Great
Lakes
National
Program
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/glnpo
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office
Significant Activities Report
May 2002
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Lake Guardian on a Roll
• GLNPO Web Site Big Hit
• Preliminary Funding Decisions An-
nounced
• Michigan Sediment Cleanups High-
lighted
• Keeping the Critters Out
• Pollution Prevention Road Show
• Lake Erie Study Comes Together
• Harbor Cleanup Moves Forward
• Sharing Indicators Lessons
Lake Guardian on a Roll
The Great Lakes National Program Office's
180-foot research vessel, the R/VLake
Guardian has continued its busy Spring
schedule, supporting a number of research
and monitoring activities on the Great
Lakes.
R/V Lake Guardian Gets Underway
The Spring water quality survey of the five
Great Lakes begun on March 28th, was com-
pleted on May 2nd. Generally good weather
(low winds) contributed to an early comple-
tion of the monitoring. During the survey,
samples were taken for investigation of wa-
ter chemistry and biology. This is the latest
survey in a long term monitoring program
that began in 1983. The surveys have docu-
mented trends in nutrient and chlorophyll
levels in the lakes, and changes in their
plankton communities. Sampling locations
in each lake ranged from eight stations in
Lake Ontario to twenty stations in Lake
Erie. Lake Erie was sampled twice this
Spring because of very high turbidity levels
in the lake on the first pass. The high turbid-
ity levels remained in parts of the lake on
the second pass, and these unusual circum-
stances will set the stage for upcoming re-
search and monitoring on Lake Erie this
Summer and Fall. (See "Lake Erie Study
Comes Together" in this issue.)
In addition to carrying out the regular moni-
toring program, the Lake Guardian contin-
ued to support leading-edge research. In ad-
dition to the air toxics research on Lake On-
tario (See the April 2002 Significant Activi-
ties Report), during and after the Spring wa-
ter quality survey, the Lake Guardian pro-
vided support to researchers from the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Chicago in collecting
sediment cores from Lakes Superior and
Michigan. These cores, taken in deeper
(depositional areas, where sediments accu-
mulate over time) portions of the lakes, are
to be analyzed for a history of polybromi-
nated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the Great
Lakes. The sediment cores will be sliced
into layers. The age of the sediments in the
layers will be determined using knowledge
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May 2002
Significant Activities Report
Sampling Goes On Around-the-Clock
(Sediment Core Sample Being Taken)
about the decay of naturally occurring ra-
dioactive elements. When these same layers
are analyzed for PBDEs, a history can be
built to show how PBDEs were deposited
over time. Dr. William Mills from the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Chicago, the principal
investigator for the PBDE study, personally
supervised the sampling. (Contact: Glenn
Warren, 312-886-2405, warren.glenn@epa.
gov)
A satellite for data communications and
video programming was installed on the
Lake Guardian in May. Antennas and sup-
porting structures were installed on the ship
and the system was connected to the local
area network on the Guardian. (Contact:
Barry Manne, 312-353-8015, manne.
barry@epa.gov; Pranas Pranckevicius, 312-
353-3437, pranckevicius.pranas@epa.gov)
More information about the R/V Lake
Guardian, including it's schedule for the
year can be found on the Web at: http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/guard/ship.html
GLNPO Web Site Big Hit
The GLNPO web site (http://www.epa.gov/
glnpo) had a banner month in April. The
site is once again in the top twenty list of
the most visited web sites in USEPA. Dur-
ing the month, the site was the 15th most-
visited place within USEPA's web site. A
total of 37.1 Gigabytes of data were served
out to over 100,000 distinct computers.
(Contact: Pranas Pranckevicius, 312-353-
3437, pranckevicius.pranas@epa.gov)
Satellite Keeps Lake Guardian Connected
Green Landscaping Web Page Graphic
Green Landscaping with Native Plants
(http://www.epa.gov/greenacres) was the
most visited part of GLNPO's Web Site in
April, tallying over 60,000 visits. (Contact:
Danielle Green 312-886-7594, green.
danielle@epa.gov)
Other popular parts of GLNPO's Web Site
were:
The Home Page (http://www.epa.gov/
glnpo)
The Atlas (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/
intro.html)
The Image Collection, Visualizing the Great
Lakes (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image)
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U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
May 2002
Preliminary Funding Decisions Announced
Decisions on Proposals submitted to the USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office
FY2002 competitive grants process have been made. Earlier this year, in response to
GLNPO's solicitation for $2.9 million in projects, applicants submitted 192 proposals, seek-
ing $20.2 million in funding. GLNPO is now requesting that applicants formally apply for
funding for 48 projects totaling $3 million. One or more of these projects is located in each
of the Great Lakes states (see figure). Projects will assess and remediate contaminated sedi-
ments, prevent and reduce pollution, restore and protect important habitats, develop a habitat
indicator, prevent and control invasive species, and address emerging or strategic issues. The
selected projects will support Basin-wide priorities, as well as priorities of Lake Manage-
ment Plans and Remedial Action Plans. The list of successful proposals can be viewed on
the Web at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2002fund/yeslist.html
Projects Selected
through
FY2002 Funding Guidance
Legend
31 Pollution Prevention
O Sediments
Habitat
Emerging Issues
Invasive Species
Geographic Distribution of Projects Selected through the FY2002 Funding Guidance Process
Of course, the final decisions on whether to fund particular projects will only be made after
evaluation of the full federal application packages. Additional information about GLNPO's
competitive grants process, including projects funded in past competitions, can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/glf.html
(Contact: MikeRuss, 312-886-4013, russ.michael@epa.gov)
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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May 2002
Significant Activities Report
Michigan Sediment Cleanups High-
lighted
The State of the Great Lakes - Annual Re-
port 2001 was released in April 2002 by the
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ).
