lake basins. A substantial nearshore trend toward second home development is apparent on the U.S. side
of the Lake Superior basin. For example, over fifty percent of the homes in Keweenaw county on
Michigan's Upper Peninsula are classified as second homes. Second home use is less common in the
Canadian Lake Superior basin mainly because of its remoteness. The overall population decline in the
Superior basin, discussed above, masks this significant trend of increasing number of second home
residents. This is because census population figures, based on the number of permanent residents in an
area, do not account for the seasonal population. In the Lake Michigan basin, a study of a ten-county area
of in the northeastern basin (northwest Michigan), concluded that one person in six (about 16 percent)
staying in the region in 1995 was not part of the permanent population. Two-fifths of those were people
staying in second homes (Becker et al. 1996). Trends indicate continued high rates of second home
development (41% to more than 80%) in this region between 1990 and 2020 (MSPO 1995) where during
summer months in coastal counties there is almost one "visitor" for every two permanent residents (Becker
et al. 1996). Seasonal cottages are also found along most of the Lake Huron shoreline, with the heaviest
concentration (over five units per square kilometer) located along the Bruce Peninsula and Georgian Bay
shores and the "thumb" area of Michigan. The significance of the second home population is that it
constitutes an important element of overall land use, but it does not necessarily contribute to tourism-
related economic benefits, which are generally associated with seasonal visitors.
Implications for the nearshore are magnified as many of these cottages are being converted to year-round
use or built and equipped to permanent use standards. This trend is particularly apparent in the Lake Huron
and Erie basins. In many cases, upgrading cottages also necessitates improvements to, or installation of
septic systems. The cumulative impact of individual septic systems on groundwater and natural areas poses
a serious long-term threat to the ecosystem. Shoreline erosion is also an issue. The nearshore area of
shoreline-adjacent seasonal cottages has considerable time during the year to replenish itself, re-establish or
maintain natural communities and generally exist without human impact. Nearshore residences that are
occupied year-round do not provide such relief from human impacts.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 41
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WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT
Today, many manufacturing plants originally located on or near the lakeshore are closing or relocating and
modernizing at different locations. Increasingly diversified economies around the Great Lakes and increased
societal appreciation of and demand for access to coastal areas has led to a wave of waterfront
revitalization efforts in many areas. These efforts are most notable in the Lake Michigan, Erie and Ontario
basins where heavy industry has been an important part of the lakefront heritage. In the Lake Ontario
basin, Toronto's waterfront has become valued as a civic focal point with lakeshore access geared for
diverse uses other than industrial activity. Other former waterfront industrial areas on Lake Ontario such as
Port Credit and Cobourg are also being redeveloped. Waterfront revitalization has been significant in the
Lake Michigan basin. Almost all of the coastal communities along the lake's western shore have had some
degree of waterfront revitalization (Wisconsin Department of Administration, per. comm. 1996). Some
Lake Michigan shoreline communities have undergone remarkable redevelopment in the form of waterfront
residential complexes (Racine) and extensive lakeshore park systems (Manitowoc), while other
revitalization efforts (such as at Ludington and Sheboygan) are proceeding much more slowly due to
environmental contamination problems (Davidson 1996). Waterfront revitalization has been less significant
in the Lake Superior and Huron basins because of their remoteness and historically lower levels of
industrial development. More public access and attractively designed waterfront facilities are common to
waterfront revitalization efforts. With revitalization, once old and deteriorated waterfronts are becoming the
focal points of communities. Waterfront revitalization is one of the trends that has positive implications for
land use. It is an efficient use of land as it provides new economic and recreational opportunities by
renovating already developed areas where infrastructure is already in place.
Land Use and Industry
Proximity to the Great Lakes was a key factor in the establishment of the economy of the Great Lakes
region as well as for the individual Great Lake basins. Historically, many areas around the Great Lakes
areas were settled on or near the lakes themselves because of access to waterborne transportation and water
for industrial processes. However, economic shifts away from heavy and waterborne-dependent industries
toward a more service-oriented economy have altered the economic makeup of several Great Lakes Basins.
The Lake Superior basin has had a rich mining history particularly for copper and iron ore. Mining has
also been important in the northern portions of the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basins, as noted earlier.
The U.S. mining industry has experienced substantial layoffs and mine closings for decades and the trend
continues today. On the Canadian side of the Lake Superior basin, however, the mining industry continues
to prosper. Surface mining substantially alters the local landscape and contributes to soil erosion and
sedimentation problems for nearby waterways. The environmental impacts of mining are complicated by
the presence of mill tailings, which can be toxic to plant and animal life, particularly in the case of copper,
and can leach or erode toxic minerals or substances into surface and groundwater.
The abundant forests of the Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan basins support a leading forest and
paper products industry, despite some plant closings and corporate restructuring in the forest products
industry on both sides of the Lake Superior border. The northern Lake Michigan basin serves as one of the
nation's foremost Christmas tree growing regions. The Fox River-Green Bay area of the Lake Michigan
basin is recognized as the world's largest concentration of pulp and paper mills. Pulp and paper mills have
contributed to huge pollution problems, but, improvements over the last two decades have been significant.
42 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Mill effluents containing dioxin and other chlorinated organic compounds are toxic contaminants posing a
serious to human health and the environment. New production and treatment technologies are reducing and,
for particular facilities, eliminating these pollutants. Contamination from past practices, however, remains
a significant concern.
Shipping is an important industry in several of the Great Lakes Basins, but its importance is probably most
pronounced in the Lake Superior basin which boasts the largest tonnage port in the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence system in Duluth. Shipping is also important in the economy of the Lake Erie basin. Ohio's water
ports are a boon for commercial activity with eight ports along the shore from which nearly $18 billion in
goods is annually shipped. Shipping does not directly impact the land, but the ports and harbours that serve
navigable waters have made their mark in Great Lakes nearshore areas. Construction and maintenance of
ports and harbours alters the natural dynamic of the nearshore land/water interface and can degrade or
destroy local nearshore terrestrial and aquatic habitat. Dredging to maintain navigable waterways becomes
an important land use issue when contaminated sediments are involved, which is the case for many older
ports and harbours around the Great Lakes. These issues are basinwide rather than lake-specific and are
discussed in more detail in Section 4.3 ("Dredging and Confined Disposal Facilities") and elsewhere in this
paper.
Steel is uniquely important to the Lake Erie and Lake Michigan basins. The largest concentration of steel
production in North America is located near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. There, five large integrated
mills with blast furnaces and three minimills dependent on iron/steel scrap produce about a quarter of U.S.
steel. Steel was once an important economic base for Buffalo, which lost its steel industry between 1970
and 1988 (New York DEC 1992). However, Cleveland and Detroit still have substantial steel production.
The steel industry has had a major impact on land use and the nearshore environment. Its sprawling scale,
including fabricating and warehouse facilities occupies thousands of nearshore acres and, in southern Lake
Michigan, unique dune ecosystems. Steel making has been a notorious polluter of water and soil. As a
result, the industry's legacy has generated tons of pollutants, some of which are still present in
contaminated sediments in nearshore waters and soil within plant boundaries. Much improvement in air
emissions and water effluent has occurred in recent years. For example, water use for process purposes has
been substantially reduced with the incorporation of recycling and closed-loop systems. As with the pulp
and paper industry, however, contamination from past practices remains a significant concern.
Recreation and tourism are important economic factors in all of the Great Lakes Basins, but not necessarily
for the same reasons. Due to extensive dunes and beaches, the Lake Michigan basin offers more
recreational and tourist opportunities associated with beach activities. Rugged shorelines make recreational
boating, marinas and fishing areas more economically important in the Lake Erie and Huron basins.
Despite these differences, most of these recreation and tourist activities spur the same types of spin-off
services in the form of hotels, restaurants and parking. Perhaps the greatest economic difference in tourism
and recreation among the Great Lakes is seen when comparing the northernmost lake basins with the more
southern basins. In the northern Lake Michigan basin and in many areas throughout the Lake Superior
basin, tourism is no longer a one-season industry. Skiing, snowmobiling, and conventions have extended the
tourist season beyond the traditional warmer weather activity base. Though tourism and outdoor recreation
can take a toll on the nearshore environment when activities such as second home construction and
automobile usage often overwhelm once-unpopulated areas and sensitive habitats, the industry stands out
as a sector of the economy that can also contribute to environmental quality. Public access, outdoor
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 43
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recreation and exposure to these natural areas increase appreciation for their special qualities and support
for conservation measures. Fees from fishing and hunting permits and park entrance fees are used to restore
and maintain nearshore habitat, wildlife populations, and the other natural features of the nearshore that
attract visitors/users in the first place.
Sport fishing and recreational boating anchor an important part of the recreation and tourism economies for
several Great Lakes Basins. The most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie's fishing
industry is worth approximately $141 million Canadian ($101 million U.S.). According to the 1991 U.S.
national fishing and hunting survey, 34 percent of all Great Lakes anglers fished in Lake Michigan, a close
second to Lake Erie's 35 percent. Sport fishing is also important economically in the Lake Huron basin
where the sport fishing industry (bass, trout, salmon, perch) in Canadian waters is estimated to be over
$100 million (CAN.) per year. The number of recreational boats operated on Lake Michigan each year is
estimated at 400,000, or nearly half the number for all the Great Lakes. Although boating has a strong
connection to fishing, which relies on clean water and productive fish stocks, much of the boating activity is
tied to marina and new nearshore residential development, which degrades nearshore habitat and water
quality in localized areas. Along Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline, for example, boat slips increased from
1,100 in 1985 to 2,700 in 1991, though many new marina developments in Indiana are occurring on
previously-developed sites.
Commercial fishing is a particularly important industry in the Lake Erie basin. Port Dover and Wheatley
harbour are the largest commercial freshwater fishing ports in the world.
Land Use and Agriculture
Agriculture represents a significant portion of the economies and overall land use in all the Great Lakes
Basins except Superior. Following the time of early settlement, the economies of the Lake Michigan,
Huron, Erie and Ontario basins were strongly dependent on agriculture. Though agriculture now plays
more of a supporting role in the economies of these four Great Lake basins, it remains a major force
affecting land use in these basins.
Table 5. Farming Intensity in the Great Lakes Basin
Percentage of Total Basin Land In Farmland for 1991/92*
Superior
2.27
Michigan
35.70
Huron
17.00
Erie
57.54
Ontario
28.14
Total
22.83
* Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
44
.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Although many major cropping and livestock systems are present in the Great Lakes Basin overall, each of
the individual Great Lake basins has a distinct agricultural profile. The Lake Erie basin, for example, has
the largest percentage (nearly 58 percent) of farmland of all the Great Lakes Basins. An important
agricultural trend in the Lake Erie basin has been an increase in cropland and decrease in improved pasture.
The conversion of improved pasture to cropland likely accounts for most of the increase in cropland area.
These trends indicate a shift to more intensive field crop production—primarily soybeans. Indeed, cropland
used for soybean production in the Ontario portion of the Lake Erie basin has increased more than 100
percent since 1981. The trend to more intensive field crop production increases the risks of soil erosion,
agricultural runoff and other environmental problems related to agricultural land use.
The Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario basins have regions characterized by particular soil types and
climatic conditions that make them conducive for orchards and specialty crop production. In these areas,
the moderating influence of the lake reduces the risk of spring freezes and helps lengthen the growing
season. The eastern Lake Michigan basin, particularly in the coastal counties, is one such area. Orchards
are common in this area, which is the leading Great Lakes Basinwide source of cherries and apples for
processing. The Lake Michigan basin accounts for 45 percent of total Great Lakes Basin specialty crop
(fruits and vegetables) acreage. Door County, Wisconsin in the western Lake Michigan basin is also known
for its favorable growing conditions and is an important area for cherry and apple production as well. The
Niagara "fruit belt," which lies between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment and runs from the
outskirts of Hamilton to the Niagara River, is one of the most significant areas for tender fruit production
in Canada. Yield and product quality concerns for these and other specialty crops also translates into
relatively high use of pesticides, which constitute an important element of nonpoint source pollution in the
basin as they are leached into groundwater or runoff into Great Lakes tributaries and nearshore waters.
Dairy production is strongly represented through much of the central western Lake Michigan basin, the
southern Lake Huron basin and the Rochester Embayment and more interior areas of the Lake Ontario
basin (though agricultural land uses in the Rochester Embayment has declined in recent decades). The Lake
Michigan basin alone accounts for 40 percent of the dairy cows in the entire Great Lakes Basin. A-well
established trend is fewer but larger dairy farms with more milk from each cow. This trend in the dairy
industry is reflective of a larger trend in agriculture towards consolidation and large-scale farming
operations. Thus, while there may be a decrease in the actual number of acres used as farmland, those acres
are used more intensively than before. This decline and intensification of the agricultural land base means
that stresses to the ecosystem are more concentrated, placing these lands and the waters that flow through
and around them at greater risk of pollution and degradation.
The flip side of this problem is that in some areas where marginal agricultural lands are being taken out of
production, those lands are being allowed to regenerate, reducing the risks to land and water associated
with agricultural land use. In the Lake Huron basin, for example, a declining agricultural land base has led
to increased forest cover in the interior areas of Ontario counties within the basin, which are predominantly
rural/agricultural. This alone will have a positive impact on water quality within the local rural watersheds
and, ultimately, in the larger basin as well.
Pork production is significant within the Lake Michigan basin—the only lake basin experiencing an
increase (9.4 percent) in hog and pig numbers since 1982.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 45
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Table 6. Percent Changes in Agricultural Land Use Between 1981/82 and 1991/92*
Cropland
Pasture f
Farmland {
Superior
-17.9
-16.1
-15.0
Michigan
-6.0
-17.0
-8.6
Huron
-4.1
-23.9
-8.1
Erie
-4.1
-28.0
-7.0
Ontario
-12.0
-27.5
-15.6
Great Lakes
Basin
-6.0
-23.8
-9.6
*Source: Census of Agriculture-1981/91, Statistics Canada, CA
Census of Agriculture-1982/92, Bureau of Statistics, USA
f includes improved (without inputs or maintenance) and unimproved (permanent) pasture
{ includes cropland and pastureland as well as woodland and other grazing areas
Though cropland has declined in each of the individual Great Lake basins, the percentage of farmland that
is in cropland has increased for all the lake basins except Superior. That is because the rate of overall
farmland loss has exceeded that of cropland.
Over the past twenty years, agricultural lands in virtually all of the Lake basins have been reduced and
fragmented by urban expansion and scattered residential development. This loss of farmland, or farmland
conversion is an important land use issue for all the Lake basins where agriculture is a significant part of
the land use base and the economy (Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario). (See "Farmland Conversion: A
Major Issue for the basin," Section 4.1).
Land Use and Water Quality
Water quality in the Great Lakes is directly related to the type, extent and location of human land uses.
Water quality problems arise when the type and extent of human land uses exceeds the natural ability of the
watersheds to accommodate land use related stresses. Though water quality is an issue for all of the
individual Great Lakes, its seriousness varies among as well as within the lakes.
Though there may be water quality degradation in localized areas, water quality of both ground and surface
waters in Lake Superior is high, reflecting the relatively pristine environment of the Lake Superior
watershed. Lake Superior is considered oligotrophic: deep and cold, with low levels of available nutrients,
little plant life, high levels of dissolved oxygen, and important populations of cold water fish.
The other four Lakes experience water quality problems of varying degrees. Water quality problems are
attributable to a variety of land uses that contribute both point source pollution, via direct discharges into
the water (e.g., from industrial discharges and sewage treatment plants), and nonpoint source pollution, via
indirect sources such as atmospheric deposition, groundwater infiltration or surface (urban and
46
.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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agricultural) runoff. Many improvements have been made in the control of point source pollution
throughout the Great Lakes. Nonpoint source pollution control, however, still has a long way to go.
Nonpoint source pollution is now the largest contributor to water quality problems in the Lake Michigan
basin. This statement is likely true for Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario as well for several reasons. The Lake
Huron basin has relatively less urban and industrial development. All three basins have a high percentage
of farmland, especially Erie, which brings with it agricultural runoff. Also, cottage development and the
conversion of seasonal to year-round residences increases nonpoint source pollution related to construction
and maintenance of buildings and roads and, perhaps more importantly, private septic systems. Because of
the few widely scattered sewage treatment plants within the Lake Huron watershed, much of water in need
of treatment does not get "treated."
The sources of nonpoint source pollution are numerous and complex. The loading of sediments and
nutrients (e.g., phosphorous) from agriculture and urban development is the largest and most widespread
nonpoint source pollution problem in Lake Michigan surface water. This statement is probably true for the
Lake Huron, Erie and Ontario basins as well, given the prominence of agriculture in those basins and the
fact that agriculture is the largest source of surface water contamination in the United States (World
Resources Institute 1995). In addition to sediments and nutrients, however, agricultural practices and urban
development contribute other nonpoint source pollutants. Urban development contributes toxic compounds
through residential and commercial application of lawn chemicals, heavy metals from oil/grease and
gasoline deposits on surface roads and parking lots, and bacterial contamination from pet droppings,
combined sewer overflows and treatment plant malfunctions, while agricultural activities contribute
bacterial contamination through manure runoff and toxic compounds through application of pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides.
The open waters of Lake Michigan are considered oligotrophic. Many nearshore waters at the mouth of
major tributaries, however, are considered mesotrophic (intermediate in character between oligotrophic,
defined above, and eutrophic, which are shallow and warm with high levels of available nutrients, abundant
plant life and low levels of dissolved oxygen). With the exception of the few industrialized and urbanized
harbors and bays, the sparsely populated, heavily forested regions of the northern portion of the Lake
Michigan basin generally have better water quality than those in the southern portion of the basin. In the
open waters of Lake Michigan, phosphorous and chlorophyll concentrations have decreased significantly
since the late 1970s, primarily due to improved municipal sewage treatment and laws requiring reduction or
elimination of their use in certain products such as soaps and detergents. However, chloride concentrations
continue to increase and the rate of increase is accelerating. The primary source of chloride seems to be
municipal waste water discharges (a point source) and salt from road deicing (a nonpoint source)
(Michigan Office of the Great Lakes 1996). In the heavily-populated and industrial southern part of the
basin, water quality is severely diminished. The leading stressors are almost entirely urban in nature,
including occasional backflows induced by combined sewer overflows, direct stormwater runoff, and
industrial discharges. A recent evaluation of the Northwest Indiana watershed revealed that of 210 stream
miles assessed, 186 were considered non-supportive for aquatic life.
Although massive investment in municipal and industrial waste treatment along with programs to control
agricultural runoff have achieved excellent results in the Lake Erie basin, large-scale displacement of native
vegetation in the watershed and the severe exploitation of fisheries followed by exotic species invasions
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 47
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have devastated the original aquatic community of the Lake. While Lake Erie's basin may be the most
intensively populated and farmed, pollution loading has been mitigated mostly by productive algae and fine
soil particles from soil erosion which tend to absorb pollutants in the water. Accordingly, Lake Erie has
shown the lowest concentration of toxic contaminants among the Great Lakes. However, because of its
shallow depth, relative warmth and high fertility of the surrounding basin's soils, Lake Erie is naturally
more eutrophic than the other Great Lakes.
Bacterial contamination is a significant problem for Lake Ontario. Public beaches on Lake Ontario's north
shore are often closed to swimmers because of high bacterial counts that exceed health standards.
Combined storm and sanitary sewers is a major contributor to the problem and Ontario continues to lag
behind U.S. states in terms of wastewater treatment. U.S. states, by contrast, rarely require beach closures
for excessive pollution since methods of sewage treatment were improved in the 1970s.
AREAS OF CONCERN
Each of the Great Lakes has Areas of Concern (AOC) as identified by the U.S. and Canadian Governments
under the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the 1987 Protocol. AOCs are severely degraded
geographic areas where beneficial uses—activities that are dependent on the chemical, physical and
biological integrity of the water—are threatened or impaired. Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption,
loss offish and wildlife habitat and beach closings are examples of the 14 beneficial use impairments
identified under the Water Quality Agreement.
Pollution sources in AOCs vary widely, but are associated predominately with urban, industrial and
agricultural land uses in the sub-watersheds that contain the AOCs and those immediately surrounding
them. Land uses and their associated activities which have degraded these particular areas reflect land use
patterns in the individual basins. For example, nearly all of the northernmost AOCs have the forest
products or mining industry as a primary cause of degradation. AOCs around major metropolitan areas,
such as the Milwaukee Estuary, the Buffalo River, the Cuyahoga River and Metro Toronto have numerous
and complex sources of degradation including: industrial and municipal (sewage treatment plant) point
source discharges, combined sewer overflows, urban runoff, improper hazardous waste disposal and leaky
landfills.
The Lake Superior basin has seven AOCs: four Canadian and 3 U.S. The Lake Michigan basin has 10
AOCs (all U.S.). The Lake Huron basin has 4 AOCs: three Canadian and one U.S., though Collingwood
Harbour in Ontario was the first AOC to be delisted in 1994. The Lake Erie basin also has 10 AOCs: one
Canadian and nine U.S. The Lake Ontario basin has seven AOCs: four Canadian and three U.S. There are
also five AOCs on connecting channels of the Great Lakes. Three of them are binational: the Detroit River,
the St. Clair River and the St. Marys River. These AOCs present a special challenge as the two
governments must collaborate on remedial efforts using different planning and environmental restoration
and cleanup standards and processes. The remaining two AOCs—the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence
River—are addressed separately by the U.S. and Canada on either side of the border. Progress to restore
beneficial uses in AOCs through Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) varies widely in each of the individual
Great Lake basins.
3.4 Key Future Issues
48 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Urban Sprawl/Inefficient Development
Trends indicate that population will continue to grow in all of the five individual lake basins. Most future
development will be low-density, particularly residential, development in suburban areas. The development
of housing often far removed from employment opportunities results in increasing dependence on auto and
truck transport and enormous infrastructure requirements that chop up the landscape and segregate
communities. Addressing urban sprawl and its attendant negative impacts will continue to be a critical
policy issue for state and local governments in all five lake basins. Future policies must address the
negative economic and social as well as ecological impacts of sprawl and encourage efficient and
affordable urban development, including brownfields redevelopment. The goal is to make urban areas
desirable places to live and work and reduce the impact on the environment.
Loss of Farmland
One key sprawl-related issue in the Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario basins is the extensive loss of
farmland to residential and commercial development. The proliferation of non-farm rural settlement can
undermine the agricultural economy and eventually lead to a loss of local food base. Large influxes of rural
residents inflates land prices, and conflicts with farm uses, creating incentives for farmers to sell lands to
speculators for land development, removing land from food production. As urbanites move to the country,
they bring urban values and expectations that are in conflict with rural lifestyles and place additional
stresses on the rural environment. Farmland protection and preservation will continue to be of critical
importance from cultural, economic and ecological standpoints.
Continuation of a strong agricultural industry in the individual lake basins, as in the Great Lakes Basin,
demands comprehensive policies that recognize the interdependence between a viable agricultural industry
and a healthy environment. On the one hand, policies are needed to ensure that farming remains a livelihood
and agricultural products are competitive in national and international markets. Policies are also needed to
institutionalize agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable over the long-term, such as integrated
pest management to reduce the use of agricultural chemical inputs, and pollution prevention measures (i.e.,
best management practices) to keep nutrients and sediments out of surface waters and avoid the high costs
of fixing resulting downstream problems.
Wastewater/Stormwater Management
Wastewater/stormwater management problems are common to all of the five individual Great Lakes,
though the severity and extent of the problem varies for individual basins. Increased appreciation for Lake
Superior's relatively pristine condition has lowered tolerance for pollution in its basin. In 1991 the
governments of the U.S., Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario established a Binational
Program to Restore and Protect the Lake Superior basin whereby the governments committed to making
Lake Superior a "zero discharge" demonstration zone to eliminate the use and discharge of nine of the most
harmful and long-lived chemicals. With such standards, managing chemical-carrying stormwater
discharges for the modest amount of urban growth that is expected in the Lake Superior basin will remain a
key issue.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 49
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Stormwater management continues to be a particularly important issue in the Lake Ontario basin, primarily
due to problems associated with combined storm and sanitary sewers and lower water treatment standards
in the Province of Ontario.
Cottage Development
A related and key wastewater management problem in the Lake Huron and Erie basins is the continuing
increase in seasonal cottages and conversion of cottages to year-round residences. This trend raises the
issue of whether and how to allow continued cottage development and conversion of seasonal dwellings to
permanent use on private sewage (septic tank) systems. Particularly in the Province of Ontario, there is a
problem with the location and number of water treatment facilities. Many municipalities do not have the
ability to extend treatment facilities to these areas, and servicing scattered development and cottage
conversions is not cost effective. Septic system failures have definite impacts on surface and ground water
quality and aquatic ecosystems. Addressing septic failure is a key issue that the Province of Ontario will
continue to grapple with.
Loss of Critical Habitat/Shoreline Access
Cottage development, along with other forms of development, is also associated with loss of critical habitat
and reduced shoreline access. Though sprawl is not a big problem in the Lake Superior basin, increased
subdivision of land is occurring, especially in areas on or near lakes, including the Lake Superior shoreline.
As this trend continues, cultural rights-to-use will be impacted as local residents who are accustomed to
free access to Lake Superior through undeveloped private tracts find these recreational opportunities
reduced and eliminated (except for formally protected First Nation rights). Also, with development, the
already few unprotected and unique communities that provide numerous freshwater species and filtering
mechanisms will become less common in Lake Superior and in the lower lakes as well. Loss and
degradation of critical habitat is also a problem in the Lake Huron basin. Much of Lake Erie's few beaches
are privately owned, which has implications for shoreline access and protection of nearshore terrestrial and
aquatic communities. Strategic, long-term management is essential to protect critical nearshore habitat and
ensure continued public access to the shores of these lakes.
Nonpoint Source Pollution—Urban and Agricultural Runoff
In the past two decades, implementation of pollution control policies have dramatically reduced the amount
of pollution being discharged from point sources. Nonpoint pollution sources, which can be as widespread
as the population, are now a very significant, if not primary cause of degraded water and air quality in all
of the Great Lake basins. Continued trends of intensification of the agricultural land base and increased
sprawl development will exacerbate the nonpoint source pollution problem. On the agricultural side,
impacts from nonpoint source pollution will be more concentrated and severe. On the urban sprawl side,
nonpoint source pollution will grow disproportionate to the population given the increase in roads and other
impervious surfaces and greater land (hence hydrologic) modification as a result of greater land
consumption. Control of nonpoint source pollution from agricultural and urban sources is essential to the
future health of the basin. Urban and agricultural nonpoint source pollution will need to be addressed in a
comprehensive strategic manner that promotes efficient development that includes farmland and open space
protection and revitalization of older urban areas. It will require policies that address the complexity of
5 0 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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nonpoint sources (e.g., urban/suburban development, agricultural land use practices) as well as related
issues such as pollution prevention, product design, and consumer behavior.
Waterfront Revitalization
Waterfront reuse/revitalization will continue to be important to the future of all of the individual Great
Lake basins, but particularly for Lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario whose economies have been historically
heavily dependent on waterfront-based industries. Waterfront revitalization has shown much promise in
many of the larger coastal metropolitan areas, such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland that have a more
diversified economic base and can commit to investment in waterfront redevelopment. However, waterfront
revitalization remains particularly challenging for many medium and smaller industrial coastal communities
with less diversified economies and thus fewer resources to sustain the trend of industrial restructuring. The
challenge for these areas will be to create policies and forge multi-sector partnerships to encourage
waterfront revitalization that provides increased coastal access and waterfront development to support
recreational, cultural and commercial activities.
Areas of Concern/Remedial Action Plans
Though there is no discernable geographic pattern to the AOCs within or among the Great Lakes, there is a
hydrologic pattern to their location. Areas of Concern are concentrated among the lower reaches of the
major tributaries to the individual Great Lakes. What this means is that a major portion of the lifeblood of
the Great Lakes is contaminated, largely as a result of past land use decisions in and around the AOCs.
Achievement of the goals set forth in the Remedial Action Plans for the present 42 Areas of Concern is
imperative to maintain the ecological integrity of the basin. Contamination from past uses will require long-
term cleanup and, in some cases, restrictions on the future use of those lands and waters. Successful
remediation of AOCs will require greater resource commitments—money, time and personnel—from the
public and private sectors. The costs of continued impairment of beneficial uses and the use of tax dollars
in the most cost-effective manner are two critical issues facing local land use decisionmakers involved in
remediation and planning efforts. Future land use decisions should be based on lessons learned from these
problems to avoid future AOCs. This will require local land use planning that considers the local and
regional impacts of future development, and its long-term ecological sustainability locally, regionally and
within the Great Lakes Basin at large.
4.0 Case Studies of Best Practices, Trends, and Issues
4.1 Farmland Conversion: A Major Issue for the Basin
In the Great Lakes basin, the continuing growth of major metropolitan areas and the virtually uncontrolled
sprawl of residential areas and other development is eating away at farmland and natural areas. This
relentless process of encroachment carries with it a particular set of determental consequences. Farmland
and open-space preservation issues and policies are rapidly coming to the forefront in the Great Lakes
basin. Conversion of farmland to non-farm use, particularly in places around metropolitan areas in the
basin, is taking place at a worrisome rate. In many of these places, good cropland is being replaced—taken
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 51
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out of production for the foreseeable future. If significant levels of farmland conversion continue in the
Great Lakes Basin, the agricultural production base will decline, and with it, the agrifood sector of the
economy.
The Great Lakes basin contained 17.3 million hectares (42.7 million acres) of land defined as "farmland" in
1991-92 according to data derived from the Canadian (1991) and U.S. (1992) agricultural censuses. This
large area is equivalent to 172,988 square kilometres (66,791 square miles). Basin farm acreage represents
31.3 percent of such acreage in the greater region comprising all eight Great Lakes states and Ontario. The
definition of farmland or land in farms has changed over the course of census taking and now refers to the
area of an agricultural holding that generates annual sales of crops, livestock, or other agricultural products
in excess of $1,000 for U.S. farms or $250 (Cdn) for Canadian farms. Farmland entails more than just
cropland; it includes woodland as well as permanent pasture and other grazing areas. Nearly 75 percent of
basin farmland is in the U.S.; the remainder is in Canada. Basin land classified as farmland has been
diminishing. From 1981-82 to 1991-92, basin farmland declined by 1.83 million hectares (4.52 million
acres), or 9.6 percent.
Farmland in the basin includes a large amount of land that can be used to grow crops. Basin cropland
acreage in 1991-92 totalled 11.2 million hectares (27.7 million acres), or 65 percent of all land in farms.
Cropland is defined as the total area of land sown or to be sown for harvest of agricultural commodities,
including hay, orchards, nursery and greenhouse products but not including woodlands, permanent pasture,
grazing land, and idle cropland. The total amount of cropland in the basin declined by 714,000 hectares (
1.76 million acres), or 6 percent during the 1981-82 to 1991-92 period.
For the state and provincial jurisdictions, the percentage "loss" of basin farmland for the 10-year period
ranged between 6 percent in Ohio to 19.5 percent in Illinois. Fifty-seven percent of the 4.5 million acres of
farmland converted during this period came from three states: Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin. New
York's loss of more than a million acres was the greatest amount of loss among jurisdictions, representing
a sixth of all its basin farmland. However, the 18.8 percent loss of farmland for all of New York exceeded
its basin rate. Several basin areas had farmland conversion rates that significantly exceeded the rates for
their respective states: Indiana, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. In Ontario, which has the largest amount of
farmland among basin jurisdictions, the number of hectares converted to non-farm use was more than
456,416 (1.12 million acres), representing anet decline of 9.1 percent from 1981 to 1991.
In Michigan, which is almost entirely within the Great Lakes basin, the substantial loss of farmland to
development prompted the governor to establish a task force in 1994 to address the issue and provide
recommendations for "maintaining land for agricultural production." The extent of the problem, as
identified by the task force, is sobering. From 1954 to 1992, 2.59 million hectares (6.4 million acres) of
farmland were converted to other uses. This 39 percent decrease was one and a half to five and half times
greater than that for its three neighbouring Great Lakes states. During the most recent decade period for
which trend data is available (1982-1992), farmland loss in the state amounted to 345,000 hectares
(850,000 acres), or a 7.8 percent reduction, which translates into an average of 4 hectares (10 acres) an
hour.
Even though the rate of conversion has slowed from the rate of previous decades, the critical issues are
where the farmland loss is occurring and what the long-term impact is on productive cropland. Seventy
52 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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percent of the converted farmland acres was located near three urbanized areas—southeast Michigan,
Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. The other area that experienced significant farmland loss was in northwest
Lower Peninsula where resort and second-home development are key factors. The Michigan acreage loss
for the decade included 121,500 hectares (300,000 acres) of cropland, much of it with a prime soils
classification. The task force estimated that this impact represented a potential loss in gross farm sales of
$60 to $120 (U.S.) million for each year. Many factors are contribute to Michigan farmland loss.
Residential development, particularly that at low density levels, is a chief one. Increasing land values and
taxes are having an effect by inducing farmstead sales, as is an aging farmer population with associated
retirements.
The basin is particularly vulnerable to farmland loss resulting from urban sprawl trends. Much of the
basin's population (currently estimated at 33.5 million) reside in relatively few metropolitan areas that
exemplify the growing sprawl pattern. On the Canadian side, only six metropolitan areas, ranging in size
from Oshawato Toronto represented two-thirds of the 1991 Canadian basin population. Urban sprawl has
spread more than 100 kilometres from central Toronto, making surrounding counties the fastest growing in
the province. This settlement pattern just in the Greater Toronto Area alone has resulted in a substantial
cumulative loss of productive agricultural land, now estimated at 5,000 hectares per year. The famed
Niagara "fruit belt" between Lakes Ontario and Erie has also felt the squeeze from urbanization. There is
no question that the displacement of farming activity near Ontario's metropolitan areas has pushed some
farming operations into marginal areas where growing conditions are less favorable.
The 11 largest U.S. metro areas located completely or partially in the basin accounted for 81 percent of the
1990 U.S. basin population. A seven-county eastern Wisconsin area, which includes metropolitan
Milwaukee, where population increased by less than 1 percent from 1970 to 1980 and by about 3 percent
from 1980 to 1990, illustrates the trend. From 1970 to 1985 urban land uses in this area increased by 20
percent, totalling an additional 258 square kilometres (100 square miles). Much of this land consumption
has been at the expense of prime agricultural land. In fact, most of the basin's urban population is located
near cropland and continued area growth of cities and suburban areas will encroach upon this valuable
agricultural resource. Figure 3, which is based on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer imaging,
shows the proximity of basin urban areas to cropland, with hypothetical "growth circles" extending into
cropland. Sixty-four percent of all basin cropland is within a 50-kilometre (31-mile) zone of influence of
identified urban areas.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 53
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Land Use and Urban Buffer Zones
in the Great Lakes Basin
Legend
• Urban
D Forest
D Cropland
D Water
Urban Buffer Zones:
15, 30, and 50 km
185km
Figure 3. Land Use and Urban Buffer Zones in the Great Lakes Basin
4.2 Planning for Sustainable Growth in Cottage Country: Tay
Township
Introduction
The Township of Tay in the County of Simcoe provides an excellent example of the kind of pressures that
have been felt in waterfront municipalities throughout much of the Great Lakes. We briefly examine this
municipality in terms of historical development pressures of both cottage and year-round development; the
effect of this development on Severn Sound, Georgian Bay, and Lake Huron; and the responses that the
township has taken and is taking to resolve past and present problems and to plan for future growth and
development.
Context
The Township of Tay has been the beneficiary of considerable cottage development over the past four
decades and the recipient of the effect of that development. Tay is located on the southern shore of Severn
Sound of Georgian Bay, only 120 kilometres (74 miles) from the Greater Toronto metropolis; its 48
kilometres (30 miles) of shoreline and natural setting have been an attractive magnet for cottage
development.
54
.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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The population of the township is currently 10,200, having grown from approximately 2,300 in 1930. An
estimated 4,500 seasonal residents, not included in the permanent population of the community, are added
to the community during the summer months. Historically an agricultural community with a lumber mill
and grain elevator, the township has undergone significant economic changes in the past 30 years. It now
functions as a series of bedroom communities, stretching along the shoreline of Severn Sound, for the larger
urban centres of Midland, Orillia, and Barrie, which are located about 60 kilometres (37 miles) to the
south. Significant changes have also been made to the traditional cottage areas of the township, with more
and more seasonal waterfront and back lot homes being converted to year-round residences. This trend is
expected to increase as the baby boom generation moves into its early retirement years and begins to cash
out its homes in the GTA and look for retirement homes in cottage country.
Environmental concerns for Severn Sound first became readily apparent in the early 1970s with the
occurrence of large algae blooms and floating weed beds in portions of the sound. Public concern about
excessive algae growth lead to Severn Sound being examined by the International Joint Commission (IJC).
The IJC concluded, on the basis of the information and recommendations of the Canadian and Ontario
governments, that the beneficial uses of the Severn Sound ecosystem were sufficiently impaired to require
recognition of the sound as one of the 43 AOCs in the Great Lakes and one of 17 in Ontario.
Severn Sound is the source of drinking water for five communities within the township as well as the
receiving body for the sewage effluent from two water pollution control plants currently discharging 2,500
cubic metres (88,250 cubic feet) per day into the sound. Sport fishing has also suffered as a result of the
changes in the water quality in Severn Sound, which has changed from a primarily large predator sport
fishery to one now mainly producing a variety of pan fish species. Other uses of the sound, such as
swimming and other water sports, have also suffered from the algae and weed growth, although no formal
beach closures have occurred in the recent past.
The growth in residential and cottage development in the township has had a number of direct
environmental impacts on Severn Sound. Shoreline septic systems, cumulative shoreline alterations, and
property maintenance activities—including the application of pesticides and fertilizers adjacent to the
shoreline—have all affected the water quality of the sound.
Perhaps the biggest impact of urbanization on Severn Sound has been the loss of natural lands and the
habitat they have provided. An estimated 40 kilometres (25 miles) of nearshore habitat have been lost to
cottage development along the shoreline of the sound in Tay, leaving only a limited distance (8 to 9
kilometres/5 to 6 miles) of undisturbed shoreline today. The planning challenge is to maintain the natural
features of the area and improve the water quality of Severn Sound, which are the very characteristics that
make the Township of Tay and Severn Sound an attractive destination.
History of Shoreline Cottage Development
Figure 4 shows the shoreline of Severn Sound within the Township of Tay and the historic development of
the shoreline cottage areas of the township. In the pre-1930s era, little cottage development existed in the
area, with Port McNicoll, Victoria Harbour, and Waubaushene being the focus of community life. With the
first wave in the early 1930s through to the late 1970s, the shoreline of Tay Township became ribboned
with cottage developments as residents of the Toronto area took advantage of increased disposable income
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 55
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and improved road networks to look north for summer cottage areas. By the mid-1980s most of the
available and easily developed shoreline of the township had been developed for seasonal cottages. While
some shoreline remains, these areas are associated with provincially significant wetlands or with railway
lands that have only recently become available. Tay's challenge is to plan effectively for the remaining
areas of the Severn Sound shoreline and to develop policies and programs to rehabilitate and mitigate the
impacts from the existing cottage areas on the quality of Severn Sound.
D Settlement areas
D Shoreline development
Georgian Bay
0 700 1400
1920
1940
0 700 14001
1960
1980
Figure 4. Township of Tay Shoreline Cottage Growth
Planning for the Future
Tay, Simcoe County, and the Severn Sound Remedial Action Plan (RAP) are all undertaking programs to
alleviate the impacts from the existing cottage areas and to plan in a more sustainable way for the future
growth and development of the area. In addition to a comprehensive list of actions identified in the RAP
Stage 2 document, the Severn Sound RAP has a number of initiatives that specifically focus on shoreline
areas and restoring shoreline habitat. The Shoreline Owners Advisory Program (SOAP) is a program that
assists shoreline property owners in reducing fertilizer and pesticide use (which affect shoreline habitat)
adjacent to the waters of the sound, restoring a portion of the owner's shoreline to a more natural habitat
condition, and reducing the locations for direct impacts to Severn Sound. Furthermore, a program has
begun this year to reconstruct shoreline wetlands and habitat in areas of the sound where habitat loss has
been the highest.
56
.Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Tay Township is also tackling the following issues: first, a program to connect existing shoreline
communities (currently serviced by private septic) to one of the two water pollution control plants. This has
already started, with the township's long-term goal to connect all unserviced shoreline communities to the
sewage treatment plants. Second, Tay has already included Severn Sound RAP objectives within its
planning control documents and is undertaking a review and consolidation of its Official Plan to ensure
that, in addition to other items, a natural heritage system is identified and protected within the township.
This "greening" of Tay's planning approach is also reflected in its cooperation with Environment Canada
and the Severn Sound RAP in participating in and managing a pilot project to develop a restoration
strategy for the Hogg Creek subwatershed in the Severn Sound watershed in order to achieve the terrestrial
and habitat objectives of the RAP.
Simcoe County, currently in the process of developing its first Official Plan, has also committed itself to
dealing with major environmental issues at the regional level. A main building block of the plan is the
identification of a "greenlands" system. Using a functional approach, the consultant has mapped green land
units and inventoried the features and functions of those units. The application of appropriate constraints to
development in those units can minimize the negative impact of such development.
Summary
Tay township is one of many predominantly recreational areas along the Great Lakes nearshore that has
been under increasing pressure of urban development. What were once relatively rustic recreational
cottages along the shoreline are rapidly being converted into second homes in a form of nearshore urban
sprawl. In addition to the destruction of natural habitat that occurs when these second homes are
constructed, the use of pesticides and fertilizers, the introduction of exotic plants, and the concentration of
wastes through inadequate sewage and septic treatment continue to stress the nearshore ecosystem of the
Great Lakes.
4.3 Dredging and Confined Disposal Facilities
For more than 150 years, dredging for navigation purposes has taken place in the Great Lakes. Dredging,
involving the removal of accumulated bottom sediments, is necessary to maintain channel depths for safe
and efficient vessel operations. In U.S. waters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the corps) is authorized
to maintain 131 navigation-related projects, nearly all of them commercial and recreational harbours and
navigation channels. Many of these projects require periodic dredging. The other commercial and
recreational harbours are either privately owned and maintained or under the responsibility of local
jurisdictions. The appropriate disposal of material dredged from navigation projects is a nationwide issue
but has important implications for the use, management, and protection of waters in the Great Lakes basin.
Federal policy dictates that contaminated dredged material, which has been determined as posing an
unacceptable risk to the environment, must be confined; the necessity of such confinement is also
recognized by state and local governments.
Many facilities for placement of these polluted sediments have been built in the Great Lakes nearshore
area, some in water and others at upland locations. Concern over environmental effects of dredging and
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 57
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disposal of dredged material, the increasing scarcity of suitable disposal sites, and the role of dredging in
supporting waterborne commerce have combined to elevate the issue on the region's public policy agenda.
The history of dredging in the Great Lakes is one of incremental development, responding to both political
and environmental considerations, as well as changes in vessel design. Early efforts aimed at improving
U.S. harbours, such as the construction of piers and breakwaters and limited dredging, were often
undertaken by private and local interests with some federal involvement. Many of these harbours were
located in the lower reaches or mouths of tributaries to the lakes. As vessel size and draft increased over
time, harbour sediments needed to be regularly removed and adjacent shore lands modified to widen
harbour areas and also to accommodate waterfront development. Federal funding for some of this work
ebbed and flowed prior to the Civil War, reflecting congressional opinion on "internal improvements."
By the middle of the 19th century and under the direction of the Board of Works, Canadian navigation
improvements such as enlargement of the Welland Canal (first opened in 1829 as a way around Niagara
Falls) were well under way. When congressional appropriations for Great Lakes harbours became more
regular in support of national infrastructure development and in response to Canadian competition, a
pattern emerged that would sustain harbour and channel development up to the present time.
As Great Lakes commodity movement increased, the corps undertook a more system-wide approach to
navigation improvements. Connecting channels became a top priority, with incremental depth
improvements as well as new locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The River and Harbor Act of 1892
authorized a minimum navigation depth of 6.1 metres (20 feet) in connecting channels, and eventually
major commercial harbours were also dredged. Vessel drafts and navigation depth continued to increase
and, in 1956, U.S. legislation set the stage for the current 8.2-metre (27-foot) vessel draft. This
congressional action was related to St. Lawrence Seaway legislation in both Canada and U.S. that
culminated with the modern Seaway lock and channel system in 1959.
These channel and related harbour deepening activities created an initial increase in dredged material
quantities, and subsequent maintenance of authorized depths for U.S. projects has continued to generate
relatively large volumes—from 2.3 to 3.8 million cubic metres (3 to 5 million cubic yards per year).
Another 0.76 to 2.3 million cubic metres (1 to 3 million cubic yards) are removed annually at other sites
controlled by private interests and state and local jurisdictions. Until the mid-1960s, much of the dredged
material was redeposited offshore away from navigation channels. But some of it was used for nearby land
filling and to replenish beach sand lost to littoral drift and wave action. Rising concern about Great Lakes
water quality and possible connection to polluted sediments resulted in a shift of policy on disposal of
dredged material.
During the latter half of the 1960s, the corps, in cooperation with the Federal Water Pollution Control
Administration (predecessor of USEPA), began to study its Great Lakes dredging activities and related in-
water disposal of dredged material. This investigation also included the construction of the first confined
disposal facilities (CDFs) for the Great Lakes. A Corps of Engineers Buffalo District report released in
1969 concluded that in-water disposal of polluted dredged material was "presumptively" undesirable for
the Great Lakes. The corps investigation, coupled with growing concern about water quality in the Great
Lakes and elsewhere, spurred Congress to take action. With passage of the River and Harbor Act of 1970
(P.L. 91-611), the current era in U.S. disposal of contaminated dredged material from the Great Lakes was
5 8 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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launched. Section 123 of this legislation authorized the construction of diked disposal facilities for the
Great Lakes. The legislation also authorized the corps to undertake "a comprehensive program of research,
study and experimentation relating to dredged spoil" for all U.S. waters. From 1973 to 1978, the Dredged
Material Research Program managed by the Corps Waterways Experiment Station was the principal
follow-up program, but the study has continued through additional coordination with government agencies
and other researchers. For example, due to speculation over the effectiveness of Great Lakes CDFs in
containing contaminants, an interagency CDF Work Group was formed in 1986, consisting of
representatives from the Corps Buffalo, Chicago, and Detroit Districts, the U.S. EPA Region 5, and Great
Lakes offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These as well as other agencies have conducted a
number of studies and monitoring efforts.
Since the 1960s, the corps has constructed 40 CDFs around the Great Lakes. Of the total number of U.S.
Great Lakes CDFs, 14 were constructed on land and 26 were built as in-water facilities, often adjacent to
the shore or at nearshore locations. The CDFs built in the water average 45 hectares (112 acres) in size,
whereas the upland sites are considerably smaller, averaging 14.5 hectares (36 acres). In Canada 12 CDFs
have been constructed. Figure 5 shows locations of the U.S. Great Lakes CDFs.
Locations of Confined
Disposal Facilities (CDF)
U.S. Great Lakes
awkawlirtjH/'^-
Saginaw/
Sebewaing
,4Sanilac
-—-JDickenson
/ Harsen's--
Clinton
Grassy I
P. Mouilleexx
^Riverview
Windmill
I V/
Milwaukee—• T(
k A
Vr
Michigan City
Monroe
(Sterling)
(Edikon) Toledo 4
Legend
In-Lake CDF
Upland CDF
Figure 5. Location of Confined Disposal Facilities (CDF) US Great Lakes
Under current dredged material evaluation procedures, about half of the material removed each year is
considered polluted or otherwise not suitable for open water disposal and placed in confined disposal
facilities. This amount, averaging around 2.5 million cubic yards (1.92 million cubic metres) would fill
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use ,
59
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500,000 standard dump trucks and if parked end-to-end, the line of trucks would stretch from Windsor
(Ontario) to Spokane (Washington). The size and design of each facility is site-specific, depending on the
location, the nature and potential amount of sediments, and how it will be used or function once it is full or
no longer receiving dredged material. Dikes for in-water CDFs are usually constructed in layers with
heavy, protective stone on the outside and progressively smaller stones to sand on the inside. Some CDFs
incorporate liners or steel sheet pile in the dike walls. As dredged material is pumped or placed in a CDF,
the sediments fall to the bottom and the accompanying water evaporates or percolates through the walls or
into the ground. When permeability is reduced over time because of sediment sealing, a variety of water-
release mechanisms, including overflow weirs and filter cells, are used.