State of the Great Lakes
Annual Report
2001 - ,
MDEQ State of the Great Lakes 2001 Cover Art
In this report the Director of the MDEQ,
Russell Harding, wrote an article outlining
the numerous sediment cleanups that are
taking place in the state of Michigan. Spe-
cific projects mentioned in the article in-
clude: Pine River; South Branch of the
Black River; Black Lagoon; Connors Creek;
Wolf Creek; and White Lake/Tannery Bay.
GLNPO has actively worked with MDEQ
by providing technical and financial assis-
tance to support the sediment assessment
and remediation efforts on both Tannery
Bay/White Lake and Black Lagoon/Trenton
Channel. The Tannery Bay site is slated for
remediation in the Summer of 2002; and the
Black Lagoon treatment technology project
is scheduled for early 2003. (Contact: De-
maree Collier, 312-886-0214, collier.
demaree@epa.gov)
Michigan's 2001 State of the Great Lakes
report is available on the Web at: http://
www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ogl-
sogl01.pdf
Keeping the Critters Out
On April 9th, the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers (Corps), Chicago District began full
time operation of the aquatic nuisance spe-
cies dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sani-
tary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, Illi-
nois. This demonstration project as pro-
posed in the National Invasive Species Act,
authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers to identify methods for preventing and
reducing the dispersal of aquatic nuisance
species between the Great Lakes basin and
the Mississippi River system. An electrical
barrier was selected as the best option for
such a barrier and construction of the barrier
was completed in December 2001.
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in the Vicinity of the
Dispersal Barrier Site at Romeoville, Illinois
Of particular significance to the Great
Lakes, are the movements of the bighead,
silver, and other Asian carp upriver. Either
one of these fish, if successful in reaching
the Great Lakes, could have significant im-
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pacts on native fish and shellfish habitats.
The barrier was constructed by the Corps
for approximately $1.3 million. GLNPO
supported some early developmental work
on barrier design. Monitoring of the effec-
tiveness of the barrier will be conducted for
two years by the Illinois Natural History
Survey.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Holds Bighead Carp
On April 18th, the Corps held a dedication
ceremony to formally announce the activa-
tion of the barrier. David Ullrich, Deputy
Regional Administrator of USEPA Region
5 made a presentation on the importance
and significance of this project. (Contact:
Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369, tuchman.
marc@epa.gov)
Additional information about the dispersal
barrier project is available from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (http://www.
usace.army.mil/lrc/pd-s) and from Wiscon-
sin Sea Grant (http://www.seagrant.wisc.
edu/outreach/ni s/B arri er/B arri er. asp)
Pollution Prevention Road Show
Great Lakes National Program Office staff
shared successful experiences from the
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
(GLBTS) in several pollution prevention
venues recently. The GLBTS is a ground-
breaking agreement between the United
States and Canada setting forth specific
goals for reducing the use and release of a
set of targeted persistent toxic substances
impacting the Great Lakes. GLBTS has
been recognized as a very successful exam-
ple of achieving environmental progress
through the mostly voluntary efforts of
stakeholder partners. Stakeholders involved
in the GLBTS process include representa-
tives from governmental (State, Federal,
Provincial, Tribes, First Nations) and non-
governmental (citizens groups, industry,
academia, non-profit organizations, trade
groups) organizations.
E. Marie Phillips and Ted Smith along with
their Canadian counterparts, participated in
the annual National Pollution Prevention
Roundtable Conference in Portland, Ore-
gon, the week of April 1st. They fielded a
GLBTS information booth, answering ques-
tions and distributing posters; fact sheets;
and CD's containing last year's and this
year's annual reports.
THE GREAT LAKES
BINATIONAL TOXICS
STRATEGY
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Logo Graphic
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
Later in the month, E. Marie Phillips along
with her Canadian counterparts, participated
in the Canadian Pollution Prevention
Roundtable in Quebec City on April 25th
and 26th. They set up a GLBTS display and
were on hand to answer questions and dis-
tribute outreach materials.
(Contact: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571, smith.
edwin@epa.gov; E.Marie Phillips, 312-886-
6034, phillips.emarie@epa.gov)
Additional information on the Great Lakes
Binational Toxics Strategy is available on
the Web at: http://binational.net/bns/index-
e.html and http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns
Lake Erie Study Comes Together
On May 2nd, David Rockwell and Lou
Blume from the Great Lakes National Pro-
gram Office met with 25 principal investi-
gators and cooperators involved with a spe-
cial study of Lake Erie. The study came
about because of concerns by Great Lake
scientists over the increase in Lake Erie's
so-called "dead zone", an area essentially
devoid of oxygen in the Summer (See
March 2002 Significant Activities Report).