The regulation of dredged material disposal activities in U.S. waters is governed by the Clean Water Act of
1972 and its subsequent amendments (CWA). Corps district offices handle permitting under section 404
except in Michigan, where relevant authority has been transferred to the state. The corps conducts an
evaluation of all the disposal activities managed by the corps; the guidelines for this evaluation were
developed in cooperation with U.S. EPA and must comply with respective state regulations. In addition to
this level of regulation, state review of dredge-and-fill disposal activities under section 401 is required to
certify that such activities will not violate state water-quality standards or criteria.
Another regulatory issue is whether contaminated dredged material is also subject to hazardous waste
regulation and how that complicates the review and permitting process. Pennsylvania is one of the states
with this concern. For various dredging projects around the Great Lakes, the evaluation process,
particularly as it relates to open water disposal of dredged material and CDF expansion or location, has
become publicly contentious and administratively protracted. Part of the problem rested with national
testing guidelines and evaluation criteria used under section 404 that were deemed to be inadequate for the
Great Lakes. As a result, the corps' North Central Division and the EPA regions having some Great Lakes
jurisdiction have prepared a draft "Great Lakes Dredged Material Testing and Evaluation Manual"
(released for public review and comment October 1994). Dredged material will be evaluated through a
tiered approach, starting with a "reason-to-know" that sediments are contaminated and, if necessary,
progressing to more rigorous chemical, physical, and biological assessments. If a contaminant
determination is made, confinement and/or remediation of the polluted material triggers another set of
issues, some of which pose formidable future challenges.
Great Lakes ecosystem health depends, among other things, on the elimination of contaminants or, where
necessary, a high level of isolation of contaminants. A major concern is how effective CDFs are in keeping
the material from recontaminating the surrounding environment. Contaminants often bind with fine
sediments such as silt and clay. If this form of pollution is confined to the CDF and bioaccumulation of
pollutants by plants and animals in or near CDFs is not significant, CDFs are presumed to be relatively
efficient. There is no system-wide, continual monitoring program for Great Lakes CDFs. However, the
monitoring of CDF water quality generally occurs during dredging and disposal operations, and 12 CDFs
do have monitoring wells in dike walls.
Furthermore, many environmental studies have been conducted at selected CDFs around the Great Lakes
with interesting results. A 1993 CDF report prepared by the corps' North Central Division summarized the
overall environmental status of CDFs as reported in studies to date: "The results of water quality
monitoring [have] confirmed that CDFs are highly efficient at retaining the sediment solids and attached
60 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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contaminants." CDF influent typically has suspended solids levels around 100 mg/1 whereas effluents are
normally around 1 mg/1. With respect to contaminant losses from in-water CDFs, detailed studies at several
facilities show a high level of efficiency at keeping pollution within the CDF itself. For example, computer
modelling of PCB loss at the Saginaw Bay CDF indicates a 99.82 to 99.93 percent efficiency.
Biomonitoring studies there did not detect any contaminant transfer. At the Chicago Area CDF, tissues
from organisms near the CDF were shown to be no different (with respect to contaminant levels) than those
taken from remote locations. But fish and invertebrates collected from within the CDF did reveal some
elevated contaminant levels. The Times Beach CDF at Buffalo has had more biological studies than any
other Great Lakes CDF. This 18.6 hectare (46-acre) facility was used for only four years before being
designated a nature preserve in 1976. Dozens of studies since have shown some mobility of heavy metals
through the plant community into soil invertebrates in an upland area.
Contaminant mobility within wetland and aquatic communities has been detected but not yet fully
quantified. Studies have been undertaken for all Canadian CDFs and the results indicate that plant and
animal life that inhabit CDFs are bioaccumulating contaminants. Canadian researchers have suggested that
waterfowl that inhabit or visit CDFs may be good biomonitors of bioaccumulation of contaminants. Even
though CDFs appear to be efficient in retaining contaminants, more research is needed to describe the
potential contaminant exposure pathways associated with CDFs and to test mitigation strategies such as
capping or otherwise eliminating or neutralizing sediment exposure.
The continued use of confined disposal facilities in the Great Lakes is necessary. Originally, the main CDF
program authorized by P.L. 91-611 envisioned use of such facilities fora 10-year period. It was believed
that progress in pollution control, particularly from municipal and industrial point sources, would
sufficiently reduce the contamination of sediments and thereby eliminate (or reduce) the need to use CDFs.
However, the extensive accumulation of contaminated bottom sediments, particularly in industrial harbour
areas and tributary river reaches, and continuing land-use practices that create erosion, sedimentation, and
related pollution require ongoing confinement of large quantities of polluted dredged material.
Contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes represent an acknowledged threat to the health of the basin's
ecosystem. Human health is also threatened, particularly through fish consumption and related PCB
contamination from polluted sediments. Long-term use of CDFs is the principal means of resolving the
overall problem of disposal of contaminated sediments derived from dredging for navigation purposes. But
other strategies exist. Remediation or cleanup of polluted material from a CDF or elsewhere is
technologically feasible through various means, but is relatively expensive compared with placement and
storage in a CDF. Sediment reduction at the source, though, offers much promise as a means to both reduce
polluted sediment transport and, where possible, lessen navigation-related dredging requirements.
Most of the sedimentation in tributary rivers and streams to the Great Lakes is caused by human activity.
Although agricultural practices are the primary culprit in many sub-basin areas, construction activity and
the relative imperviousness of the built environment also contribute to sediment loads and transport
dynamics. Littoral drift is a natural process that contributes to some sedimentation in navigation channels
exposed to or near the open lake. Also, siltation levels are high for many Great Lakes harbours, particularly
those that contain river flows and areas where the basin has substantial agricultural activity. For example,
the largest tributary of Lake Erie, the Maumee River, with a 17,483 square kilometre (6,750 square mile)
watershed, transports huge quantities of silt and clay sediment that cause shoaling in parts of the river and
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 61
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at the Port of Toledo. It was estimated that the mean annual sediment load for the Maumee River during the
1980s was 1.1 million metric tons, representing about 10 percent of annual gross erosion in the Maumee
watershed. In addition to the physical movement of sediment and the effects of associated dredging,
sediment-produced turbidity reduces light penetration, which affects aquatic plant growth. Agricultural
runoff is also a primary source of phosphorus loading for streams and rivers and especially for lakes. The
infusion of phosphorus into receiving waters, in both its soluble and particulate (in association with
sediments) forms, acts as a plant nutrient resulting in eutrophication problems.
The control of erosion is recognized as a key component in reducing sedimentation in streams, rivers, and
Great Lakes harbours as well as reducing associated chemical pollution. In a recent initiative of the U.S.
Natural Resources Conservation Service in the Maumee River basin, erosion control projects for the three-
state, 25-county area are aiming at a 15 percent annual reduction in the volume of sediment dredged at
Toledo for several successive years. The increasing adoption of conservation tillage (reduced till and no-
till) has made significant progress in parts of the basin in reducing erosion rates as well as phosphorus and
pesticide loads for tributary waters and the Great Lakes. Other measures and programs such as acreage set-
asides embodied in the Conservation Reserve Program and Ontario's Conservation and Environment
Protection Assistance Program, along with contour ploughing, vegetative and woodland cover efforts in
erosion-prone areas, filter strips, and sediment detention ponds have proved that progress is possible on this
difficult issue where land meets water.
Additional CDF capacity beyond that which exists now, or alternatives, will be needed. Some CDFs have
been filled to capacity and are no longer being used. And all but 2 of the 26 CDFs built and used under
P.L. 91-611 will be full or at design capacity by the year 2006. There are added concerns among states and
communities that certain CDFs could be used for material originating far away from their localities as other
CDFs fill up, despite the high cost of transporting the material. Without more CDF capacity, much of the
maintenance dredging for navigation purposes could come to an end, causing serious consequences for
commercial navigation and the regional economy. The Lake Carriers' Association indicates that even slight
decreases in available depth significantly reduces a vessel's carrying capacity. For example, the workhorse
vessel of the Great Lakes fleet, the 1,000-footer, loses 245 metric tons (270 tons) of cargo for each 2.54 cm
(inch) reduction in draft. Low-cost, efficient transport of raw materials on the Great Lakes is necessary for
steel production that is dependent on waterborne commerce and the connection to the region's durable-
goods manufacturing sector.
New construction of CDFs or expansions of existing ones are subject to non-federal cost sharing. With a
CDF potentially costing several million dollars to develop, non-federal sponsors have been understandably
reluctant to build new CDFs. Another serious problem is the siting of new CDFs. The Great Lakes have the
most in-water CDFs in the country and this apparent bias in favour of water locations is partly explained
by the relatively high cost of upland sites, which are often in highly urbanized areas. An alternative to a
water site that is being closely at is using an existing contaminated site and incorporating a cleanup as part
of the CDF construction process. Contaminated sediments from Indiana Harbor are likely to end up at such
a nearby site.
Several communities around the Great Lakes are taking a "conservation-of-space" approach to the problem
of future CDF capacity as well as planning for new facilities if they become necessary. For example, in the
shared harbour at Duluth (Minnesota) and Superior (Wisconsin), the CDF known as the Erie Pier Dredged
62 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Materials Placement Facility has been the site of a successful sediment cleaning and sorting activity.
Coarser-grained material (clean) is separated from the finer particles and reused off-site for construction,
road maintenance, and other purposes. This process, supported by the local Remedial Action Plan Citizens
Advisory Committee, will increase the lifespan of the CDF. In Cleveland, an option to raise dike walls on a
CDF that is close to capacity has been ruled out in favour of building a new CDF adjacent to a waterfront
airport. In this case, land-use considerations were very important because the city planned to add the
existing CDF to its park space and the new CDF needed to be compatible with airfield operations.
In Ashtabula, Ohio, the lack of a plan to dispose of highly polluted sediments from a portion of the lower
Ashtabula River prevented any dredging from 1979 until 1993, when a limited amount of recreational
dredging took place with temporary disposal at a river-adjacent confinement site. Eventually, this polluted
material, along with a greater volume of dredged material, will be moved to a permanent upland site. Two
sites are now under active consideration by the Ashtabula River Partnership, a public/private group of
stakeholders.
In Toledo, Ohio, a Harbor Planning Group made up of local, state, and federal officials has developed a
long-term management strategy for its dredged material disposal problems. With an average of 649,910
cubic metres (850,000 cubic yards) of sediment needed to be dredged each year, this large volume has
spawned a three-pronged approach: (1) continued short-term use of the harbour CDF for nearly three-
quarters of the sediment, with the rest having been determined suitable for open lake disposal; (2) concerted
effort to continue reusing dredged material, subject to cleaning and combining with sewage sludge to create
top soil material along with efforts to better manage CDF sediments through dewatering to facilitate
compaction (to create additional capacity); and (3) planning for a new CDF-type facility that would
function as a shoreline protection structure and also create wildlife habitat and eliminate the need for future
open lake disposal. These three activities, combined with the effort to substantially reduce erosion and
sediment transport in the Maumee River basin, has created a plan to not only protect the waters of Lake
Erie, but also maintain the port as a valuable economic development asset for the region.
Now that many CDFs have been built, with several closed for disposal operations, there is an interest in
converting them to another use. The only CDF built under P.L. 91-611 that has been released from Corps
of Engineers jurisdiction is the small facility at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Part of the CDF (1 hectare/2.5 acres)
is now city parkland. A marina has also been developed adjacent to it, utilizing some of its structure.
Various other CDFs are being contemplated as part of parkland areas or specially developed for wildlife
habitat or to function as shoreline protection structures. The Pointe Mouillee Diked Disposal Project on
Lake Erie south of the Detroit River illustrates this multiple purpose approach to CDF development and
use. The 283-hectare (700-acre) diked island was needed to hold polluted dredged material from the Detroit
and Rouge Rivers when other containment areas were nearing capacity. Its location and crescent shape
were designed as a barrier island to protect the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and associated marsh
from wave action. This game area is the largest in the Detroit area.
Dredging and fill operations in the Great Lakes have modified the shoreline and nearshore waters in many
places. Thousands of acres have been added to urban waterfronts, including harbour areas. Some of this
"created" land is occupied by parks and buildings, and other land has been used for industrial and port
development. Confined disposal facilities, many with their unique undevelopable status, encompass
hundreds of nearshore acres throughout the Great Lakes. They serve an important environmental purpose.
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And possibly, with appropriate planning and remediation, existing and future CDFs can also support more
direct human uses.
4.4 Redevelopment of Cobourg Harbourfront
A recurring theme along the shores of Lake Ontario, as with other waterfronts around the world, is the
transformation of former industrial and transportation lands to a new generation of uses—residential,
commercial, tourist, and recreational. These are dramatic changes in land use, providing equally dramatic
challenges and opportunities for planning, environmental cleanup, design, and economic revitalization.
The Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront (1988-1992) concluded that to meet these
challenges and opportunities effectively, we needed to shift to a more integrated decision-making approach.
This approach, based on an understanding of the interrelated nature of ecosystems, would attempt to
balance environmental, social, and economic conditions and objectives. After public consultation, the
commission also developed a set of principles to guide regeneration of the waterfront. They state that the
waterfront should be:
• clean
green
accessible
• affordable
• diverse
attractive
open
• connected
• usable
These principles are now being applied by municipalities, conservation authorities, developers, and other
landowners along the Lake Ontario waterfront for many different kinds of projects and plans. Examples of
the scope of activity include an official plan for the Town of Whitby, the renovation of Marie Curtis Park
in Etobicoke, a waterfront plan for Metropolitan Toronto, a renaissance program for the Trenton
waterfront, and the cleanup of Shell Canada's lands in the Port of Toronto.
The revitalization of the West Harbour Lands in Cobourg provides a case study that demonstrates many of
these kinds of plans and actions. Cobourg is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, between Oshawa
and Brighton.
Cobourg was founded in 1798 and by the mid-1800s it was a thriving regional centre with a population of
about 1,000 people. Construction of a harbour in the 1840s on Cobourg's beach stimulated the town's
growth and the harbour soon became a busy port from which iron ore and other products were exported. In
1860 the magnificent Victoria Hall, designed by internationally renowned architect Kivas Tully, was
completed, with the expectation that Cobourg would become the centre of government for Canada West.
Later of course, the colony became Ontario, and Toronto was selected its capital city.
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After World War II industry expanded again and Cobourg became the home of several international
businesses, including General Foods and Curtis Products. Rail lines served passengers travelling to and
from Cobourg as well as the needs of industry in the region. Several rail spur lines and bulk gasoline and
furnace oil storage operations were located in the west harbour area.
Today, Cobourg's population numbers 15,000 people. The harbour-related industries that helped create the
local economy have moved out, making room for new land uses on the waterfront. Thanks to a strong
framework established in a secondary plan adopted by the Town of Cobourg in 1989, these changes are
taking place in an integrated manner. Cobourg's downtown is only one block from the lake, creating
opportunities to integrate the new development with the heritage and businesses of the commercial district.
The eastern part of the harbour area has already been renewed, creating a significant asset for the town and
the region. Attractions include Victoria Beach and Park, a campground, a marina, and the Waterfront
Promenade (part of the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail, which stretches from Stoney Creek to Trenton).
The west harbour lands present more significant challenges, due to a legacy of soil and groundwater
contamination resulting from decades of industrial and transportation uses. The pollutants left behind by
these activities can have a range of effects on the nearshore ecosystem, including impacts on plant
growth, wildlife diversity and health, and human health. These contaminated sites must be cleaned up
before redevelopment takes place.
Undeterred by these obstacles, the Cobourg Harbour Development Corporation was quick off the mark to
start the process of cleanup and redevelopment, with the early construction of 40 attractive, low-rise
condominiums, and plans for more housing.
These actions stimulated adjacent landowners—Ultramar Canada Ltd., Imperial Oil, and Canadian
National Railways—to evaluate their own properties to determine how best to restore them for new uses.
The Waterfront Regeneration Trust assisted these landowners in coordinating their efforts and working
with the Cobourg Harbour Development Corporation, the Town of Cobourg, the Ontario Ministry of
Environment and Energy, and the general public. This involved sharing information about site conditions
and developing remediation plans that would be cost-effective, employ innovative techniques, protect
human health and the environment, and avoid re-contamination of clean sites.
Each remediation plan was carefully developed to take into account the specific characteristics of the site,
making costs lower than would be the case with the traditional approach of excavation and off-site
disposal. For example, Ultramar Canada Ltd. used air sparging to treat the hydrocarbon contamination in
groundwater and soil by using pipes to inject air below the water table. Imperial Oil's property, being
contaminated with diesel fuel and furnace oil, was found to be suitable for bioremediation techniques
(similar to composting). The affected soil was excavated; mounded into large piles on the site; treated with
fertilizer, moisture, and oxygen; and covered to help retain heat and moisture. Canadian National Railways
is considering a combination of air sparging with excavation and off-site disposal for its property. And the
Town of Cobourg and Cobourg Harbour Development Corporation (CHDC) are cooperating to develop a
remediation program for a small parcel of municipally owned land that will be sold to the CHDC.
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With remediation under way or complete on all these properties in the West Harbour Lands, they will be
available to contribute to Cobourg's vision for its waterfront, combining a mix of residential, commercial,
and parkland uses.
A West Harbour Waterfront Development Plan was prepared for the Town of Cobourg in 1994/95 to
guide the provision of recreational opportunities. The plan provides for a marina centre, a mooring basin,
heritage landscape treatments, a new headland incorporating natural habitats, a wetland, a picnic area, and
a trail system connecting to the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail.
The revitalization of Cobourg Harbour is reconnecting Cobourg's business district, with its rich heritage, to
the waterfront. This is changing the way Cobourg's residents and visitors view the town, making it an
increasingly attractive place to live, work, and visit. Canada Day celebrations bring thousands of visitors
each year, including many from the United States who make the trip across the lake by boat and enjoy
Cobourg's renovated harbour. This year, an additional feather in Cobourg's cap was the selection of
Cobourg's waterfront by the Mariposa Festival as the location for its 1996 event.
Cobourg's successful efforts to renew its waterfront exemplify the value of taking an integrated approach
to planning and development in the nearshore ecosystem. They show how Great Lakes communities can
build on their existing character, landscapes, and history to solve problems and take advantage of new
opportunities.
4.5 Watershed-based Planning and Innovative Land Use in
Northwest Michigan
Characterized by rolling hills and valleys, more than 100 inland lakes and 132 miles of Lake Michigan
shoreline, the Grand Traverse Bay watershed is the centerpiece of Michigan's northwest lower peninsula.
Soil-rich coastal areas and a temperature-moderating "lake effect" create favorable growing conditions for
specialty crops, mainly fruit trees, making this area the tart "cherry capital of the world." Collectively,
these features create not only a picturesque landscape, but also a diverse regional economy with strong
representation from the manufacturing, retail trade, finance and real estate and service sectors.
This combination of natural features and a thriving economy has become a magnet for businesses and
residents migrating from across the Great Lakes Basin. Grand Traverse County, for example, experienced
a 17.1 percent population increase between 1980 and 1990. Development pressure is high. At the current
rate of growth, in the next 25 years the population of the five-county area surrounding Traverse City will
reach 140,000—a 41 percent increase from 1995. This popularity has a price. Tributaries to the Bay are
showing signs of nutrient enrichment and sediment loadings; cherry orchards are being replaced with
subdivisions and second homes; roads are being constructed and widened. All of these factors are altering
the character of the region that attracted people in the first place.
In the interest of maintaining the special character of the area and its quality of life, many diverse interests
in the region have come together to protect and restore the Grand Traverse Bay watershed and plan for
sustainable community development. Two complementary, collaborative efforts stand out in making this
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region a success story in watershed protection and innovative land use: The Grand Traverse Bay
Watershed Initiative and New Designs For Growth. The successes of each of these initiatives can be
measured by process as well as product.
Creative Partnerships
The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative and New Designs for Growth are examples of successful
multi-sectoral organizational cooperative efforts. The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative is a
long-term collaborative program among many agencies and organizations dedicated to managing resources
in the five-county area surrounding Grand Traverse Bay, located off the northwest corner of Michigan's
lower peninsula. A partnership agreement provides a decentralized, noncontractual, yet coordinated
management framework for public and private stakeholders to collaborate on watershed protection projects.
The partnership agreement is based on a common belief in three fundamental principles that emphasize: 1)
locally based, locally managed projects; 2) responsible behavior on part of all residents and visitors to the
region; and 3) pollution prevention and resource protection now rather than costly cleanup in the future.
Today, the partnership consists of more than 120 agencies and organizations. These include business and
civic associations, environmental groups, land conservancies, educational institutions, local, state and
federal units of government, and many more. Some partners of the Watershed Initiative share information
and technology on an informal basis while others collaborate extensively on projects. Since 1990, partners
have undertaken approximately 55 projects relating to land use, wildlife, rivers, creeks and lakes that
balance economic growth and environmental protection.
New Designs for Growth is a novel coalition of twenty businesses and business associations, educational
and environmental organizations, and local units of government responding to surging population growth
and unchecked development in the five Lake Michigan coastal counties surrounding Traverse City.1 What
is novel about New Designs is that it is one of only five such business-led growth management initiatives
nationwide. Newly-established in March of 1996, their mission is "to formulate new patterns for land use
that enhances northwest Michigan's natural features, regional economy and cultural heritage by joining
with communities to establish innovative tools to prepare for change." The primary instrument for carrying
out this mission is the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook developed in 1992 with
support from the Grand Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce. The Guidebook provides model ordinances
and land use design concepts, as well as guidelines for growth management. Coalition stakeholders agree
that managing growth has been and continues to be the biggest issue facing the Grand Traverse Bay region.
Stakeholders in New Designs have defined a set of six goals to fulfill their mission: 1) enhancing the
quality of life by strengthening the regional economy and expanding locally-driven business opportunities;
2) safeguarding key natural features by increasing the use of model land use principles; 3) broadening the
civic discussion about growth; 4) establishing orderly commercial street design; 5) preserving the region's
working rural character; and 6) minimizing pollution by promoting energy and resource conservation. New
Designs pursues these goals by providing public education and land use planning services for free or at a
nominal charge to ninety three local governments in the five counties.
The Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative and New Designs for Growth cover slightly different geographic
areas. Both cover Antrim, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties. The Watershed Initiative covers a small
portion of Charlevoix county to the northeast of the Bay, consistent with the watershed boundaries, and New Designs
covers Benzie county to the west.
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Though they have somewhat different principles and goals, both New Designs and the Watershed Initiative
share the collective knowledge that growth is inevitable and necessary, but if not managed, everyone will
lose the very things that have made the region a high quality place to live and visit. The two efforts have a
symbiotic relationship. Technically, the Watershed Initiative (with its more than 120 partners) is a partner
in New Designs, yet many members of New Designs are also signatory to the Watershed Initiative's
partnership agreement. Both provide unique structural models for different interests to build trust among
themselves and work together to address issues of common concern.
Northwest Michigan is more than a success story in organizational collaboration. Many tangible and
critical ecological restoration, environmental protection, watershed-based planning and land use initiatives
have been adopted or implemented in the region. Though well over fifty such efforts have been completed
or are underway in the region, the following are a few examples that illustrate why this is a region of
success.
Chain of Lakes-Watershed-Based Planning
Watershed-based planning activities are occurring in at least four of the major sub-basins in the Grand
Traverse Bay watershed. The Chain of Lakes/Elk Lake watershed is a remarkable example of established
watershed-based planning in the region. The Chain of Lakes is the largest of the subwatersheds, comprising
about 500 square miles—more than half of the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. With assistance from the
Conservation Resource Alliance (formerly the Northwest Michigan Resource Development and
Conservation Council, Inc.), dozens of local groups from the watershed coalesced to develop a strategic
plan for the Chain of Lakes watershed. The strategic plan contains six overarching goals including
traditional water quality and habitat protection goals. These goals also include provisions for such things
such as viewsheds and "cultural character"—concepts that have been relatively absent from traditional
watershed planning in part because they do not fit in with watershed planning grant programs that focus on
scientifically-measurable environmental attributes. More than eighty strategies and activities are planned or
underway to achieve the six goals. Implementation of the plan is ongoing by numerous local stakeholders,
including local units of government, educational institutions, business, environmental and citizen group
interests and others. The plan was completed in 1995. Already a landowner's guidebook has been
completed and watershed boundary road signs have been erected. A budget over a half a million dollars
continues to support inventories, analyses and education and outreach efforts. Committed stakeholders in
the plan try to find funding sources that meet their goals rather than trying to meld their goals to fit those of
the funding sources. This high level of stakeholder commitment and involvement is an inspiration for other
watershed planning efforts.
Boardman River Watershed Restoration
The Boardman River Watershed, the second largest subwatershed, comprises about 30 percent of the
Grand Traverse Bay watershed. In 1990, Kalkaska and Grand Traverse Conservation Districts
collaborated with the state of Michigan to identify over 600 active erosion sites, 85 percent of which were
the result of human activities. Restoration efforts began in the fall of 1992. Since then, nearly 90 erosion
sites have been restored, preventing an estimated 1,500 tons of sand from washing into the River. In
addition, four sand traps are now in place on the River system, each with a long-term privately funded
maintenance contract. Engaging local volunteers to perform some of the restoration work has been highly
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successful in getting local stakeholders to become active stewards of the River. Increased grassroots
involvement holds promise for addressing the more than 500 remaining sites that still require attention,
particularly at a time when initial funding sources are close to expiring. Recently, the Conservation
Districts have teamed up with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to develop a restoration and
protection fund that will provide long-term protection of the Boardman River system.
Miller and Jack's Creek Watershed Planning
Miller and Jack's Creek Watersheds are subwatersheds to the Boardman River watershed. The area is
under some of the most intense urban development pressure in the region, but a number of large
undeveloped parcels still remain. With leadership from New Designs for Growth, local officials have
received a $25,000 grant under the state's Coastal Zone Management Program with an equal match from
the local township and business interests to develop a comprehensive plan and implementation strategy for
these watersheds. The project includes conducting ecological surveys and inventories, common to
watershed planning, and integrates them within a broader, stewardship-based community planning context.
This context includes provisions for developing a model conservation easement to protect water quality and
the prospect of creating a "village center." Efforts to curb non-point source pollution within these
watersheds will be viewed as a demonstration site to showcase innovative land-use planning approaches.
Soil Erosion/Stormwater Management Ordinance
Nonpoint source pollution is now the most significant contributor to water quality problems in the Lake
Michigan Basin. The loading of sediments and nutrients is the largest and most widespread nonpoint source
pollution problem in Lake Michigan's water. Northwest Michigan has been at the forefront in addressing
this issue through promotion and adoption of an integrated ordinance to control soil erosion and resulting
nonpoint stormwater runoff. Developed under the leadership of the Grand Traverse County Drain
Commissioner, a Grand Traverse County soil erosion and stormwater ordinance has provided a model for
the region to protect wetlands, waterways and groundwater recharge areas in the Grand Traverse Bay
Watershed. Based on the Grand Traverse County model, a soil erosion and stormwater ordinance has also
been adopted by Antrim County and three more counties in the watershed are considering similar
ordinances. The Homebuilders Association of Grand Traverse County and several major contractors are in
support of an ordinance that is consistent throughout the watershed. The Northwest Michigan Council of
Governments is helping to promote the adoption of such an ordinance within and beyond the watershed and
has reproduced a soil erosion and stormwater control brochure for use by homebuilders.
Long-term Stewardship Through Land Conservancies
More than one hundred long-term stewardship activities are underway in the five-county area around Grand
Traverse Bay with the support and assistance of two land conservancies.2 Since its inception in 1991, the
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has completed eighty projects, including thirty-five
Two other conservancies are important to note. The Old Mission Conservancy focuses on land protection in the
Old Mission Peninsula and operates primarily through the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. The Little
Traverse Conservancy, is a well-established and very active conservancy whose efforts include protecting lands in Emmet,
Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Mackinac, and Chippewa counties—primarily outside the Grand Traverse Bay region.
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conservation easements, sixteen nature preserves, twenty-two preserve additions and seven projects
assisting with property acquisition or transfer. As of early December, 1996, the Grand Traverse Regional
Land Conservancy, which covers Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties, has protected a
total of 3,051 acres, including over 15.3 miles of water frontage. The Conservancy is also working with
local businesses to establish a Grand Traverse Regional Land Use Protection Fund to support projects that
will strengthen local government's ability to effectively plan for growth in the region.
The Leelanau Conservancy, which operates in Leelanau County, has protected 1,500 acres of land, through
50 different projects. Forty of those projects are conservation easements that protect about 800 acres of
land which remains in private ownership. The remaining 700 acres are protected through 10 different
preserves around the county that include nearly 5 miles of shoreline.
Together, these two conservancies have protected more than 4,500 acres of land, including more than 20
miles of water frontage on rivers and lakes in the area. These areas include dunes, wetlands, habitat for
endangered and threatened species, scenic views, recreation areas and even a village center open space.
While much of these protected areas are still owned by private landowners, hundreds of acres are now
available for public use.
Purchase of Development Rights (PDR)
Purchase of development rights is a particular kind of conservation easement whereby the development
rights to a piece of property are purchased through a tax and a governmental entity takes ownership of
those rights. Both the Leelanau Conservancy and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy have
nominated parcels to participate in a purchase of development rights program under the state's farmland
and open space protection law. Two conservation easements have been completed and six more parcels are
under negotiation.
The first parcel to participate in the state PDR program is located on the Old Mission Peninsula—a 17 mile
long strip of land which juts out into Grand Traverse Bay. Since then, the Old Mission Peninsula has
become a laboratory for agricultural and open space protection using the PDR approach. In 1994,
Peninsula Township residents passed a 15-year millage to finance its own local PDR program to protect a
selection of the township's most scenic farmland. The first actual purchase under the township's
program—a 49 acre parcel—was completed in October, 1996. Township officials hope to enroll about
1,500 acres by the end of the year and a total of about 2,000 acres through the life of the millage. Peninsula
Township's PDR program is the first of its kind in the Great Lakes Basin and is a model for other
townships that wish to preserve important agricultural, open space and scenic characteristics.
Greenways
The Northwest Michigan Greenways project hold promise for connecting the many recreational open space
lands and ecological preserves protected through the conservancies. Under the leadership of the Northwest
Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG), stakeholders in Northwest Michigan have undertaken an
inventory and assessment of the area's resources for the purpose of developing greenways in the five-county
area around Grand Traverse Bay. A greenway is a system of publicly and privately-owned interconnected
river, trail and wildlife corridors. The Council was recently awarded a three-year $90,000 Intermodal
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Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grant to apply the inventory and assessment to identify and promote
the creation of non-motorized corridors. Simultaneously the Conservation Resource Alliance, with support
from the state Coastal Zone Management Program, is actively developing greenways program for the area
that focuses solely on ecological corridors for wildlife. The NWMCOG and the Conservation Resource
Alliance, both partners under the Watershed Initiative, are working very closely to coordinate their
complementary efforts. Though the greenways have not yet been created, formal partnerships have been
established, much public support has been garnered, and monies have been secured to move these efforts
forward.
Growth Management Planning
The approach of New Designs for Growth is to provide professional advice and services to counties and
townships on strengthening land use management and planning. One of the hottest growth management
activities they sponsor is a team of trained professionals that offers community education workshops upon
formal request by townships and counties. The workshop program recognizes the unique interests of each
jurisdiction and includes a needs assessment to establish specific local requirements. Specific features of
the municipality are used to gauge the effectiveness of new and existing land use planning tools.
Participants are able to see what happens to traffic, home building, village centers and the landscape by
adopting various planning approaches. The workshop helps local decisionmakers develop a planning
strategy that will meet their objectives and those of the Development Guidebook. Since March of 1996,
three workshops have been scheduled, six are planned for the fall of 1996 and eleven municipalities are on
the waiting list.
In addition to their innovative workshops, New Designs also has a number of other activities that support
growth management. An annual awards of excellence program recognizes outstanding examples of
development that reflect the goals of the Development Guidebook. A Peer Site Review Committee supports
growth management by reviewing, upon request, developers' plans to evaluate consistency with the
Development Guidebook. A Model Projects effort applies Guidebook principles to specific sites for
landowners considering development. Thus far, the principles have been applied on four separate properties
in the area. Professional planning services and advice are offered at a nominal fee to follow up on
workshop outcomes, while a Direct Services program subsidizes professional services to directly implement
guidelines in the Development Guidebook, such as conducting surveys or writing an ordinance.
Conclusions: What Constitutes "Success?"
Each of these efforts is part of a larger web of conservation, environmental protection and community
planning initiatives that make Northwest Michigan the success story it is. The organizational structure and
the individual projects and initiatives make up the patterns and strands of the web, but what sustains the
web must not be overlooked.
Northwest Michigan has dared to create a vision for itself and preempt the potential demise of the natural
beauty and resources that sustain the area's quality of life. People seem to have a sense of place over a
sense of politics. Consider the village center concept embodied in the Leelanau Conservancy's village center
open space easement and the Miller and Jack's creek watershed planning effort. This progressive approach
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is also apparent in the Chain of Lakes Watershed Plan and the Old Mission Peninsula PDR program's
attention to community character and aesthetics on par with conservation goals.
The theme of integrating community development with environmental quality goals is inherent throughout
many of the Northwest Michigan initiatives. The old way of thinking that says environmental and economic
goals are in conflict has buckled under the truth that the two are inextricably linked and interdependent.
Stakeholders in Northwest Michigan realize this truth. The local home builders association, for example,
used to view environmental initiatives with a skeptical eye. Now they are a leader in New Designs for
Growth and participate in a number of the local planning and watershed protection efforts. The same is true
for the many other businesses that actively participate in the numerous watershed planning and protection
efforts underway in Northwest Michigan.
That both the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Initiative and New Designs for Growth are locally-based and
consensus-driven has been critically important to their success. No agency or organization from above
dictated their problems or solutions and no one entity controls the program or agenda. Instead, their driving
principles and goals were arrived at through the efforts of numerous committed groups and individuals at
the local level who defined their own problems and proposed their own solutions. By defining their own
goals and guiding principles and solutions, the many diverse partners have a personal stake in the projects
to protect the watershed and guide future development.
In Northwest Michigan, community leaders realize the importance of education and outreach. Each
initiative is premised on the recognition that education and outreach to improve community leaders' and
residents' understanding of the challenges facing them is central to success. Like the problems they address,
these projects are not undertaken overnight. Community leaders are taking the necessary steps slowly to
ensure that stakeholders have an understanding of the issues and options and that there is a commitment to
action. For example, in the New Designs workshops, a series of initial meetings and the formation of a
steering committee builds a team of stakeholders and defines expectations and roles of the workshop. A lot
of work is done planning for the workshop so that when it does take place, it has been a community-led
initiative and residents and community leaders have a clear idea of the purpose and program.
Northwest Michigan stakeholders have made many important strides to change practices and behaviors that
are destructive to the land and other natural resources, remediate past abuses, overcome the environment
versus economy myth and create sustainable, livable communities. Theirs is a success story in steps toward
sustainable development from which many other areas around the Great Lakes Basin have much to learn.
For more information, please contact the following organizations.
Chris Wright, Executive Director
Grand Traverse Bay
Watershed Initiative
1102CassSt, Suite B
Traverse City, MI 59684
313-935-1514
Keith Charters
New Designs for Growth
P.O. Box 5316
Traverse City, MI 49685-5316
313-947-7566
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4.6 Planning North Aldershot Development
Introduction
Regional government and changes to municipal planning introduced in the early 1970's in Ontario were
instituted partly as a response to growing concern over urban sprawl and the loss of agriculture and natural
lands to development. The provincial government, at the time, sought to control the accelerating outward
movement of people and jobs from Ontario cities to the suburbs to avoid the kind of inner city problems
that had become evident in large cities in the United States.
Two other provincial measures that were introduced included the designation of the Niagara Escarpment
planning area and creation of the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the establishment of the Parkway
Belt West Plan. The Parkway Belt West Plan limited development within a band of land surrounding
existing and future development across what is now the Greater Toronto Area starting most predominantly
in the City of Burlington and Region of Halton. This limitation was intended to separate urban areas, to
preserve areas for potential use as hydro-electricity and highway corridors, and to ensuing preservation of
the ecologically sensitive lands within the Belt.
North Aldershot Development Planning
The North Aldershot area is an ecologically important part of the City of Burlington and one of the last
areas that has not been extensively developed in the City south of Highway #5. Comprising some 1,530
hectares (3,780 acres) with over half designated for environmental protection, North Aldershot is
geographically within the "Escarpment Link" of the Parkway Belt West Plan that has limited development
to preserve the prominent natural features of the area. The Grindstone Creek, its tributaries and the
surrounding valleys form the central sector of North Aldershot and make up about a third of its land area.
This ecologically unique area is an important part of the Hamilton Harbour ecosystem. Grindstone Creek
features a sustainable salmon run and the valley is home to deer and other wildlife. It is blessed with
numerous nature trails and is well-used by naturalists.
Land in the Grindstone area of North Aldershot was partially cleared for farming during the current century
as farm land near the emerging centres of Hamilton and Burlington was being developed for housing,
industrial and commercial purposes. This central sector of North Aldershot currently contains 135 homes,
most built since 1945, and includes two subdivisions. Water supply is available to some of the residents
from an older trunk line although the area is otherwise not serviced. Groundwater supply in North
Aldershot is scarce and some residents have to truck water. The early 1970's had seen some land
speculation, partly in response to the 1971 Burlington Official Plan that had indicated a community
population of 3000 for North Aldershot (Taylor, et al, 1994).
In 1978 the Province enacted the Parkway Belt West Plan which essentially restricted the area to in-fill
development. However, by the early nineties landholders in the area decided to challenge the status quo and
filed ambitious plans for subdivision development with the City. The City and Region rejected these plans
and the developers appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), prompting the City into new action.
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Although the Parkway Belt West Plan essentially limits development to in-fill, section 6.3.2. allows for a
comprehensive study before further significant development can be undertaken.
In preparation for a defence against the developers' appeal to the OMB, the City together with the Regional
Municipality of Halton, the Halton Conservation Authority, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, and
provincial Ministries including Environment, Natural Resources and Municipal Affairs participated in a
study to meet that requirement—the North Aldershot Inter-Agency Review of 1994. The review, performed
by land use consultants, recommended in excess of 500 new homes for the central sector of North
Aldershot and removal of this area from the regulations of the Parkway Belt West Plan. The review, which
was ultimately accepted by the City and Region, further identified a theoretical maximum for all of North
Aldershot of 1425 residences.
The public, who had been consulted during the Inter-Agency Review, largely expressed the view that new
development should be prohibited or at least limited to in-fill on existing services. This view was re-iterated
at the Development Committee hearings on the issue. The City largely rejected the public's view arguing
that the case to limit development in the area would be stronger if the City had a plan of its own. In a
somewhat unusual action, the City then prepared an official plan amendment that included a suburban
design for 232 fully serviced homes.
The Grindstone Creek Settlement Area developers, who had initially set their plans for development at more
than a thousand, came to the OMB hearing with a plan for just less than 600. During a recess in the OMB
hearings, the developers and the City negotiated to around 500 homes and the ensuing OMB decision
ratified that agreement. In fact, the OMB further noted that other landowners in the area might now also
seek higher development rights, which could result in as many as 2000 homes being developed across North
Aldershot.
Conclusions
The City's plan to limit development in North Aldershot failed to protect the area from urban sprawl.
Ecologically sensitive North Aldershot is now be open to suburban development. Although only about 500
units have so far been approved, it is likely that the number could soon rise to as many as 2000 homes.
Many ecosystem features that require integration between the valley and the table lands, including the deer
herd, will be likely be destroyed. There will be negative impacts on the Grindstone Creek and Hamilton
Harbour, especially during the construction phase of the development. Air pollution and traffic congestion
on roads leading from the development to adjacent communities and the major highway to Toronto will
increase, since the private automobile is the only viable means of transportation for this type of
development in North Aldershot.
Sprawl development is costly (Blais 1995) and has typically been subsidized, through taxes or service
rates, by residents in the rest of a community (Troyak and Muir 1993). Thus financial considerations are a
key qut initiatives are proposed. Both the City and the developers performed financial impact analyses
which partially identified the extra costs associated with this type of development. Many potential costs
were not considered, however, including the costs of expanding Burlington's existing sewage treatment
facility, which is currently operating at or above its physical capacity and well below the requirements of
the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP). Halton Region, which manages the facility is now
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planning to move the sewage outlet pipe from Hamilton Harbour into Lake Ontario because it cannot meet
these RAP water quality goals without substantially more cost which would have to come from higher
development charges.
Both of these fiscal impact studies assumed that the existing level of development charges would be
sufficient to address the potential costs of such high risk development in an environmentally sensitive area.
However, both the City of Burlington and Halton Region have been reducing development charges for the
nonresidential sector and are under considerable pressure to do the same for residential development. In
addition, neither study considered the social or environmental costs associated with this development
project.
The City chose its strategy to go to the OMB from among a number of options. In 1988 the City of
Burlington had passed a motion that would have, essentially, turned planning of the North Aldershot area
over to the Niagara Escarpment Commission. However, that motion was never implemented. The
Commission has a clear role and track record in restricting development for environmental reasons and
might have been in a stronger position than the City to face the OMB. The City also could have defended
the status quo for the area, based on the views of the majority of residents and resisted undertaking further
actions, such as the inter-agency review, that ultimately would take it on the road to approving new urban
development.
Two other considerations are of note. First, the Ontario planning and development legislation, while serving
to constrain and restrict some land uses, is primarily aimed at promoting development. Indeed the Parkway
Belt was also structured to allow further development in the Aldershot area, requiring only a special study
before development could proceed. Second, the OMB, by using its decision authority to deliver detailed
requirements, diminishes the role of community based planning and local political responsibility and
accountability. Since matters referred to it are heard and treated as 'de novo' without a history or a past,
the Board sometimes renders decisions that seem in conflict with the local public will and opinion. Further,
community concerns are sometimes viewed as less important, by the Board, than the advice of lawyers and
technical witnesses, many of whom have no stake or connection with the community. The Board is, thus,
seen as biased to giving more weight to the evidence of professional experts rather than to the affected and
concerned residents in the community.
Although the extensive consultations the City had undertaken with area residents demonstrated wide-spread
public opposition to the kind of development that ultimately has been approved, the City seemed helpless to
use that public will in its fight to limit the development. The results of this case study are to some extent
telling for how development issues, and especially urban sprawl, are still viewed in Halton Region and
Burlington. Moreover, this case study illustrates how difficult it is to stop urban sprawl even with the well
developed professional planning system and the relatively progressive land use designations and policies
that exist in Ontario.
5.0 Land-Use Planning Across the Border
5.1 Binational
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The International Joint Commission (IJC) is a binational body created under the Boundary Waters
Treaty of 1909 to prevent and settle disputes between the United States and Canada regarding the use of
boundary waters. Specifically, the commission was designed to resolve questions relating to water and air
pollution and the regulation of water levels and flows. Geographically, this mandate includes the boundary
waters themselves as well as their upstream tributaries and downstream boundary waters. The IJC is
comprised of six commissioners, three U.S.-appointed and three Canadian-appointed, and is supported by a
complex organizational structure of boards and reference groups that deal with the diverse issues in which
the IJC is involved. The IJC functions in an advisory capacity to the federal governments of the United
States and Canada. Upon request of the governments, the IJC performs three primary functions. First, it
serves as a quasi-judicial body in approving or disapproving applications for obstructions, uses, or
diversions that affect the natural level or flow of water. Second, it investigates questions or matters of
difference along the shared U.S.-Canadian frontier. Third, it monitors and coordinates the implementation
of recommendations accepted by both governments. The IJC's two main offices in Ottawa and Washington
B.C. are devoted to handling issues that arise along all the boundary waters of the U.S. and Canada,
including the Great Lakes. The IJC also has but one regional office in Windsor, Ontario created under the
U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972 (the Agreement) which is devoted solely to
Great Lakes issues.
In the 1990s much of the IJC's activity involves undertaking studies of water quality and quantity at the
request of the two governments pursuant to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972 and its
1987 Protocol, which calls for the U.S. and Canada, as parties to the IJC, to "restore and maintain the
chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes basin Ecosystem." The IJC's
Water Quality Board and its Science Advisory Board were both formed pursuant to the 1972 Agreement.
The 1987 Protocol commits the two governments to Remedial Action Plans for 43 areas that have been
designated Areas of Concern within the Great Lakes.
Though the IJC has not traditionally been involved in land-use planning in the region, it has engaged in
activities dealing indirectly with land-use issues. A first example is the establishment of the Pollution from
Land Use Activities Reference Group (PLUARG) pursuant to the signing of the 1972 Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement to investigate and develop recommendations addressing pollution of the Great Lakes
system from agriculture, silviculture, urban development and other land-use activities. A second and more
recent example is the final report of the IJC Levels Reference Study Board in 1993. The report contains a
series of 42 specific recommendations for regulating Great Lakes lake levels, many of which involve land
use and shoreline management. What is important is that the report concludes that coordinated land use and
shoreline management programs must be instituted at the local level to curb current trends that damage
shoreline properties, public infrastructure, and water-dependent businesses.
The 1955 U.S.-Canada Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries established the Great Lakes Fishery
Commission to advise the two federal governments on ways to improve the then-devastated Great Lakes
fisheries, to develop and coordinate fishery research programs, to develop measures and implement
programs to manage sea lamprey, and to improve and perpetuate fishery resources. Though not directly
involved in land-use issues, the Fishery Commission's Strategic Vision for the 1990s advocates an
ecosystem approach to fisheries management, which necessarily includes land use. The Fishery
Commission has also been active in promoting the integration of remedial action and fishery management
for the basin's Areas of Concern.
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5.2 United States
5.2.1 The Framework
U.S. local government is remarkably decentralized compared with that of Canada, whose planning system
is hierarchical in structure, with local planning agencies accountable to higher levels of government. U.S.
states all have their own planning and zoning laws based on federal law and have delegated responsibility
for land-use controls to local governments (i.e., counties and municipalities). State planning laws authorize
local governments to develop and adopt comprehensive plans, and state zoning laws enable local
governments to develop zoning regulations.
The distinction between plans and regulations is an important one. The comprehensive plan is concerned
with the long-term use, development, and conservation of land and the relationship between local objectives
and overall community and regional goals. Zoning ordinances include both a map that divides a local
jurisdiction into districts and a set of regulations that determines the use of the land and the type of
buildings allowed on the land in each district or zone. In other words, plans set forth goals to be achieved,
whereas regulations are a means by which to reach these goals.
Theoretically, zoning is an important tool for achieving the goals set forth in planning. In the U.S.,
however, much—if not most—of land-use planning is not planning but zoning. Some states require zoning
to be consistent with a comprehensive plan, but most do not. It is important to note that the zoning
ordinance carries the force of law, not the comprehensive plan. Although local governments have the
authority to do so, they are not required to operate any system of land-use control. And though most do
have a zoning system, some with small populations have no land-use controls at all.
Local governments may also use subdivision regulations to determine the details of land development.
These regulations determine how a larger piece of land will be divided into smaller units or lots, including
lot locations and shapes, street patterns, location of parks, and infrastructure needs of the proposed
development (streets, water and sewer lines, utilities, storm drainage, etc.).