This GLNPO-initiated study has gained mo-
mentum due to the strong support of Envi-
ronment Canada, the University of Windsor,
the Ohio State University, and USEPA's
Office of Research and Development's
Laboratory in Grosse He, Michigan. The
study will invest over $1,000,000 in direct
expenditures from all levels of Government
including United States and Canadian Fed-
eral, State and Provincial Agencies and Uni-
versities. The meeting was held to develop a
coordinated plan to effectively utilize eight
research vessels, including the two largest
research vessels on the Great Lakes (The
Canadian research ship, C/S Limnos and
GLNPO's R/VLake Guardian). Sampling
Stormy Skies Over Lake Erie
Environment Canada's Research Ship, C/S Limnos
station patterns were developed to integrate
with the existing fixed networks and to pro-
vide nearshore to offshore transects needed
to provide sufficient information for mathe-
matical modeling. The model will be used
to help understand the complex dynamics of
Lake Erie. (Contact: David Rockwell, 312-
353-1373, rockwell.david@epa.gov)
Harbor Cleanup Moves Forward
The project to restore navigation depths and
remove some of the most grossly contami-
nated sediments in any U.S. waterway con-
tinues to move forward. The Indiana Harbor
Canal in Northwest Indiana was last
dredged in 1972 and extensive contami-
nated sediment deposits have built up from
past discharges from heavy industry in the
area. The proposed Confined Disposal Site
(CDF), where sediments dredged from the
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Barge Navigates the Indiana Harbor Canal
Indiana Harbor Canal will be placed for dis-
posal, is located adjacent to the Canal on the
site of the former Energy Cooperative, Inc.
(ECI) refinery. The ECI site is in the proc-
ess of being cleaned up under strict Re-
source Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) requirements for long-term envi-
ronmental security. The CDF is being de-
signed to hold the million cubic yards of
contaminated sediments that are to be
dredged from the Canal over the next 30
years.
Several hundred people attended an Envi-
ronmental Justice Forum on the Indiana
Harbor CDF at Indiana University North-
west in Gary, Indiana on Saturday, April
20th. The agenda included technical presen-
tations regarding the project by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineer, USEPA, the East
Chicago Waterways Management District,
and the Indiana Department of Environ-
mental management. A second set of panel-
ists consisted primarily of local citizens and
environmental groups who voiced their dis-
pleasure over the location of the CDF at the
ECI site within East Chicago and potential
negative impacts of the dredged material.
Agency representatives focused on the
beneficial aspects of the project which in-
clude remediation of the contaminated wa-
terway, closure of the ECI site which is cur-
rently an open RCRA site, and enhanced
economic opportunities in the region. The
forum highlighted the need for continued
public outreach and public involvement in
this important project. (Contact: Scott
Cieniawski, 312-353-9184, cieniawski.
scott@epa.gov)
Additional information on the Indiana Har-
bor Canal CDF and Dredging Project can be
found at: http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/
topics/ihc.htm
Sharing Indicators Lessons
GLNPO's Duane Heaton attended the West-
ern Great Lakes Research Conference at
Northern Michigan University on April 2nd
and 3rd, and gave a presentation on
"Binational Assessment of the Great
Lakes - A Look at SOLEC." The Confer-
ence was sponsored by the National Park
Service (NPS) which is undertaking an ef-
fort to conduct biological inventories and
long-term monitoring of park ecosystems.
The inventories of nine NPS units in the
Great Lakes area began last year, and the
two to three-year process of designing a
long-term monitoring program is beginning
this year. The NPS is looking at similar
processes for assessing ecological condi-
tion, and asked GLNPO to provide an over-
view of work conducted for the State of the
Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC),
especially the development and reporting on
indicators of ecosystem health. (Contact:
Duane Heaton, 312-886-6399, heaton.
duane@epa.gov)
SOLEC is a binational
(U.S. and Canada) proc-
ess, culminating in a con-
ference held every two
years to exchange scien-
tific information about the
SOLEC 2000 Logo
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
condition of and issues facing the Great
Lakes. SOLEC 2002 will be held in Cleve-
land, Ohio from October 16th to 18th.
SOLEC is currently developing and begin-
ning to report on a suite of indicators of
ecosystem conditions. Indicators are being
developed for physical, chemical, biologi-
cal, habitat, and societal conditions. Using
the information obtained through the
SOLEC process, a State of the Great Lakes
report is issued every other year. The most
recent report can be obtained from Larry
Brail, 312-886-7474, brail.lawrence@epa.
gov.
We welcome your questions, comments or
suggestions about this month's Significant
Activities Report. To be added to or re-
moved from the Email distribution of the
Significant Activities Report, please contact
Tony Kizlauskas, 312-353-8773,
kizlauskas.anthony@epa.gov.
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