The courts constitute a higher level of authority for land-use planning, but only to ensure that local
governments operate in a legal and constitutional manner, not to coordinate policy. Federal and state
constitutions limit local land-use controls to protect constitutional rights and principles. Three amendments
to the U.S. Constitution have important land-use implications. First is the First Amendment, which protects
individuals' right to free speech and which has implications for ordinances dealing with signs and
billboards. Second is the Fifth Amendment, known as the "takings clause," which protects private property
from being severely restricted by public action without just compensation. Third is the Fourteenth
Amendment, which directs public officials to adhere to procedures and to apply them equally to all people
in all circumstances. Though the state and federal constitutions provide a unifying structure for land-use
law, they do so only where there is an opportunity for appeal against a local decision.
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With more than 3,100 counties and more than 19,000 municipalities in the U.S., most of which are not
accountable to any higher level of government for land-use controls, land-use planning is a fragmented and,
above all, complex activity.
The environmental movement of the late 1960s provided the impetus for a host of U.S. federal laws
concerning environmental protection needs, which directly affect the nearshore. Among these Acts are the
Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and most important for the nearshore
area, the Coastal Zone Management Act. Today, there are literally hundreds of U.S. local, state, and
federal programs that have some impact on planning in the nearshore. Two primary types of programs deal
with environmental problems associated with uncontrolled land use: (1) laws that restrict the types of uses
permitted in certain sensitive or critical lands, such as national parks, wetlands, or the coastal zone, or
establish specifications for size, location, and density of development on those lands; or (2) laws that
establish performance standards defining maximum permissible impacts on specific resources, such as
drinking water supplies or discharges into waterways.
The Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act impose strict regulations on local governments to
ensure that drinking water is safe and sewage is properly treated prior to discharge. The Clean Water Act
requires states to engage in comprehensive water-quality management planning to accomplish specific
statutory water-quality goals. The Safe Drinking Water Act sets national drinking-water standards to which
local governments must adhere and which are enforced by the states. The Clean Air Act does not require a
comprehensive planning program, but does require states to develop a transportation control planning
process to achieve national air-quality standards.
Another, more recent development in land-use planning is the 1992 Intermodal Surface Transportation and
Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), which requires a regional transportation planning process (including land-
use planning) as a condition for eligibility for federal highway funding.
Coastal Zone Management Act
Perhaps the most significant land-use planning program for the U.S. nearshore area, and a core example of
planning in the nearshore, is the federal coastal zone management program developed and implemented
pursuant to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA). The CZMA authorizes the U.S.
Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide
financial assistance for state planning and implementation of comprehensive plans to control land use in the
coastal zone. Under the program, which is voluntary, the U.S. federal government provides financial
assistance for the state planning and implementation of coastal zone management plans (CZMPs) to control
land use in the coastal zone. To receive financial assistance to administer their programs, participating
states are required to prepare CZMPs, which must be approved by NOAA.
Most U.S. coastal states participate in the CZM program. In the Great Lakes region, four of the eight
Great Lakes states have federally approved CZMPs: Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Indiana and Minnesota have made some progress towards developing their plans. Ohio is very close to
completing its plan, which is expected to be approved by the end of 1996. Illinois is the only Great Lakes
state that does not participate or plan to participate in the program.
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CZMPs usually contain an elaborate set of state coastal policies that govern land and water uses in the
coastal zone as well as planning for coastal resource protection, energy facilities, and shoreline erosion.
The CZMA establishes national policies to provide guidance for state coastal programs, but gives the states
considerable latitude in developing their coastal plans. The national policies that must be contained in each
state plan include the protection of significant natural systems such as wetlands and beaches; priority
consideration for coastal-dependent uses; and orderly processes for siting energy and other major facilities.
CZMA funds have helped local and state governments to establish setback lines and erosion protection
measures, protect marshes, clean up beaches, rebuild fishing piers, revitalize waterfronts, improve public
access, and increase tourism benefits to local communities.
The federal program allows each state to define its "coastal zone." Most use the highwater (mean high tide)
mark as the shoreline boundary of the coastal zone, with the upland or landward boundary varying
considerably from state to state. Some states include all their coastal counties, whereas others include only
a narrow strip of land adjacent to the sea. The definition of a coastal zone reflects political realities and the
need to establish mappable and measurable boundaries rather than ecological criteria. For example, in
Michigan and Wisconsin, the coastal zone includes only that area 1,000 feet landward of the highwater
mark, whereas in Pennsylvania the coastal zone ranges from 1,000 feet in some areas to 3 miles in others.
State coastal programs take a number of forms. While some coastal states have passed a single coastal
management law, others have several laws governing land use in the coastal zone, which are then
"networked" into their CZMP. Michigan's is an example of a networked program, which brings together a
number of state laws applicable to coastal areas. Michigan passed its Shorelands Protection Act in 1970,
which established criteria for shoreline modifications and setbacks for erosion-prone areas. Five other
Michigan laws passed between 1929 and 1976 also regulate land use in the coastal zone and are part of the
CZMP.
The coastal zone management program alters the traditional structure of U.S. land-use planning by creating
a hierarchical structure whereby local governments must coordinate with state requirements for land-use
control in the coastal zone. Under the CZMA, states are required to use one or any combination of three
means of control for implementing the state CZMP: (1) direct state regulation of coastal lands; (2) local
regulation in accordance with state standards; and (3) local regulations subject to state review.
The management program also alters traditional state-federal relations. The CZMA contains a "federal
consistency" provision that modifies the traditional supremacy of federal legislation and programs by
requiring federal activities in the coastal zone to be consistent with the state CZMP "to the maximum
extent practicable." Federal activities include financial assistance programs to states and local
governments, as well as programs that "directly affect" the coastal zone.
Federal financial assistance programs cover a plethora of activities from highway construction to housing
development. Any federally funded program that is reasonably likely to affect any land or water use or
natural resource of the coastal zone is subject to state consistency requirements. Local governments must
certify that activities conducted with federal funds are consistent with the state CZMP before the federal
government will grant the assistance. Activities "directly affecting" the coastal zone include activities
funded in whole or in part by federal agencies, (e.g., highway construction) as well as those conducted by
state and local governments, private businesses, or individuals who apply to the federal government for a
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required permit or licence or any other type of approval or authorization. The determining factor is not
whether the activities occur in the coastal zone, but whether they affect any land or water use or natural
resource of the coastal zone. Cumulative and secondary effects are included in all consistency
determinations.
Although the federal coastal zone management program theoretically gives states considerable control over
land-use planning in the coastal zone, deference to state authority has been uneven among the states.
Nonetheless, federal monies for local projects have helped protect and restore shoreline habitat, water
quality and other nearshore features.
Many states and local governments have established programs for sensitive lands such as inland lakes and
stream shores, floodplains, and wetlands. Additional land-use controls are in place for nearshore areas that
contain these features.
Wetlands Protection Programs
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act establishes a federal "dredge and fill" permit program that regulates
the discharge of dredged or fill material into wetlands and other federal waters of the United States. This
program is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the corps) in cooperation with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The corps, through its 37 district offices (four in the Great
Lakes region), is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the 404 permit program. Anyone wanting
to discharge dredged or fill material into wetlands or other U.S. waters must first receive authorization
from the corps, either through issuance of an individual permit or under a general permit.
Under the 404 program, the corps must evaluate permit applications according to USEPA guidelines. The
USEPA guidelines provide the environmental criteria designed to help maintain the physical, chemical, and
biological integrity of the nation's waters and these criteria must be met before a section 404 permit can be
issued. USEPA has the authority to veto a corps decision to issue a permit or to otherwise prohibit or
restrict the discharge of dredged or fill material to wetlands or other waters of the United States. Generally,
USEPA restricts the use of this authority to the more significant and controversial permit applications.
As the federal agency responsible for maintaining navigation channels in U.S. waters, the corps conducts
its own dredge and fill operations. Before proceeding with a dredge and fill activity, the corps engages in a
review process analogous to the regulatory permit process; only instead of issuing a permit to itself, the
corps issues a "Finding Of No Significant Impact."
The corps also operates, in consultation with USEPA, an environmental dredging program whereby
contaminated sediments can be dredged from U.S. waters, including wetlands, as part of the operation and
maintenance of a navigation project or for the purpose of environmental enhancement and water-quality
improvement to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. Such work must be cost-shared with a non-
federal entity. Contaminated sediments are disposed of in confined disposal facilities designed specially to
contain such contaminated sediments.
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The corps' dredge and fill permits and navigation maintenance operations are a federal activity and as such
they must be consistent with state CZMPs. If a state has a wetlands program as well, it is often networked
with the state coastal program.
State regulatory programs also exist for both coastal and inland wetlands. These programs vary, but follow
a common model. There is no formal planning program, but state law usually defines wetlands and
authorizes a state agency to map wetland areas. The state agency either regulates wetland uses directly
through a permit program or delegates the program to local governments. Programs either require a permit
to be approved by the regulatory agency prior to development in a wetland area or they may prohibit
wetland development altogether in some areas.
Floodplain Programs
Most floodplain regulation occurs at the local level, though many Great Lakes states have adopted
floodplain programs. As with wetlands, some state programs regulate floodplain development directly
whereas others delegate it to local governments, with state supervision. Floodplain programs are supported
by the National Flood Insurance Program, which requires local floodplain regulation before development in
the floodplain can be eligible for federal flood insurance. The insurance program also advocates land-use
controls to regulate floodplain development. Usually, state and local programs prohibit permanent buildings
and fills in the floodplain, which is based on the "100-year flood" (a flood of the magnitude likely to occur
once each 100 years).
Lake and Stream Shore Protection Programs
The National Park Service administers national lakeshores and national seashores that preserve the unique
natural values of the areas while providing water-oriented recreation opportunities. Although national
lakeshores can be established on any natural freshwater lake, the four national lakeshores are located in the
Great Lakes and cover 92,034 hectares (227,244 acres) in the Great Lakes basin. They are the Indiana
Dunes National Lakeshore (Indiana), Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Michigan), Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore (Michigan), and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin). National lakeshore
lands are federally owned and are managed and protected by the Park Service.
Several states have adopted special legislation for the protection of inland lake and stream shores. Like the
coastal zone program, the definition of shoreline varies widely from state to state and reflects political and
administrative considerations rather than precise resource characteristics. For example, Wisconsin and
Minnesota regulate river as well as lake shorelands up to 300 feet from the highwater mark or to the
landward side of the floodplain, whereas Michigan regulates inland lake shores to within 1,000 feet of the
highwater mark. Shoreland regulatory programs establish state standards for local adoption of zoning,
subdivision controls, and, in some cases, sanitary codes. State standards allow low density residential and
recreational uses in shoreland areas through a permit program. However, they place tight restrictions on
wetland areas and floodplains.
There are literally hundreds of additional local, state, and federal programs that have some impact on
planning in the nearshore. More than 130 federal programs alone have a direct impact on land use in the
United States. There are programs that control land use of forested areas, agricultural lands, and mineral
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and energy resource lands, to name just a few. To the extent that these lands exist within or near the
nearshore area, programs that govern their use also influence land-use planning in the nearshore area.
5.2.2 Planning Roles and Responsibilities
Federal
Within the U.S. federal government there are at least six major federal agencies and more subagencies with
a direct interest in land use in the basin that administer at least several dozen programs. Notwithstanding
the federal coastal zone management program, these are not land-use planning programs per se, but they do
affect land use to the extent that most restrict or place certain conditions upon how land is used. The
federal role includes regulating and permitting, standard-setting, giving financial and technical assistance to
states and local governments, and directly managing federal lands.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an independent agency that reports directly to the
president. This agency is responsible for administering dozens of federal environmental protection laws,
primarily dealing with pollution control and cleanup of air, hazardous wastes, surface water and
groundwater. USEPA either administers its programs directly or delegates this task to the states. USEPA
operates, in addition to its headquarters, 10 regional offices and a separate Great Lakes National Program
Office for the Great Lakes basin.
Three USEPA offices have jurisdictions entirely or partly in the basin. The Region 5 office has jurisdiction
over six Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Region 2's
jurisdiction includes the Great Lakes states of New York and Pennsylvania. Regional offices are
responsible for administering the federal programs within their jurisdiction.
The Great Lakes National Program Office is a unique part of USEPA in that it was created for the sole
purpose of monitoring, facilitating, and reporting on the progress of U.S. programs in meeting the terms of
the U.S./Canada Water Quality Agreement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's primary influence on land use in nearshore areas of the basin is
through its Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS operates hundreds of local
conservation districts around the basin that provide technical and educational assistance to local
governments as well as to urban and rural residents on watershed projects, flood protection, water
supply/management, recreation, and wildlife habitat.
The U.S. Department of Defense includes the Army Corps of Engineers, which is the principal federal
water resource development agency. The corps' most notable influence on land use in the nearshore is
through its federal dredge and fill program and its environmental dredging program discussed above.
The U.S. Department of Commerce houses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), which administers the federal coastal zone management program and is discussed above.
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The U.S. Department of the Interior plays an important role in regulating land use in the nearshore through
programs administered by its subagency, the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service is the lead federal
agency in the conservation of the nation's migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, certain
marine mammals, and sport fish. Its activities include management of national wildlife refuges and fish
hatcheries, management of migratory birds through habitat conservation and hunting regulations, recovery
actions for endangered species, conservation and enhancement of wetlands, biological review of
environmental impacts of some development projects, and the enforcement of federal wildlife laws.
The Interior Department's National Park Service also has an important role in land use in the basin. The
Park Service administers national parks, monuments, and other areas of national significance, such as
national lakeshores, for their recreational, natural, and historical properties. The lands managed by the Park
Service are federally owned, yet, particularly in the case of national parks and lakeshores, often require
extensive coordination and cooperation with surrounding jurisdictions to maintain the desired land use. For
the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan, for example, the Park Service has engaged in
extensive land-use planning in the area to improve compatibility between the goals of the national lakeshore
and surrounding land uses, which include a mix of residential, open space, and heavy industrial uses. In
addition to the four national lakeshores, the Great Lakes basin has one National Park—Isle Royale—and
numerous National Memorials and National Historic Sites.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has two primary subagencies with an influence on land use. The
Federal Highway Administration has the primary mission of ensuring that the nation's highways are safe,
economic, and efficient with respect to the movement of people and goods, while giving full consideration
to the highway's impact on the environment (i.e., land) as well as social and economic conditions. The
Federal Transit Administration seeks to improve the environmental standards of U.S. cities through grant
programs that extend and modernize existing urban mass transit systems. The U.S. Department of
Transportation (1990) specifically addresses land use by making it federal transportation policy to
"encourage development of local tools for ensuring compatible land use around airports"; to "ensure that
measures are taken to minimize the adverse environmental effects of transportation construction activities,
for example, through the 'no net loss' goals for wetlands," and to "encourage the design and building of
transportation facilities that fit harmoniously into communities and the natural environment." The U.S.
Department of Transportation is responsible for administering the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991, which establishes a framework for intermodal regional surface transportation
planning.
Collectively, these federal agencies administer more than 130 federal programs that have a direct impact on
land use in the nearshore—from protecting agricultural lands, wetlands, and drinking water supplies to
ensuring safe and efficient highways. Where these lands or resources exist within or near the nearshore
area, programs that govern their use also influence land-use planning in the nearshore area.
Basinwide in United States
Established by joint legislative action of the Great Lakes states in 1955 and granted congressional consent
in 1968, the Great Lakes Commission is an interstate compact agency that guides, protects, and advances
the common interests of the eight Great Lakes states in the areas of regional environmental quality,
resource management, transportation, and economic development. The Commission comprises state
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officials, legislators, and governors' appointees from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Though technically an advisory body, the Great Lakes
Commission is the only regional organization with a statutory mandate to represent the collective views of
the eight Great Lakes states and carries significant weight as the voice of the Great Lakes states, both
within the region and nationally.
The Commission's mission, as defined in the 1955 compact is to "promote the orderly, integrated and
comprehensive development, use and conservation of the Great Lakes Basin's water resources," which
include the lakes themselves, their tributaries, and the land within the watershed. Comprehensive
management of Great Lakes water resources necessitates consideration of all activities affecting the basin's
water resources, whether in the water or on land, in the basin or out of the basin. The Commission's
Strategic Plan, adopted in October 1995, explicitly recognizes that the broad mandate contained in the
compact requires the Commission to be dedicated to the "use, management and protection of the water,
land, and other natural resources of the Great Lakes basin." To this end, the Great Lakes Commission is
involved in a plethora of land-use activities in the region, from administering a regional grant program for
the prevention of soil erosion and sedimentation in the basin to coordinating the compilation of the first
comprehensive profile of agricultural land use in the basin.
The Council of Great Lakes Governors is a private, non-profit organization devoted to working
cooperatively on public policy issues common to its eight member states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The council was formed in 1983 to coordinate
stewardship of the region's economy and environment. In particular, the governors wanted a forum to
discuss their common economic problems during the recession that hit the Great Lakes states in the early
1980s and to build upon the successful cleanup of the Great Lakes begun a decade and a half earlier.
The goal of the council is to "stimulate economic, community and environmental development within its
member states." The council has a regional agenda based on the fulfilment of this goal, which it pursues
through joint consultation among the governors. Though the council's mandate is a broad one, which
potentially includes many land-use issues, its agenda to date has been more project-specific. Current
projects focus on recycling, water quality, tourism, technology, and education. Like other councils of
government, the effectiveness of the Council of Great Lakes Governors is directly related to the extent of
the governors' collective commitment to regional action.
States
Each of the eight Great Lakes states has several agencies with some authority over land use in the state.
Usually there is a Department of Natural Resources or equivalent agency that is responsible for
administering natural resource conservation and management programs. Each state also has an agency
responsible for environmental protection programs—for example, air, waste, and water—that largely
parallels USEPA or administers its delegated programs. Some states combine their natural resources and
pollution-control agencies. All Great Lakes states have a Department of Agriculture and a Department of
Transportation or their equivalents. Each state also has other agencies, commissions, and/or extension
services with special responsibilities that influence land use, which might include energy planning and
development, natural or open space and recreational lands, fish and wildlife management, soil conservation,
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and agricultural preservation. All in all, the eight Great Lakes states collectively have more than 50 state
agencies with some responsibility regarding land use in the Great Lakes basin.
Some Great Lakes states use zoning ordinances and subdivision controls alone, whereas others coordinate
with well-developed comprehensive plans. Several U.S. states have adopted a more hierarchical land-use
planning structure, such as enacting comprehensive state planning and growth management laws—though
none of them are Great Lakes states. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan are among the states
currently showing interest in state and/or regional planning schemes.
Local
Local governments include county and municipal governments (cities, townships, and special districts).
There are 192 counties wholly (131) or partly (61) in the Great Lakes basin, 83 of which are coastal
counties. There are thousands of municipal governments that have populations from a few dozen to over a
million people. They vary almost as widely in land area, from small townships with a six square mile
jurisdiction to large urban cities whose jurisdiction covers dozens of miles. The special districts have a wide
variety of functions, from regulating the impacts of development on streams (drain commissioners) to
developing and maintaining local parks (park districts). Both special districts and general purpose local
governments are faced with different land-use issues based on their size, location, economic base,
environmental resources, and demographic attributes. And they respond differently to those problems, using
any combination of tools and techniques noted earlier, within the limits imposed by state and federal land-
use restrictions. Which types of local governments have land-use decision-making authority varies from
state to state; however, local governments all have in common the authority to determine how land is used
within their jurisdictions—which lots will be developed, when they will be developed, and how. Some use
zoning ordinances and subdivision controls alone, whereas others coordinate with well-developed
comprehensive plans.
Local governments in all the metropolitan regions and many rural areas of the U.S. portion of the basin are
organized into regional councils of governments or planning commissions. These entities are typically
established by intergovernmental agreement under general state enabling legislation, although some are
created directly by state law. Their services include research on regional issues, preparation of long-range
plans, and provision of technical assistance to their member jurisdictions. Their areas of concern relevant to
the ecosystem of the Great Lakes include demographic forecasting, land-use planning, stormwater
management, wetlands protection, and brownfields redevelopment. They are generally repositories of socio-
economic and environmental data for their regions. Most are not granted direct authority to implement their
recommendations, but function in an advisory and coordinating capacity to local governments.
5.2.3 Tools and Techniques
Regulatory and Incentive-based Land-Use Controls
Purchase of development rights (PDR): Also known as a conservation easement purchase program, this
program to purchase development rights provides an opportunity to retain agricultural or open space land
as such and requires the involvement of an outside funding source, usually a public body. Under a PDR
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arrangement, the landowner voluntarily sells the development rights to the land and receives compensation
for the development restrictions placed on the land. It works as follows. State or local government (or a
private entity, such as a land conservancy) raises money to purchase the development rights on specific
farms and open lands. The entity owning the development rights ensures that those rights are not used. The
farm or open space remains in private ownership and can be sold or passed along to others, but the
landowner has sold the right to develop the property. Once the development rights are sold, use of the
property is limited to farming or open space. The conservation easement runs with the land either in
perpetuity or for a period of time specified in the easement document.
A PDR system allows the original landowner to ultimately receive the highest value for the land—collected
in two instalments. The difference between what a farmer could pay and what a developer could pay is
received when the development rights are sold. Then when the land is sold, the landowner receives the lower
price because the land can only be used as farmland or open space. The landowner has, however, already
received the money for the development rights so the total amount received is equal to what a developer
would have paid. In this way, the landowner can continue to farm and keep the land as farmland until he or
she is ready to sell, without losing money on the value of the land. This makes the land affordable for
young farmers who cannot compete with the high prices developers can offer. Those interested in
preserving the farm or open space also benefit since purchasing the development rights is considerably less
expensive than purchasing the land outright.
Conservation easements: In addition to easements to restrict development under a PDR program,
conservation easements can be purchased for a number of other property interests, including retaining the
natural conditions of the land, creating public access, or preserving historical or architectural character.
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR): This is a non-regulatory approach within the context of a
regulatory (zoning) program. It allows the right to develop to be transferred from one zoning district to
another. Under a typical TDR program, a local government awards development rights to each parcel of
developable land in the community or in selected districts, on the basis of the land's acreage or value.
Persons can then sell their rights on the open market if they do not want to develop their property or are
prohibited by regulation from developing the property at a desired density. For example, a district zoned for
low-density development might be used as open space, which does not develop the property to the extent
that is allowable. In essence, there is a reserve of development rights that is not being used. Another district
may be zoned for moderately high development, but a developer wants to build apartments that would
exceed that allowable density. Using the TDR approach, the owner of the open space land can sell his/her
development rights to the developer, transferring the right to develop land from one area to another.
Henceforth, the open space cannot be developed, while the developer has acquired the right to exceed the
density for that particular site. Unlike the PDR approach, the TDR involves no public monies and requires
no third party—the transaction is between two private parties. Much like the PDR approach, by selling
development rights, TDR allows the property owner to receive profit from property appreciation without
developing the parcel.
TDR can reduce substantially the value shifts and economic inequities of restrictive zoning. For example, it
can allow the market to compensate owners whose land cannot be developed because of environmental,
historic, or scenic significance.
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Right to farm or nuisance lawsuit protection: While more a tool for protecting farming practices than a
land protection or growth management technique, this type of law represents an effort to mitigate conflicts
engendered by newcomers to rural areas. All states have some right to farm legislation and some have two
or three different laws using alternative forms of protection for agriculture. Just how useful these laws are
in protecting agricultural lands has been difficult to determine. Some experts believe improvements to
"right to farm" laws, such as equating sound agricultural practices with complying with federal, state, and
local laws and regulations for environmental protection, may improve the ability of the laws to protect
farmers and their land. In the Great Lakes basin, such laws exist in Michigan, New York, and Ohio.
Cluster zoning and planned unit development: Cluster zoning (also known as "open space zoning") and
the planned unit development describe land-use control devices that allow development in higher densities
on the most appropriate portion of a parcel in order to provide increased open space elsewhere on the
parcel. Cluster development techniques typically do not allow increased overall development density, but
simply rearrange development to preserve open land and improve site design. For example, a developer
owns 100 acres in an area zoned for half-acre residential lots, which could be developed into 200 buildable
lots using the entire 100 acres. Under a cluster zoning program, the developer could cluster the 200 units on
50 acres, for example, and permanently dedicate 50 acres of open space for public use. Cluster zoning and
planned unit development techniques exist in many forms and offer several benefits over conventional
zoning, including protection of environmentally sensitive lands, preservation of open space, and reduction
in infrastructure needs and costs associated with new development (i.e., roads and utility lines), which can
also reduce the cost of housing and public services. Cluster zoning and planned unit development are
voluntary programs that operate within an existing regulatory program (zoning ordinance).
Bonus or incentive zoning: Whereas cluster zoning allows a developer to exceed density limits in
exchange for open space protection, bonus or incentive zoning allows a developer to exceed dimensional
limits if the developer agrees to provide another public benefit. The classic example is permitting a
developer to exceed height limits by a specified amount in exchange for providing open spaces or plazas.
Agricultural zoning/exclusive agricultural zoning: Traditional zoning entails the separation of a city or
county into districts (agricultural, residential, commercial, etc.) Exclusive agricultural zoning involves the
deliberate establishment of agricultural zones as a tool to moderate farmland or open space conversion.
Like many other tools, the effectiveness of agricultural zoning depends on the context in which it is
implemented: agricultural zoning is likely to be more effective when it is just one part of a larger local
program that includes community plans, urban boundary agreements, or other state farmland protection
programs. Indeed, experts note that states with more comprehensive programs, including Wisconsin, have
more success than those whose programs are not integrated or are voluntary, such as in Pennsylvania and
Minnesota.
Agricultural districts: Agricultural districts are areas of farmland set aside from non-farm development
for a fixed period of time. Local agricultural landowners initiate the establishment of such voluntary
districts. Willing landowners participate by agreeing to not develop their land in exchange for a variety of
benefits that encourage and protect their agricultural operations. The benefits can include any combination
of the following techniques and tools, some of which are listed in this section: use-value assessment;
protection against nuisance suits (right to farm); protection against eminent domain; protection against
annexation; protection against extension of public facilities that would encourage urban development and
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related taxes; eligibility or priority for state PDR programs. Although this technique is widely used, experts
indicate that existing programs need improvement to slow farmland conversion.
State farmland protection policies: These are statutes that discourage the expenditure of state or local
funds in public projects that will result in the destruction of farmland. In the Great Lakes basin, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have such laws in place. These laws typically call for an examination of
alternatives to any government plan that proposes to take agricultural land out of production.
Development exactions and impact fees: "Development exaction" is a generic term that describes a
variety of mechanisms by which communities require developers to dedicate land or facilities (i.e., roads,
parks, sewer lines) or to pay a fee in lieu of land or facilities. Also referred to as "dedications," "linkage
requirements," and "mitigation requirements," exactions can be explicitly mandated in development
regulations or imposed informally on a case-by-case basis in rezoning or special permit negotiations.
Impact fees require a developer to pay a certain amount of money determined by a pre-established formula
rather than by negotiation or tradition, as is the case with exactions.
Adequate public facilities ordinances: This land-use planning tool is akin to the concurrency requirement
set forth in state growth management schemes. It requires that adequate public facilities be available to
serve a proposed development prior to development approval. In other words, it requires that infrastructure
to support the effects of growth be in place concurrently with those effects. An adequate public facilities
ordinance sets quantitative standards and uses those standards to determine the public service levels
necessary for proposed developments. In this respect, the adequate public facilities ordinance and the
concurrency requirement can be compared to strict implementation of a capital improvements program,
which is discussed below. Funding to support infrastructure concurrency can be provided by local and/or
state governments as well as through impact fees, improvement districts (also discussed below), and other
innovative funding mechanisms.
Urban growth boundaries: Not widely used, yet a potentially significant growth management technique,
urban growth boundaries limit long-term growth to land within designated boundaries. Although many
communities have short-term boundaries beyond which they are unlikely to encourage or permit expansion,
the boundaries are generally flexible in the long-term. Urban growth boundaries distinguish urban lands
(cities) where growth is anticipated and planned from rural lands, which are areas with sparse settlement
where urban growth is not expected. The states of Hawaii and Oregon and the city of Boulder, in Colorado,
use urban growth boundaries to plan for and direct growth. Although urban growth boundaries deal with
the issue of where growth will occur, they do not address the issue of timing or fiscal impacts of growth.
The application of urban growth boundaries is most effective when coordinated with programs that plan for
the orderly and timely expansion of public facilities (i.e., an adequate public facilities ordinance and/or a
capital improvements program).
Overlay zones: An overlay zone, or overlay district, is an area in which a set of special regulations apply
in addition to the regulations of the "underlying zone" or pre-existing zoning district. Thus, the area
covered by the overlay zoning is subject to conventional zoning regulations as well as special overlay zone
regulations. This technique is applied most frequently to achieve various public objectives in sensitive
environments, such as floodplains, wetlands, and shoreline areas. The existing permitted land uses are not
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disturbed by the overlay zone. Where the overlay zone contains a more restrictive standard, however, it
supersedes the standard in the underlying zone.
Moratoria and interim development regulations: Moratoria and interim development regulations are
designed to restrict development for a limited, specified period of time. They can prohibit all development
during that time or just specific types of development. Interim development regulations allow development
based on certain conditions, pending the outcome of other actions, which generally include the development
of a plan or growth management scheme, or the adequate funding and/or development of public facilities to
service the development.
Conditional zoning and development agreements: Sometimes a developer may seek rezoning, but the
local government is unwilling to allow the whole range of uses or densities that the proposed rezoning
classification would permit. Instead of denying the rezoning, the locality may impose conditions on the
prospective rezoning. With conditional zoning, a local government may make rezoning conditional on the
developer's providing certain concessions or conditions that are not otherwise imposed in the proposed
zoning district. The applicant must commit unilaterally to provide those concessions in exchange for the
rezoning; however, the local government makes no reciprocal commitment to rezone the property.
Development agreements differ from conditional zoning in that, typically, they are enforceable agreements
that lay out precisely the land uses and densities a developer may place on a large parcel and the public
benefits that the developer must provide as a condition of approval. Development agreements also give
developers and lending institutions, early in the process, certainty as to the amount and type of development
authorized—an element lacking in conditional zoning, which is binding only for the developer.
Local Taxing and Spending Policies
Property tax incentives—preferential or use-value assessment: Established through state law, this is a
taxing system whereby land is taxed according to its use rather than a value that reflects the possibility of
future development. Most states have enacted use-value property tax assessment programs for farmland
and open space lands. These programs are designed to reduce taxes for farmers (or proprietors of other
open space lands) and to lower the rate of conversion of farmland or open space to non-farmland or
development use by reducing the number of tax-motivated sales. For example, instead of a farm being
taxed at its development potential, it is subject to a lower tax rate as farmland. The lower tax rate can help
reduce the pressure to sell or develop, which is sometimes caused by high property taxes. There is little
evidence, however, that special tax laws alone alter land-use patterns. Experts agree that tax incentive
programs must operate in concert with other land-use measures to reduce the rate of farmland or open
space conversion.
Special assessments: Special assessments are a local taxation technique that has a great potential impact
on controlling land use. Technically more a surcharge than a tax, special assessments raise revenue and
create disincentives for development by charging landowners who derive special benefits from a municipal
facility. These assessments are often used for road improvement, street lighting, off-street parking, sewers,
and water systems. Special assessments can be compared to impact fees in that both techniques require the
developers to pay for public services that specifically benefit their development.
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Improvement districts: Landowners within a specified district are levied a special tax or assessment (i.e.,
through tax increment financing) that is used to make public improvements to benefit that district. The
special assessment or impact fee is applied to an entire district, not to a single development project.
Tax increment financing: This is a system whereby the tax differential between an undeveloped or
unimproved parcel or site and a developed or improved one is used to make public improvements in that
district. The landowner still pays the normal required taxes according to the value of the land, but the
municipality uses the taxes generated from the difference between the former value of the land
(undeveloped or unimproved) and the new value of the land (developed or improved)—the new tax
increment—to finance public improvements. The money can be used either for general public
improvements or earmarked for specific activities such as brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
Capital improvements programming (CIP): The provision of municipal services is generally governed by
a city's capital improvements program, a timetable that indicates the timing and level of municipal services
the city intends to provide over a specific period of time (usually five to ten years). Since the feasibility of
development projects often depends on the availability of municipal infrastructure such as water and sewer
lines, the CIP can control development by rendering unfeasible any development plan that exceeds the CIP
schedule. For example, if a proposed development project requires water and sewer services that exceed the
CIP schedule, the project is unlikely to proceed.
Land acquisition: Land acquisition is an important supplement to land-use regulations and voluntary
programs as a means of managing growth and protecting critical resources. Local governments enjoy broad
authority under state enabling legislation to acquire real property interests, either through voluntary sale or
condemnation, for any legitimate public purpose. Federal, state, and local governments can purchase the
land outright and all the rights associated with it (called "fee simple acquisition") or they can purchase
select rights, such as development rights, otherwise known as "easements." Easements can be either
affirmative—granting special rights—or negative—limiting rights to specific uses of the land. An
affirmative easement might authorize a utility company to place electric lines across someone's property or
authorize the public to pass through private property to obtain access to a shoreline. Examples of negative
easements include prohibitions on development (such as the PDR program described above) or on
construction that would obstruct a neighbouring view. Governments generally acquire fee simple ownership
for parkland, shorelands, and other recreation areas.
Private Voluntary Land Protection
Private land trusts/land conservancies: Land conservancies are private, non-profit organizations, whereas
land trusts can be either private non-profit or quasi-municipal entities. They both acquire land or rights to
land in the interest of protecting and or preserving the land. Quasi-public land trusts allow local
governments to meet their conservation and growth management goals and objectives by participating in the
private real estate market as representatives of the public interest. In so doing, they are able to use the
range of voluntary land-conservation techniques available to private land trusts. The two most important
land-protection techniques used by land trusts and land conservancies are fee simple acquisition and
acquisition of easements.
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Land trusts, land conservancies, and any other private party can, in addition to purchasing land at its full
fair market value and purchasing conservation easements, employ the tools and techniques described below
to preserve, protect, or otherwise control land use.
Donation or bargain sale: Donation is the option of choice for the land trust or conservancy, since it
eliminates expenses associated with purchasing the land while providing maximum tax benefits to the
landowner. A bargain sale involves a combination of a donation and a purchase, whereby a landowner
transfers the property at a price below fair market value.
Right of first refusal: A right of first refusal is an agreement between a landowner and a second party
whereby the landowner agrees that if he or she receives an offer from a third party to buy the property, the
landowner will notify and give the second party a certain amount of time to match the third party offer
prior to accepting the offer from the third party.
Leases and management agreements: These tools, which exist in many forms, allow for temporary
control over a parcel without the expense of acquisition. Leases generally give a land trust the right to
manage and occupy the land for a certain period; management agreements specify the terms under which
the landowner continues to manage the property.
Preacquisition: Land trusts may acquire property to hold and manage in perpetuity or they may serve as
an intermediary for a public land management agency. Preacquisition takes place when a public agency
works with a private land trust so that the land trust acquires the property from the landowner first and then
transfers it to the public agency. Preacquisition is appealing to public agencies because the private land
trusts can often negotiate and undertake other necessary steps for acquisition faster and more adeptly than
the public agency. The next step of transferring the land to a public agency furthers conservation goals
since public agencies can often manage additional adjacent land more economically and can confer more
protection against other public agencies (e.g., a state highway department) than can private land trusts.
Limited or controlled development: This technique typically entails clustered development or other
limited development of a portion of a parcel in order to finance acquisition and preservation of the
remaining portion. Development is generally limited to non-sensitive or previously disturbed portions of a
parcel. Limited development (also called controlled development) can permit land stewardship and
substantial resource protection when donation is not possible and acquisition for full preservation is not
financially feasible. Limited development is often feasible because building lots or houses next to restricted
open space frequently increases their value. This tool is appropriate only for parcels of sufficient size and
with conditions that allow creative partial development without endangering the resources that are worthy
of protection.
Conservation investment: Many real estate ventures are financed partnerships in which numerous
individuals or entities pool their resources to finance a project. In return, they receive some combination of
benefits, such as tax breaks, dividends, etc. In some cases, a trust may sell property subject to appropriate
deed restrictions or conservation easement to a buyer looking for an aesthetically pleasing place to live or a
vacation home. In other cases, charitable investors may be persuaded to invest in a working farm, nature
preserve, or other open space land with deed restrictions.
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Examples of Successful Regional Planning in the United States
Oregon
In 1973 Oregon passed state legislation creating the Oregon Land Conservation and Development
Commission (LCDC) and charged it with the adoption, administration, and enforcement of mandatory state
planning goals. All Oregon counties and cities are required to adopt comprehensive plans that conform with
statewide planning goals established by LCDC and to enact appropriate ordinances to implement those
plans.
The Oregon program is founded on policies that favour conservation of natural and agricultural lands.
Tools such as purchase or transfer of development rights are not necessary to protect these lands since they
are zoned for agricultural use and they stay that way. Strong protection of natural and agricultural areas is
complemented by the establishment of Urban Growth Boundaries around every city in Oregon. Urban
growth boundaries distinguish urban lands, where growth is anticipated and planned, from rural lands,
which have sparse settlement and where urban growth is not expected or wanted. Local governments must
identify housing needs and formulate a means for providing density and types of dwellings sufficient to
meet those needs. Infrastructure required within urban areas must also be determined.
Each county is responsible for coordinating all planning activities affecting land use within the
county—including county, cities, special districts, and state agencies activities—to assure an integrated
comprehensive plan for the entire county. Though the structure of the Oregon land-use program is regional
in nature, local governments, including counties, cities and special districts, are the primary units for
effecting land-use planning. The LCDC may adopt goals and review local plans and regulations for
conformity with the state goals, but local governments are the medium for expressing that policy.
Portland Metro
The Portland Metropolitan Region is a particularly well-regarded model for regional metropolitan
governance.
The 1973 Oregon state statute established a regional planning authority—Portland Metro, which
encompasses most of the three counties in the Portland area—to plan and regulate land use within the
metropolitan area. Portland Metro is the United States' only directly elected regional government.
Complementing the establishment of a regional urban growth boundary as required under state law,
Portland Metro balances highway expansion with a high quality light-rail system; suburban growth is
balanced with significant development downtown. The region has adopted a 2040 plan, which will guide its
development well into the next century. The plan places a strong emphasis on adding light rail lines linking
cities and designated growth centres, while at the same time is committed to reducing residential lot sizes to
preserve downtown Portland's share of the regional job pool. Portland still experiences many maladies
characteristic of modern urban life, but the sense of a coherent regional approach and a vision leading the
region into the 21st century is an important model for other metropolitan regions across the continent.
Twin Cities
The Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities Area of Minnesota is not a regional government, per se, but
rather a hybrid regional agency comprising metropolitan agencies, local governments and the state
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legislature itself. The Metropolitan Council was established in 1973 to coordinate the development of the
seven counties containing Minneapolis and St. Paul and their surrounding suburbs.
The major tool for coordinating regional growth in the Twin Cities Area is the comprehensive development
guide, an integrated policy, plan, and program provided for in the state statute establishing the
Metropolitan Council. The guide reflects regionally agreed-upon strategies to accomplish regionally agreed-
upon goals. These goals include protection of the regional environment, protection of the regional economy,
management of public conflict, fairness to all members of the metropolitan community, efficiency in the
delivery of public services, and minimum intrusion into individual liberties in carrying out these goals. The
guide consists of separate functional planning chapters covering sewers, solid waste, open space,
transportation, and other public services, which are complemented by a comprehensive regional growth
strategy. Accordingly, the council does not have direct control over the delivery of public services; rather
the state legislature created a system of single-purpose metropolitan agencies (i.e., sewer, transit, highway,
airports, parks, housing) to provide these services throughout the metropolitan region. Though the council
has the authority to enforce the long-range goals and plans set forth in the guide, each metropolitan agency
operates relatively independently.
Local governments within the seven-county area are required to develop plans for their respective
jurisdictions. Comprehensive regional planning takes place through the council's authority to review and
require modification of those local plans to meet regional goals. The council also approves capital
improvement programs for sewers and transportation and has the power to review proposed developments
of "metropolitan significance."
The council is one of the few regional agencies in the nation to have substantial independent powers. Its
success is based to a large degree on its recognition of the delicate balance between providing a mechanism
for addressing complex regional problems and limiting interference in the local control of smaller
communities.
5.3 Canada
5.3.1 The Framework
Federal
Canada is a federation often provinces and two northern territories. Although there is general constitutional
division of authority between the federal and provincial governments, many areas requiring governmental
management, such as the environment, are a shared responsibility. Both levels of government have
environmental legislation governing their own activities that affect the environment as well as activities that
they are empowered to manage. Thus, for example, Ontario and Canada both enforce their own
environmental protection and environmental assessment legislation.
To the extent that duplication and other difficulties exist between these different governments applying and
implementing similar legislation, the federal and provincial governments are attempting to address
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harmonization through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. One of the most powerful
pieces of federal environmental legislation is the Fisheries Act. Provisions that restrict the release of
deleterious substances into water bodies and that ensure the "no net loss" of fisheries habitat can serve to
curb urban land activities that affect the nearshore ecosystem. The federal governments of Canada and the
United States—through the International Joint Commission—manage the flow of water through control
structures on the Great Lakes, thereby indirectly affecting the production of hydroelectric power,
navigation, and water levels.
The federal government may intervene in areas of provincial influence through funding programs. Federal
activities in housing include the creation of the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation to facilitate
home ownership through housing standards and credit availability. The federal government also contributed
to a number of infrastructure programs, including those largely responsible for the creation of municipal
sewage works that discharge sewage destined for the Great Lakes. The federal government has contributed
extensively to the building of the provincial road and public transit infrastructure through grants and
partnership funding programs. The federal government has jointly managed a number of environmental
programs with the province, such as the contaminated orphan site program or the flood damage reduction
program.
The federal government owns extensive property directly within or that can affect the nearshore ecosystem.
The federal government manages federal parks at locations such as Pelee Island and Five Fathoms Park. In
addition, the Canadian Wildlife Service manages wildlife preservation at various locations, such as Long
Point. The federal government is also responsible for aboriginal issues and lands, such as Walpole Island.
Although privatization is affecting its responsibilities, the federal government has been active in land
management issues related to railway operations, airports, and some industrial lands, such as the Toronto
waterfront. Further, federal legislation governs the operations of harbours and ports throughout the basin,
including Toronto, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, and numerous small craft operations and the canal systems in
Ontario.
The federal government has played a leadership role in developing and implementing remedial action
planning for Areas of Concern on the Ontario side of the basin, contributing both human and economic
resources and sponsoring public involvement. The Canada Centre for Inland Waters, in Burlington, has
provided research and analysis for provincial as well as federal programs. The federal government has
played an important role in connecting Ontario to such broad international activities as the world biosphere
program for Long Point and the Niagara Escarpment, North American waterfowl management, and the
United Nations Environmental University.
Provincial
The provincial government is responsible for most matters that affect the planning and use of land in
Ontario, including the management of Ontario public lands and management of the province's natural
resources. The provincial government can establish local governments, regulate property rights, and
manage urban planning within the province. Thus, Ontario has the primary responsibility for land planning
on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes basin.
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Ontario has taken a pro-active and interventionist position to land-use planning by establishing policies that
affect settlement and the management of growth within which municipal planning and development can
proceed.
Municipal
There are almost 4,500 municipalities in Canada, including 811 local government bodies in Ontario.
Municipal structures throughout Ontario vary, depending on the degree of planned urbanization. In the
more heavily populated southern part of the province, two-tiered regional government was established in
the 1970s to assist municipalities with planning for development. These include the regional municipalities
of Durham, Metropolitan Toronto, Peel, Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Haldimand-Norfolk and Niagara,
which border on the Great Lakes. Within each of these regions, local municipalities operate and share
responsibility, to variable extents, for planning, water, waste and wastewater, roads, social services, and
parks services.
In other areas of the province, a combination of county, city, township, town, and village predominate in
multi- or single-level form, depending on the size and complexity of the municipality and the issues facing
it. For example, the unsettled northern part of Ontario makes do with a minimum of governance.
The Legislative Framework for Municipal Planning
Ontario's municipalities are created and guided in their essential operations by the Municipal Act. The
Planning Act is the key piece of legislation governing growth and settlement within the Province. Among
major elements, the Act
establishes the role and interest of the province in planning matters;
sets the framework for establishing local planning administration;
sets the framework for planning instruments and controls that can be employed by local
governments, including official plans, zoning, and subdivision control;
establishes public consultation requirements;
defines the role of the Ontario Municipal Board with respect to the planning approval process.
Land uses and the planning and development process are regulated by a large number of other laws and
regulations pertaining to construction standards, environmental standards for infrastructure, uses of
watercourses and shorelines, etc. Environmental assessment and protection, resource management, and
aspects of flood control planning in watersheds are controlled through various federal and provincial laws,
regulations, and policies. Key among these are Ontario's Environmental Protection Act, which protects air,
land, and water, and the Environmental Assessment Act, which requires an environmental assessment
process for major public works.
Many other controls are in place to regulate land uses affecting valleys, watercourses, fish habitat, tree
cutting, aggregate extraction, and other activities; but it is the municipal planning process mandated under
the Planning Act and the strategies and limits on local land use set out in local plans that govern growth
and settlement. Although environmental interests are expressed as important principles in the Planning Act,
land-use planning and official plans are more concerned with the developed landscape rather than the
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natural environment. For example, terminology such as "hazard land" and "open space," which reflect
more dated frontier altitudes, are still used to characterize natural landscapes, as if they are best defined by
either their openness or their hazard. In Ontario, at least, land-use planning based on the primacy of natural
ecosystems is still some way off, both in principle and reality.
Education matters are largely governed by schools boards throughout the province, which levy property
taxes separate from municipalities, under the mandate of the Education Act and in cooperation with the
Ministry of Education. In a similar vein, but to a lesser extent, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and
Housing serves to assist and review the activities of municipalities. The province is currently considering
alternative ways to fund and disentangle responsibilities for municipally delivered services, including
education. Greater devolution of responsibility for municipal planning and development to the local level is
one option being considered as a trade off against greater provincial control over school education and
health programs.
5.3.2 Planning Roles and Responsibilities
Matters of Provincial Interest
The first section of Ontario's Planning Act states that the matters of provincial interest to be "had regard
to" in carrying out provincial approval responsibilities include the following:
protection of the natural environment, including agricultural lands, and management of natural
resources;
protection of features of significant natural, architectural, historical, or archaeological interest;
supply, efficient use, and conservation of energy;
provision of major communication, servicing, and transportation facilities;
orderly development of safe and healthy communities;
equitable distribution of educational, health, and other social facilities;
coordination of planning activities of municipalities and other public bodies;
resolution of planning conflicts involving municipalities and other public bodies;
health and safety of the population;
protection of the financial and economic well-being of the province and its municipalities.
Provincial Policy Statements
Under the Planning Act, there is a cabinet-approved statement—the Provincial Policy Statement
(PPS)—dealing with municipal planning matters that are deemed to be of provincial interest. A new set of
PPSs came into effect in May 1996, which dealt with issues such as municipal infrastructure, housing,
agricultural policies, mineral resources, natural heritage, water quality and quantity, cultural heritage and
archaeological resources, natural hazards, and human-made hazards.
All of Ontario's local government bodies must implement and plan within the framework of this legislated
system. Provincial ministries, agencies, and local governments must "have regard to" the land-use policies
established by the province, although not necessarily rigidly conform to them, when making planning
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decisions. This builds in some flexibility to allow for local circumstances to be considered in local planning
decisions. Where local planning decisions vary from provincial policies, decision makers are expected to
explain the discrepancies.
Official Plan Approvals
The focus of planning legislation in every Canadian province is some form of local policy plan, which is
intended to enable a municipality to formally set down its goals, objectives, and policies on how it wants to
develop in the future. In defining what a municipal plan should contain, the Ontario Planning Act states:
"An 'Official Plan' shall contain goals, objectives and policies established primarily to manage and
direct physical change and the effects on the social, economic and natural environment of the
municipality or part of it, or an area that is without municipal organization."
Official plans must be formally adopted by the respective regional or local municipal councils in Ontario
before being forwarded to the provincial government for approval. Provincial approval involves the
circulation of the plan to a broad range of provincial and other public agencies to ensure that any relevant
concerns are addressed. Over the years the time needed to complete this review and approval procedure has
become longer as the nature of issues to be considered becomes more complex. In a few instances the
provincial approval authority for lower tier municipalities has been delegated to the regional level of
government, where that exists.
In Ontario, a municipal plan is not binding on the province, although any ministry is required to "consult
with, and have regard for, the established planning policies of the municipality" before carrying out any
activity. Authority for most land-use planning decisions has been delegated by the province to one or both
levels of municipal government. Exceptions are found for some northern areas lacking municipal
incorporation. For a number of local municipalities within counties lacking effective planning capability,
the province continues to approve the required municipal official plans that set out a municipality's future
land-use and development policies.
As the focus of the local planning process, this provincial sanction of the municipal policy plan is
considered in most provinces to be essential. Generally the legislation indicates that once a plan has been
finally approved, no local controls or public works may be carried out that do not conform to the plan.
Provincial Plans
Ontario also has legislation enabling the provincial government to prepare its own plan for any part of the
province. Such provincial plans take precedence over the plans of municipalities, which are required to
amend their own documents to conform to the provincial plan.
Only two such plans have been passed since the legislation was introduced in 1973. The Niagara
Escarpment Plan oversees the management of escarpment lands for a distinctive linear landscape feature
with high recreational potential that cuts across several counties and dozens of local municipalities. The
effect of the plan is to suspend local land-use controls and replace them with special development control
powers exercised by an appointed commission. The second plan, the Parkway Belt West Plan, restricts
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urban development on a corridor around the rapidly growing Greater Toronto Area (GTA), thus allowing
for the future provision of utilities, roads, and green space.
The Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is a quasi-judicial body of last resort and has broad powers to
resolve disputes on planning matters. Since it is a court of last appeal and resort and since it can rule on
land use, including overturning council decisions, as well as matters of process, the OMB is a powerful
entity in planning and is regarded as the final planning authority in Ontario. The Planning Act lays out the
framework describing who can refer planning matters to the OMB and when they can do so in the planning
process. Matters that typically end up before the board can relate to official plans, official plan
amendments, zoning, plans of subdivision, and even minor variances from zoning provisions.
Expropriation and Compensation
In Canada, private property rights imply the reasonable use of one's land. For example, a municipality
cannot arbitrarily zone private land for public purposes. As a result, we have no tradition of compensating
individuals for the so-called injurious effects of planning decisions or, on the other hand, the sharing of
profits from advantageous planning decisions. However, the high cost of constructing major public
infrastructure in urban areas, such as major extensions of water supply and sewage collection facilities, has
prompted measures to share these costs with the private landowners who stand to gain large benefits from
their construction.
If an action by any level of government means the removal of reasonable use of private property, the land
in question must be acquired by the public authority intending to use the land. For example, private land
may be needed to acquire the route for a new highway. Many landowners will be affected. Depending on
the amount of an individual's property that is needed, it may be acquired in whole or in part. In Ontario, if
only part of a property is required, then the landowner may seek compensation for "injurious affection"
because of the limited use of the remaining land.
The compensation to be paid for land acquired in this manner must be market value (i.e., the price a willing
buyer would pay to a willing seller) plus any disturbance considerations. Some landowners may come to an
amicable agreement on the value of their property, whereas others may prefer to take the chance of seeking
higher compensation through an expropriation process. This brings arbitration measures into play and a
public hearing may be held. In Ontario the Land Compensation Board may determine the value of
compensation if the parties cannot agree. An appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal is also possible.
Tiered Municipal Governments
Under the two-tier system of local governance, functions are divided between the two levels. Exact
responsibilities vary from place to place, but generally the upper tier—regional governments—take on
functions such as regional planning, sewer and water infrastructure planning, major roads, transit, policing,
and some social services. The local governments deal with local planning, parks, garbage collection, etc.
There is often duplication between the two levels—with respect to economic development initiatives, for
instance. The recent report of the GTA Task Force (January 1996) noted, for example, that in the Greater
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Toronto Area, 4 out of 5 regional governments and 25 of 30 local governments engaged in economic
development activities.
When it was first established in 1954, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was regarded across North
America as a progressive model for urban governance. Now, however, development has long since spread
beyond the Metro Toronto boundaries into the surrounding four regional municipalities. In order to better
coordinate issues related to the governance of the GTA, Canada's largest urban region, the province
created a provincial agency to bring the many local and regional governments together. A joint
provincial/municipal process has been set in motion to achieve greater coordination in planning the form of
future growth and the infrastructure needed to serve it. No special legislation has been passed to date.
Official Plans
Ontario legislation requires the mandatory preparation of official plans for the 13 regional municipalities
created through a reorganization of local government in the most populous parts of the province. Once the
regional plan has been approved, local municipalities are required to amend their own official plans to
bring them into conformity with the regional plan. Ontario takes the approach of requiring municipal
councils to review their plans at least every five years to ensure that their basic principles and goals are still
valid.
Legislation enables the regional municipality to amend the local plan directly if the local municipality fails
to do so itself. In practice, this rarely happens, in spite of discrepancies between the two levels of plan. One
reason for this may be because many of the same people serve on both councils since many regional
governments are elected indirectly; that is, they are elected to the lower-tier municipality but also serve on
the regional council. One of the difficulties of Ontario's two-tier municipal system is the almost constant
tension between the two levels, particularly where there is direct election to regional council, as in
Metropolitan Toronto.
An approved municipal plan has little effect by itself and must be implemented by various control devices.
Most legislation does not state that policy plans must be implemented, but there are exceptions. The effect
of this approach is to make the implementation of policy a somewhat negative exercise. Implementation
takes the form of ensuring that no uses of land are allowed that do not conform with approved planning
policies, but nothing is legislated to actually seek the achievement of specific planning objectives. Similarly,
the subdivision and servicing of raw land for development purposes may not take place in contravention of
municipal planning policies.
However, official plans can be and are frequently amended to allow for changes in designated land uses to
accommodate growth and other changes that municipal politicians may deem appropriate. In growing
municipalities, pressure for amendments from politicians wishing for development growth and from
developers can significantly alter the original goals of the official plan for a municipality. Finally, official
plans require periodic renewal as mandated by the province.
Zoning
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A common characteristic of Canadian planning legislation is to provide fairly detailed provisions on how
planning policies are to be implemented at the local level. Most implementation measures involve the
control of privately initiated development. The forms of development control vary from one jurisdiction to
another, but are generally centred on municipal zoning bylaws. Municipal planning legislation often
indicates the permitted scope of zoning bylaws and generally limits the ability to zone to local
municipalities.
Zoning bylaws are precise documents adopted by local municipalities to regulate the use of land. They
must be consistent with the municipal policy plan and state exactly what uses are permitted in different
parts of the community. Maps are included to show the precise boundaries between different zones. Detail
is provided on where buildings may be located, the types of uses and dwellings permitted, standards for lot
size, parking requirements, building height and setback distances from the street. Bylaws usually establish
several types of residential, commercial, industrial, and other zones according to density or character of
development. This gives a municipal council a precise context within which to make decisions on
development applications. If a development application submitted by an individual or company does not
conform to the bylaw, it is rejected or an amendment to the bylaw is considered—as long as it is consistent
with the policy plan.
The zoning system, developed originally to protect neighbourhoods from undesirable uses, provides a
measure of certainty and predictability, but has drawbacks as a development control device. In growing
municipalities, zoning bylaws tend to be frequently amended simply because zoning is often not flexible or
creative enough to regulate new development. Zoning that is frequently changed may be attacked for
apparently betraying the expectations of original residents about the future use of land. However, in small,
rural municipalities, where the only permanent employee may be the municipal clerk, the pre-set rules of
the zoning bylaw and the zones set out on maps provide landowners with a reasonably clear indication of
what they can and cannot do with their land and facilitate land-use management.
Many larger municipalities across the country have evolved variations on the basic zoning system. Some
use broad, generalized zoning categories and grant development permits on the fulfilment of specified
conditions. A more discretionary development permit system, in the absence of local professional planning
advice, has more potential for misuse and arbitrary decision-making. In the absence of local government, at
one level or another, the control of land-use is the direct responsibility of the provincial government.
Ontario legislation, for example, gives the province authority to impose "zoning orders" on any area. These
orders effectively freeze development to existing uses and any change requires an amendment of the order.
For example, a new mining operation may result in residential facilities for employees, which should be
regulated in terms of location, access, and other factors.
Subdivision Control
Another aspect of plan implementation in Canada is control over the division of land for sale as building
parcels. This control has been delegated to most regional municipal governments where they exist in
Ontario. Subdivision control ensures that land is suitable for its proposed use and that it conforms to
municipal planning policies. It also serves to protect the community from inappropriate development that
may be premature or may put undue strain on community finances or services (e.g., water supply or
sewage treatment facilities).
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Public Consultation
Public involvement in the planning process has long been taken for granted in all Canadian provinces. The
effectiveness of at least some of that involvement, however, is increasingly being called into question. There
seems to be a direct relationship between the nature of the planning issue under review and the degree of
public interest. If the planning matter is a broad-scale policy plan, public involvement and interest tends to
be sporadic. Clearly, more effort is needed to actively involve the community at this stage. However, if the
issue involves a specific building application that directly affects the nature of a neighbourhood, public
interest will be lively, intense, and often emotional.
Ontario legislation provides for the public to be involved at key stages in the planning process and in the
development of official plans and zoning bylaws, in particular the following:
a) Official plans: A proposed official plan (or amendment to an existing plan) must be circulated
within a municipality for public comment and at least one public meeting must be held to receive
comments. Only then may the plan be forwarded to the province for approval, together with copies of
public comments. Any person who still objects to the official plan after it has been adopted and
forwarded for approval may ask that the plan be referred to the Ontario Municipal Board for review.
This appointed board operates in a quasi-judicial manner with the authority to adjudicate and decide
upon planning appeals throughout the province.
b) Zoning bylaws: Before passing a municipal zoning bylaw, or bylaw amendment, the local council
must ensure that sufficient information is made available to enable the public to understand the
proposal and must hold at least one public meeting to receive comments. After the bylaw has been
passed by council, the public must be advised. Any person then has 20 days to appeal any of the
bylaw's provisions to the municipality. Objections received must be forwarded to the Ontario
Municipal Board.
If objections are put forward, the legislation requires the Ontario Municipal Board to hold a public
hearing following the expiry of the required notice period. At the hearing the municipality states why
the bylaw has been proposed and the appellants may state their objections. The board then decides the
issue and whether the bylaw can come into effect. If there are no objections to the bylaw, it becomes
effective upon receiving final reading by the municipal council. Concern has been expressed about the
role of the Ontario Municipal Board, as an appointed tribunal, in undermining the authority of elected
officials in what has at times become a time-consuming adversarial process.
The Waterfront Regeneration Trust
The Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) was created by the province of Ontario on June 25, 1992 and
reports to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. A successor to the Royal Commission on the
Future of the Toronto Waterfront, only the second-ever combined federal and provincial royal commission,
the WRT sets an example of nearshore planning that blends land-use concerns relating to many different
issues, from site remediation to agricultural practices. Though not a planning agency and having no
decision-making authority, the work of the WRT demonstrates an integrated ecosystem planning approach
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designed to protect, modify, and remediate both built and natural environments. Its success is due in large
part to the use of influence and consensus among stakeholders.
The WRT's mandate, based on legislation, is the following:
• To ensure coordination of provincial policy and programs, and advise on waterfront issues.
• To facilitate the establishment of a waterfront trail and associated green or open spaces.
To create partnerships and alliances, and resolve jurisdictional conflicts to promote investments in
waterfront projects.
• To maintain a Waterfront Resource Centre for educational, community, and commercial use to
promote an integrated approach to solving economic, environmental, and community waterfront
issues.
To hold land, generate revenues, and administer funds for purposes of waterfront regeneration.
The Act defines "waterfront lands" as "the land, including land covered with water, that is related to the
shore of Lake Ontario extending from Hamilton Harbour in the west to the Trent River in the east; with a
provision for possible extension." During 1996, the WRT was invited to extend its work to Niagara-on-the-
Lake and Kingston.
The WRT reports to the legislature through the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The minister is
responsible for the administration of the WRT's legislation. Some activities underway include the
following:
Implementing the Lake Ontario Greenway Strategy through partnerships with municipalities,
conservation authorities, provincial and federal ministries, and community groups.
Continuing the transition of Toronto's Central Waterfront to a greater mix of uses—for
residences, commerce, tourism and entertainment, parks and modern industry—based on an
integrated transport system and low-cost reliable energy supply.
Promoting awareness, understanding, and participation in the regeneration of the waterfront
among people, communities, business, and public agencies.
Conservation Authorities
In Ontario the conservation authorities, constituted on the basis of one or more watersheds, play a
significant role in land management and environmental protection. The Ontario Conservation Authorities
Act, enacted in 1946, sets out the formal roles and responsibilities for conservation authorities. The
conservation authorities are funded in part by the province, their municipal clients, and users of the parks
and other resources they provide. They were established to approach resource management on a
comprehensive basis, which includes not only flood control, but also land-use impacts, soil conservation,
forestry, wildlife, recreation, and public education. Conservation authorities are the only public bodies in
Ontario organized on the basis of a physiographic unit (watershed boundary) that is superimposed over the
boundaries of local and regional municipalities (political boundary).
Currently, the activities of conservation authorities are focused on the following areas:
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water management and flood control;
outdoor recreation areas and facilities;
development review;
input into municipal planning documents (official plans, zoning bylaws);
forest management;
fish and wildlife management, including wetland acquisition and management.
5.3.3 Tools and Techniques
Planning and the Nearshore
Traditional land use and development planning within the basin profoundly affects the nearshore. Canadian
provincial and local governments have, therefore, established special zoning by-laws, permit schemes, and
other development control instruments for sensitive lands in the nearshore. These fall into a number of
categories, including
watershed planning;
floodplain protection;
lake and stream shore protection;
agricultural zoning and practices;
extractive resources planning;
infrastructure planning;
environmental protection;
site remediation planning;
parks and waterfront recreational planning;
wetland preservation;
hazard zoning.
Site Remediation Guidelines and Brownfields Development Approaches
In Ontario, soil contamination varies within municipalities and from site to site, depending on past and
present land uses, type of activities and the environmental protection measures taken. Certain pollutants
such as organic compounds and heavy metals can persist in the ground for years after industrial activities
have ceased. "Brownfields" (vacant or inactive industrial or commercial properties with known or
suspected soil or water contamination problems) are a problem in central cities, older inner-ring suburbs,
and some rural areas. In the Greater Toronto Area, some areas such as the Port Industrial Lands in Toronto
have been recognized as contaminated due to former industrial land uses.
Contaminated soils can preclude the reuse of the land by rendering properties unfit for human use and
development. Cleanup costs to remediate a site can be very high, especially when earlier regulatory
practices required a high level of cleanup, discouraging recycling of industrial land. Brownfields influence
the location of residential and business activities, shaping regional development patterns and raising
barriers to potential urban revitalization. To address these and other issues, in 1993 the Ministry of
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Environment and Energy initiated consultation with government and non-government participants to revise
its "Guideline for Use at Contaminated Sites in Ontario."
Under the new contaminant guideline released in June 1996, the level of soil cleanup is dependent on the
intended use of the land. For example, property to be used for housing or schools will need a higher degree
of cleanup that other activities, such as roads and parks. By requiring registration on title for contaminated
property, the guideline will assist the members of the public, the real state industry and lending institutions
in making informed investments decisions. The new guideline provides advice and information to property
owners and consultants to use when they are assessing the environmental condition of a property and
determining whether or not restoration is required and the kind of restoration needed to allow continued use
or reuse of the site.
The new guideline describes three approaches that can be used when a decision has been made to remediate
or restore a contaminated property: background, generic, and site risk assessment. The property owner and
those undertaking the work are responsible for ensuring that the site restoration work is completed in a
manner consistent with the information provided in the guideline and that the site is suitable for the intended
use or reuse. Although there is no inventory of potentially contaminated lands available for the whole GTA,
several initiatives are under way to identify contaminated sites. One such initiative, led by the Waterfront
Regeneration Trust, in Toronto's central waterfront, brings together the province and the private sector to
find ways to expedite development approvals on specific brownfields sites, depending on their level of
contamination and the proposed use.
Property Tax Reform
Although assessment information is managed provincially, the determination of actual assessment varies by
year and valuation methodology among municipalities across the province. Part of the reason for the flight
of industry from the City of Toronto is that assessment rates are more favourable in the suburbs where
municipalities try to attract new employment opportunities for their planned industrial lands as part of their
municipal growth strategies.
An initiative is currently under way to reform property tax in Ontario. The present system is extremely
complicated, with assessment systems varying from place to place within the province. The intention to
implement a single, province-wide property tax system based on "actual value assessment" (AVA) has
recently been announced. An important proposal associated with the new system is the basing of assessed
value on the current, actual use of a property, not on its speculative value.
Transit-Supportive Land-Use Planning Guidelines
The province of Ontario issued guidelines for transit-supportive land-use planning several years ago. They
present a comprehensive package of measures to be taken into account in the land development process to
make new development transit-supportive. The guidelines deal with matters such as land-use, density, and
urban design.
Urban Growth Boundaries
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Many local and regional plans, particularly those undergoing greenfields development or anticipating future
growth, identify a long-term urban growth boundary. These are generally not intended as permanent urban
boundaries, but urban growth boundaries for a planning time frame of 20 to 30 years. In the Region of Peel
Official Plan, for example, an urban growth boundary is established to the year 2021.
Parkland Conveyances
The Planning Act allows for parkland to be conveyed to a municipality in conjunction with approvals for
the subdivision of land. Up to 2 percent of the total land area to be subdivided can be required for parks if
the land use is commercial or industrial, or up to 5 percent for residential uses. In certain cases, the Act
also allows a dedication standard of 1 hectare of parkland for every 300 residential units.
Density and Height Bonuses
The Planning Act allows municipalities to grant bonuses in height or density above and beyond what would
ordinarily be allowed on a particular site, in return for a landowner's providing certain "facilities, services
or matters." These can include, for example, affordable housing, daycares, or other public facilities such as
cultural or exhibition space. The landowner and municipality enter into a legal agreement defining issues
and responsibilities.
Holding Zoning
The Planning Act provides for a holding zoning designation to be granted to a site or area, in which the
zoning permissions are in place but are essentially withheld subject to the landowner's fulfilling certain
conditions or obligations with respect to the property. The holding designation (usually depicted as an H
symbol on a map) is lifted when the conditions are met. This approach might be used, for example, with
respect to ensuring cleanup of contaminated lands prior to permitting development to proceed.
Development Charges
A Development Charges Act was introduced in Ontario in 1990. The Act sets out a province-wide
framework that permits local and regional municipalities and school boards to charge fees to developers
and builders to pay for the costs of growth-related infrastructure. Individual municipalities then adopt
development charge bylaws, setting out infrastructure items that the charge will finance and the charges to
be applied to different types of development (e.g., single detached dwellings, townhouses, apartments, and
commercial development).
Development charges vary considerably from one municipality to another, which encourages industrial and
other developers to shop around. Municipalities that do not recover the full costs of municipal
infrastructure, including "hard" services, such as roads and sewers, and "soft services," such as schools,
parks, and libraries, in fact subsidize the developers for locating development in their community. The
burden for this subsidy falls on the general ratepayers through increased municipal debt or, more
immediately, higher taxes and increased service charge rates. The Development Charges Act is currently
under review by the province, and a new Act is expected in the fall of 1996.
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5.4 Conclusions
5.4.1 Background
Growth and development in the Great Lakes basin is a complex issue with many participants and one very
obvious trend—urban sprawl. Economic growth, which has lead to the standard of living that residents in
the Great Lakes basin enjoy, has been partly based on the very factors that now serve to strangle its
continued progress. The automobile, highways, efficient agriculture, and high population growth rates over
the years have encouraged and facilitated a development culture based on continued greenfield development
and urban sprawl. Highly desirable as a lifestyle in a relatively unpopulated community, low-density
development (sprawl)—now extending across the Great Lakes states and Ontario—is a major stressor for
the nearshore ecosystem. Urban sprawl has a number of implications for social interaction and the
provision of social and community support. Unique community character and the sense of "place" that
fosters collective community pride is sadly lacking in many sprawl communities.
Ways of dealing with development pressures on each side of the Great Lakes have been as different as the
institutions, political and legislative systems, and cultures of the two countries that share the basin.
Canadians have tended towards reliance on provincial authority to require municipalities to undertake
complex and comprehensive longer-term planning systems followed by comprehensive zoning. U.S.
municipalities have operated in a less centralized fashion and with more of a laissez-faire attitude to
development, relying more heavily on restrictive zoning to meet the needs of their communities in response
to the development demands.
In the end, there is little observable difference in the results of urban sprawl on either side of the border.
Differences in the extent of inner city decay between Canadian and U.S. cities have more to do with factors
such as the overall growth rate of the U.S. and Canadian populations over time and consequent relative
maturity of their cities than with planning systems. Given current rates of urban sprawl in Ontario, 20
years of comprehensive municipal planning, does not appear to have made a difference in this regard.
Urban sprawl continues virtually unabated on either side of the border.
5.4.2 Extending the Tool Kit
Tools and techniques are available to planners and decision makers throughout the basin to promote more
sustainable development. This tool kit of planning instruments has evolved over time and it will need to
continue evolving if we are to move toward a planning system that ensures more efficient and
environmentally compatible communities. A more sustainable development overtime will result in reduced
pollution in the nearshore ecosystem, less stress caused by development on the rest of the ecosystem, and a
greater sense of belonging and connection to one's community.
Making environmental protection a priority objective for urban development is critical. Current approaches
that treat the environment as just another factor clearly have not been effective. Prohibitions against
sprawl—where it is already creating environmental and social problems— would provide much needed
breathing space and send clear messages to the development industry and the residential and commercial
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markets that it serves. Strong protection against farmland conversion, through agricultural land banking
and the greater use of conservation easements, has not been embraced on either side of the Great Lakes.
Removal of hidden financial and economic biases in favour of sprawl and against inner city redevelopment
and more compact urban development, as well as the adoption of a full cost-pricing approach for different
types of development, is especially important.
There is need for public education! The environmental and social impacts of suburban lifestyle are,
obviously, not well understood and appreciated by the public. Education of the public by state and
provincial agencies could help to reduce the demand for sprawl housing—for example, by undertaking a
public education campaign to advertise the environmental, social, and long-term economic costs associated
with sprawl. Banking and mortgage companies have an evolving role to play in demonstrating, through
their commercial and residential lending policies, the importance, value, and relative benefits of longer-term
sustainable development. In fact, developers and real estate agents, made aware of the effects of continued
urban sprawl, could be perhaps the most appropriate agents of communication for this message.
Finally, if it is the economics of cheap agricultural land and subsidized municipal services that have made
sprawl so popular, it will take economic disincentives to discourage even greater sprawl. Development
charges and impact fees are perhaps the most powerful tool for bringing the real cost of sprawl into the
market for homes and new industrial and commercial locations. That these fees are not applied evenly and
universally across the basin is a factor that continues to favour sprawl.
Taxation rates that more closely reflected the higher annual municipal operating and maintenance costs
associated with urban sprawl would dissuade potential buyers who examined the long-term costs of their
investment. There is, perhaps, an emerging trend by some municipalities to impose user fees instead of
general property taxation for specific services, such as the removal of solid waste. Fees for specific sprawl-
related services such as roads and education, for example, would provide residents with clear economic
signals. Road tolls would also provide incentives for greater use of environmentally friendly public transit.
5.4.3 The Challenge for the Future
Clearly, the United States and Canada face many common pressures related to growth and change in the
Great Lakes basin. This is not surprising given the nature of the political, legislative, cultural, and
economic factors that must be accommodated. Yet maintaining and restoring natural ecosystems, which do
not respect political boundaries, in the face of the pressures of a continental and global economy,
technological change, and continuing urban sprawl are issues that complicate the role of planners and land-
use planning. The problems of urban sprawl have been evident for at least the last 20 years. And the fact
that urban sprawl, a major stressor for the Great Lakes ecosystem, is continuing and perhaps even
accelerating rather than slowing down is an important message for decision makers to consider in relation
to planning systems across the border. This is true in spite of tools and techniques that are available to
planners and decision makers to promote more sustainable development, which in turn will reduce both
pollution in the nearshore ecosystem and stress caused by development on the rest of the ecosystem.
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6.0 References
1.4 Land-Use Concerns
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995. The State of the Environment Report. Toronto, Ontario
Schueler, Thomas R.1994. "The Importance of Imperviousness." Watershed Protection Techniques
Quarterly 1(3).
2.1 Land Use and Its Impacts: Development
Booth, Derek B. 1991. "Urbanization and the Natural Drainage System: Impacts, Solutions and
Prognoses." Northwest Environmental Journal 7(1).
Chrzastowski, M.J. 1996. "The Lakes' Shifting Sands" Lake Michigan Federation Newsletter.
City of Olympia Public Works Department. 1995. Impervious Surface Reduction Study. Final report.
Olympia, Washington.
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. 1983. Urban Runoff in the Washington Metropolitan
Area. Final report of the Washington Nationwide Urban Runoff Project. Washington, D.C.
Michigan Society of Planning Officials. 1995. Patterns on the Land: Our Choices—Our Future.
Michigan's Trend Future Report. Lansing, Michigan: Planning and Zoning Center.
Schueler, Thomas R. 1987. Controlling Urban Runoff: A Practical Manual for Planning and Designing
Urban BMP"s. Washington, D.C.: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
. 1994. "The Importance of Imperviousness." Watershed Protection Techniques Quarterly 1(3).
. 1992. "Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Urbanization on Streams." In Watershed Restoration
Sourcebook, 21-31.
U.S. Department of Commerce. 1990. 50 Years of Population Change Along the Nation's Coast 1960-
2010. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Washington D.C.
2.2 Land Use and Its Impacts: The Trend to Sprawl
Buchsbaum, P.A., and L.J. Smith, eds. 1993. State and Regional Comprehensive Planning:
Implementing New Methods for Growth Management. Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association.
108 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Carr, J.H., and E.E. Duensing, eds. 1983. Land Use Issues of the 1980s. New Brunswick, New Jersey:
Center for Urban Policy Research.
DeGrove, John M. 1993. "The Emergence of State Planning and Growth Management Systems: An
Overview." In Buchsbaum and Smith, eds. State and Regional Comprehensive Planning.
. 1996. "State Growth Management Systems That Integrate and Coordinate Land Use Planning: An
Overview." Paper presented at a Michigan State University Land Use Forum, "Land Use
Decisionmaking: Its Role in a Sustainable Future for Michigan," 9-10 January 1996. East Lansing,
Michigan.
Downs, Anthony. 1996. "Key Land Use Issues in Future Metropolitan Growth." Paper presented at a
Michigan State University Land Use Forum, "Land Use Decisionmaking: Its Role in a Sustainable
Future for Michigan," 9-10 January 1996. East Lansing, Michigan.
Kelley, Eric D. 1993. Managing Community Growth: Policies, Techniques, and Impacts. London, UK:
Praeger Publishers.
Libby, Lawrence W. 1996. "Property Rights: The Public-Private Balance?" Paper presented at a Michigan
State University Land Use Forum, "Land Use Decisionmaking: Its Role in a Sustainable Future for
Michigan," 9-10 January 1996. East Lansing, Michigan.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1994. The Official Plan of the Municipality of Metropolitan
Toronto: The Living Metropolis. Toronto, Ontario. The Regional Municipality of Metropolitan
Toronto.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1996. Commercial Structure of the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto, Ontario. The Regional Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.
Michigan Society of Planning Officials. 1995. Patterns on the Land: Our Choices—Our Future.
Michigan's Trend Future Report. Lansing, Michigan: Planning and Zoning Center.
Pierce, Neal R. 1996. Untitled remarks presented at a Michigan State University land use forum, "Land
Use Decisionmaking: Its Role in a Sustainable Future for Michigan," 9-10 January 1996. East
Lansing, Michigan.
Porter, Douglas, ed. 1992. State and Regional Initiatives for Managing Development: Policy Issues and
Practical Concerns. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute.
Salkin, Patricia E. 1993. "Statewide Comprehensive Planning: The Next Wave." In Buchsbaum and Smith,
eds. State and Regional Comprehensive Planning.
SOLEC 96 Impacts of Changing Land Use 109
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2.3 Land Use and Its Impacts: Changing Urban Structure and the Benefits of
Renewal
Blais, Pamela. 1996. "Economics of Urban Form." Background paper prepared for the GTA Task Force.
Toronto, Ontario: Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Environment Canada. 1993. Stimulating the Local Economy through the Implementation of the Hamilton
Harbour Remedial Action Plan. Hamilton, Ontario.
. 1995. Restoring Great Lakes Watersheds: Adding Up the Economic Benefits. Burlington,
Ontario.
Hemson Consulting Ltd. and Coopers & Lybrand Consulting Group. 1993. The Outlook for Population
and Employment in the GTA. Office of the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto, Ontario
Hickling Corp., Econometric Research Ltd., LURA Group, and Michael Michalski Assoc. 1993.
Development Potential and Other Benefits from Restoration, Enhancement and Protection of Great
Lakes Basin Watersheds. Toronto, Ontario: Environment Canada.
IBI Group. 1990. Greater Toronto Area Urban Structure Concepts Study. Greater Toronto Coordinating
Committee. Toronto, Ontario.
Kennedy, Sarah. 1995. A Database on the Great Lakes Region: An Economic Perspective. Burlington,
Ontario: Environment Canada.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1996. Commercial Structure of the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto, Ontario. The Regional Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1994. The Official Plan of the Municipality of Metropolitan
Toronto: The Living Metropolis. Toronto, Ontario. The Regional Municipality of Metropolitan
Toronto.
Ministry of Treasury and Economics. 1989. Population Projections for Regional Municipalities, Counties
and Districts of Ontario to 2011. 1989. Toronto, Ontario.
Paehlke, Robert, et al. 1991. The Environmental Effects of Urban Intensification. Toronto: Ministry of
Municipal Affairs, Municipal Planning Policy Branch (Ontario).
Statistics Canada. 1979-1988. Employment Manufacturing Statistics. Ottawa, Ontario.
110 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Sustainable Futures, LURA Group, and Econometric Research Limited. 1995. Development Potential and
Other Benefits from Restoration, Enhancement and Protection of the Metropolitan Toronto
Watersheds. Toronto, Ontario: Environment Canada.
Troyak, Margaret. 1990. Sustainable Development and Land Use Planning: Towards Principles and
Guidelines for Implementation at a Local Level. Burlington, Ontario: Environment Canada.
2.4 Land Use and Its Impacts: Industrial and Municipal Activity
Archer, J. 1985. 1984 Ontario Ministry of Environment Loading Information, Effluent Compliance and
Abatement Programs for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities in the Great Lakes Basin.
Toronto, Ontario: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Municipal Pollution Unit.
Thorp, Steve. 1990. Liquid Asset: Great Lakes Water Quality and Industry Needs. Great Lakes
Commission. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Health Canada. 1996. "Outdoor Air and Your Health." Great Lakes Health Effects Program. Ottawa,
Ontario.
International Joint Commission. 1992. Winds of Change. Windsor, Ontario
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995.
Environment Canada. 1994. 1993 Summary Report: The National Pollutant Release Inventory. Ottawa,
Ontario: Minister of Supply and Services.
Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy. 1992. Air Quality in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario: Queen's
Printer.
. 1993. Report on the 1991 Discharges from Municipal Sewage Treatment Plants in Ontario.
Toronto, Ontario.
. 1993. Report on the 1991 Industrial Direct Discharges in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. 1996. Loads Generated 1994/95 - Selected Pollutant Data
Base. Unpublished. Chicago, Illinois.
Waterfront Regeneration Trust. 1996. Shoreline Management Opportunities for the Lake Ontario
Greenway. Toronto, Ontario.
Yee, Peter. 1995. A Report on the 1994 Water Levels of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
Cornwall, Ontario. Environment Canada.
Yee, Peter, and Jim Lloyd. 1993. Great Lakes Water Levels. Burlington, Ontario: Environment Canada.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 111
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2.5 Land Use and Its Impacts: Transportation
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995.
The National Round Table on Environment and Economy. 1996. Sustainable Transportation in Canada.
Ottawa, Ontario.
Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy and the National Round Table on Environment and the
Economy. 1995. A Strategy for Sustainable Transportation in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario.
Testa, W.A., ed. 1991. The Great Lakes Economy: Looking North and South. Chicago, Illinois. Federal
Reserve Bank and Great Lakes Commission.
Thorp, S. 1993. Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Commerce: Safety, Energy and Environment
Implications of Modal Shifts. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Great Lakes Commission.
Thorp, Steve, and David Allardice. 1994. "A Changing Great Lakes Economy: Economic and
Environmental Linkages." Working paper (EPA 905-D-94-001e). 1994 State of the Lakes Ecosystem
Conference (SOLEC). Environment Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. 1992. Environmental Programs and
Provisions—Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.
2.6 Land Use and Its Impacts: Agriculture
Great Lakes Commission. Agricultural Profile Project team. 1996. An Agricultural Profile of the Great
Lakes Basin: Characteristics and Trends in Production, Land Use and Environmental Impacts. Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department. 1995.
World Wildlife Fund. 1995. Reducing Reliance on Pesticides in Great Lakes Basin Agriculture.
Washington, D.C.
3.0 Lake-by-Lake Perspective
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1996. Agricultural Census Data for the five individual Great Lakes
basins. Prepared by Ian Jarvis. Data gathered as part of the Agricultural Profile Project coordinated by
the Great Lakes Commission with funding support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund, 1996.
Guelph, Ontario.
112 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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APB Associates, Inc.; Planning and Zoning Center, Inc., 1996. Draft Seasonal Population Estimating
Model for Northwest Michigan: A Report to the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments.
Beaty, Judith. 1996. Analysis of Indiana's section of the Lake Michigan basin for SOLEC '96.
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. Portage, Indiana.
Davidson, Michael. 1996. The Revitalization Efforts of Small and Medium-Sized Communities: An
Assessment of Great Lakes Waterfronts. Masters Thesis. DePaul University. Chicago, Illinois.
Dodge, Doug and Kavetsky, Robert. 1994. Aquatic Habitat and Wetlands of the Great Lakes. SOLEC
Working Paper. EPA doc. 905-D-94-001c. Chicago, Illinois and Burlington, Ontario.
Donahue, Michael J. 1990. "Reflections" in Currents, Lake Superior Center, Duluth, MN.
Environment Canada, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1995. State of the Great Lakes. Summary
Proceedings of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference held in Dearborn, Michigan. October,
1994. Ottawa, Ontario.
Environment Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Great Lakes: An
Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, 3rd ed. 1995. Burlington, Ontario and Chicago, Illinois.
Environment Canada and United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Great Lakes: An
Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, 1st ed. 1987. Burlington, Ontario and Chicago, Illinois.
Ford, Jim. 1996. Analysis of Illinois' section of the Lake Michigan basin for SOLEC '96. Northeastern
Illinois Planning Commission. Chicago, Illinois.
Great Lakes Commission. Agricultural Profile Project Team. 1996. An Agricultural Profile of the Great
Lakes Basin: Characteristics and Trends in Production, Land Use, and Environmental Impacts. Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
Herdendorf, C.E., 1982. Large lakes of the world. J. Great Lakes Res. 8(3):379-412.
Herdendorf, C.E., S.M. Hartley, and M.D. Barnes (eds.) 1981. Fish and wildlife resources of the Great
Lakes coastal wetlands within the United States. Volume Six: Lake Superior. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Report No. FWS/OBS-51/02-V6. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Holland, Karen and Reid, Ron. 1996. The Land By The Lakes: Nearshore Terrestrial Ecosystem. SOLEC
Working Paper. EPA doc. 905-D-96-001d. Burlington, Ontario and Chicago, Illinois.
Johnson, B.L., and C.A. Johnston. 1995. Relationship oflithology and geomorphology to erosion of the
western Lake Superior coast. J. Great Lakes Res. 21:3-16.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 113
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Johnston, C.A., B. Allen, J. Bonde, J. Sales, and P. Meysembourg. 1991. Land use and water resources in
the Minnesota north shore drainage basin. Technical Report NRRI/TR-91/07. Natural Resources
Research Institute, U. of Minnesota - Duluth.
Kendall, J., and B.W. Pigozzi. 1994. Nonemployment income and the economic base of Michigan
Counties: 1959-1986. Growth and Change. 25(Winter):51-74.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 1996. High Risk Erosion Area and Critical Dune Area
Permits Issued For the Counties on Lake Michigan 1990-1995. Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan Employment Security Commission. 1995. Michigan's Labor Market News. Vol 51, Nos. 2 and
11. 6 pp each. Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, 1996. 7995 State of the Great Lakes. Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan Sea Grant, 1990. "Lake Michigan" brochure. East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan Society of Planning Officials, 1995. Trend Future Report. Lansing, Michigan.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1992. The New York State 25 Year Plan for
the Great Lakes. Albany, New York.
Northeastern Wisconsin Waters of Tomorrow. 1995. Toward A Cost-Effective Approach to Water
Resource Management in the Fox-Wolf River basin: A First Cut Analysis. Appleton, Wisconsin.
Savoie, P.J., 1990. Lake Ontario Fisheries Management Plan 1990 - 2000. Background information and
proposed strategies. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Central Region, Aurora, 120 p. mimeo.
Sly, P.G., 1991. The effects of land use and cultural development on the Lake Ontario ecosystem since
1750. Hydrobiologia 213:1-75.
Smith, P.G.R., V. Glooshenko and D.A. Hagen. 1991. Coastal wetlands of three Canadian Great Lakes:
inventory, current conservation initiatives and patterns of variation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.
48:1581-1594.
Stephenson, T.D., 1990. Fish reproductive utilization of coastal marshes of Lake Ontario near Toronto.
J. Great Lakes Res. 16(l):71-81.Statistics Canada. 1991. 1991 Census Data.
Superior Work Group, 1995. Current status of critical pollutants: LaMP Volume II - Critical Pollutants -
Stage 1 - Problem Identification. Lake Superior Binational Program. 99 pages plus appendices.
Publication location unlisted.
Thorp, Steve and Allardice, David. 1994. "A Changing Great Lakes Economy: Economic and
Environmental Linkages." SOLEC Working Paper. EPA doc. 905-D-94-001f Chicago, Illinois and
Burlington, Ontario.
114 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Forest Service, and others, 1992. Northwest
Lower Michigan River basin Report.
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Commerce, March 1993. National Survey of Fishing,
Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 1991.
U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Western Lake Michigan
Drainages (WMIC), 1996. Draft written communication, environmental retrospective report.
U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Western Lake Michigan
Drainages (WMIC), 1996. Draft written communication, nutrient retrospective report.
Whillans, T.H., 1982. Changes in marsh area along the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario. J. Great Lakes
Res. 8(3):570-577.
Wisconsin Department of Administration, 1996. Great Lakes basin Information for Wisconsin. Written
Communication from Nat Robinson, Administrator of the Division of Energy and Intergovernmental
Relations. Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 1995. Northern Wisconsin Lakes and Shore lands Report.
Madison, Wisconsin. 18pp.
4.1 Farmland Conversion: A Major Issue for the Basin
American Farmland Trust. 1991. Proceedings of national conference "Saving the Land That Feeds
America: Conservation in the Nineties," 7-9 March, Washington D.C.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Agriculture. 1994. Farmland Preservation: 5 Year
Report.
Great Lakes Commission, Agricultural Profile Project team. 1996. An Agricultural Profile of the Great
Lakes Basin: Characteristics and Trends in Production, Land Use and Environmental Impacts. Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan Society of Planning Officials. 1995. Patterns on the Land: Our Choices—Our Future.
Michigan's Trend Future Report. Lansing, Michigan: Planning and Zoning Center.
Michigan State University, Agricultural Experiment Station. 1994. "Land Use Planning." Futures.
Schueler, Thomas R. 1994. "The Importance of Imperviousness." Watershed Protection Techniques
Quarterly 1(3).
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 115
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Skjaerlund, David. 1994. Policy Recommendations and Options for the Future Growth of Michigan
Agriculture. Report to Governor John Engler from the Michigan Farmland and Agriculture
Development Task Force.
Wagner, Bob. 1992. "Agricultural Protection Act." American Farmland.
4.3 Great Lakes Dredging and Confined Disposal Facilities
Baker, David B. 1988. Sediment, Nutrient and Pesticide Transport in Selected Lower Great Lakes
Tributaries. Prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Programs
Office. Chicago, Illinois.
Great Lakes Basin Commission. 1980. Dredging in the Great Lakes: Implications of Dredging Policies to
Transportation Planning and Management in the U.S. Coastal Zone. Summary proceedings of
conference held 17-18 January 1980, Chicago, Illinois.
Great Lakes Commission. 1988. Great Lakes Commercial and Recreational Harbor Dredging: Issues
and Recommendations. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
King, Dr. Patricia Smith. 1995. Clean Lakes, Clean Sediments: A Citizen's Guide and Common Sense
Action Plan. Madison, Wisconsin: Sierra Club Great Lakes Ecoregion Program.
Larson, John W. 1983. History of Great Lakes Navigation. Alexandria, Virginia: U.S. Army Engineer
Water Resources Support Center.
Miller, Jan. 1993. Confined Disposal Facilities on the Great Lakes. Chicago, Illinois: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, North Central Division.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District. 1991. Interim Report: Collation and Interpretations of
Data for Times Beach Confined Disposal Facility. Buffalo, New York.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. 1994. The Dredging Process in the United
States: An Action Plan for Improvement. Washington, D.C.: Interagency Working Group on the
Dredging Process.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1974. Future Dredging Quantities in the Great Lakes. Corvallis,
OR: Natural Environmental Research Center.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office. 1995. White Paper on Great
Lakes Confined Disposal Facilities. Draft. Chicago, Illinois.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1994. "Great Lakes Dredged
Material Testing and Evaluation Manual." Draft.
116 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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U.S. General Accounting Office. 1992. Future Needs for Confining Contaminated Sediment in the Great
Lakes Region. Washington, B.C.
4.6 Planning in North Aldershot
Blais, Dr. Pamela. 1995. The Economics of Urban Form. Prepared for the GTA Task Force. Berridge
Lewinberg Greenberg Dark Gabour Ltd. Toronto, Ontario.
C.N. Watson and Associates Ltd. 1994. North Aldershot Central Sector Fiscal Impact Study. Mississauga,
Ontario.
City of Burlington. 1994. Official Plan of the Burlington Planning Area. Burlington, Ontario.
City of Burlington. 1996. Official Plan Amendment No. 197, as amended January 1996. Burlington,
Ontario.
Halton Region/City of Burlington. 1995. Various correspondence related to OMB hearing on North
Aldershot. Toronto, Ontario.
GSA Owners' Group Inc. 1994. Grindstone Settlement Area Municipal Financial Impact Analysis.
Burlington, Ontario.
Hemson Consulting and Hough Stansbury Woodland Ltd. 1994. North Aldershot Inter-Agency Review.
Toronto, Ontario.
Hemson Consulting Ltd. et. al. 1994. City of Burlington Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-Law for
the Central Sector of North Aldershot: Master Site Plan Report. Toronto, Ontario.
Muir, Tom. 1996. A Submission to the Ontario Municipal Board on the North Aldershot Settlement
Proposal. Burlington, Ontario.
Taylor, Ed, Frank Doracin and Don Johnson. 1994. The Grindstone Settlement Area Story. Burlington,
Ontario.
Troyak, M and T. Muir. 1994. "Development, Growth and Sustainability", In Buffalo Environmental Law
Journal. Vol.1, No.2, pp.173-211. University at Buffalo School of Law. Buffalo, New York.
5.2 Land-Use Planning across the Border: United States
Books and Reports
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 117
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Cullingworth, Barry J. 1993. The Political Culture of Planning in Comparative Perspective. Routledge,
New York.
Keefe, Steve. 1993 "Twin Cities Federalism: The Politics of Metropolitan Governance." In Porter,
Douglas, ed., State and Regional Initiatives for Managing Development: Policy Issues and Practical
Concerns. The Urban Land Institute, Washington, B.C.
Kelley, Eric D., 1993. Managing Community Growth: Policies, Techniques, and Impacts. Praeger
Publishers, London, U.K.
Mandelker, D. R. 1993. Land Use Law, third ed. The Michie Company, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Porter, Douglas, ed. 1992. State and Regional Initiatives for Managing Development: Policy Issues and
Practical Concerns. The Urban Land Institute, Washington, B.C.
So, F.S., Hand, I., and McDowell, B.D., eds. 1986. The Practice of State and Regional Planning.
American Planning Association.
Sullivan, Edward J. 1993. "Oregon Blazes a Trail." In Buchsbaum, P.A. and Smith, L.J., eds, State and
Regional Comprehensive Planning: Implementing New Methods for Growth Management. American
Bar Association, Chicago, Illinois.
Articles and Papers
Kaiser, Edward J. and Godschalk, David R. 1995. "Twentieth Century Land Use Planning: A Stalwart
Family Tree." Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 61. No. 3: 365-385.
Rothblatt, Donald. 1994. "North American Metropolitan Planning: Canadian and U.S. Perspectives."
Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 60. No. 4: 501-520.
Rustem, William. 1996. "Land Use Issues and Policies in Michigan." Paper presented at a Michigan State
University Land Use Forum entitled: Land Use Decisionmaking ~ Its Role in a Sustainable Future for
Michigan; January 9-10, 1996. East Lansing, Michigan.
Coughlin, Robert E. 1991. "Formulating and Evaluating Agricultural Zoning Programs." Journal of the
American Planning Association, Vol. 57, No. 2: 183-192.
Daniels, Thomas L. 1991. "The Purchase of Development Rights: Preserving Agricultural Land and Open
Space." Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 57, No.4: 421-431.
Conservation Foundation. 1990. Creating Successful Communities: A Guidebook to Growth Management
Strategies. Washington, D.C.
118 Impacts of Changing Land Use—SOLEC 96
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Sorenson, Ann A., and Patrick A. Stewart. 1996. Agriculture and Land Use. Paper presented at Michigan
land use forum, "The Land Use Decision Making Process: Its Role in a Sustainable Future for
Michigan," 9-10 January, East Lansing, MI.
U.S. Department of Transportation. 1990. Moving America: New Directions, New Opportunities. A
Statement of National Transportation Policy Strategies for Action.
5.3 Land-Use Planning across the Border: Canada
Bill 20 (SO 1996, c. 4) An Act to promote economic growth and protect the environment by streamlining
the land use planning and development system through amendments related to planning, development,
municipal and heritage matters.
Development Charges Act, RSO 1990, c. D.9 (Office Consolidation, March 1993)
Environmental Assessment Act, RSO 1990, c. E.18, as amended.
Environmental Protection Act, RSO 1990, c. E.19, as amended (Office Consolidation, March 1995).
Greater Toronto. 1996. Report of the GTA Task Force, Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Guidelines for Use at Contaminated Sites in Ontario, 1996. Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Municipal Act, RSO 1990, c. M.45, as amended.
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 1996. Background working papers to SOLEC 1996.
Toronto.
Planning Act, RSO 1990, c. P. 13, as amended (Office Consolidation, March 1995).
Provincial Policy Statement. 1996. (ISBN 0-7778-5401-5) Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario.
Responsive Environmental Protection, Reforming Environment & Energy Regulation in Ontario: A
Consultation Paper (ISBN 0-7778-5181-4). 1996. Government of Ontario.
SOLEC 96—Impacts of Changing Land Use 119
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