Great
Lakes
National
Program
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/greatlakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Significant Activities Report
October- December 2004
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
• State of Lakes Ecosystem Conference
• Enhanced Asian Carp Barrier
• Black Lagoon Cleanup Begins
• MN PCB Transformers Removed
• 2003 Sediment Cleanup Numbers
• Saginaw Watershed Dioxin Study
• NEOH Conservation Grants Workshop
• Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystem Learn-
ing Center Dedicated
• New on the Web
• Water Quality Data Online
• Sediment Cleanup Planning
» Ottawa River - Maumee River
AOC
» Rudiman Creek - Muskegon Lake
AOC
» Cannelton Industries - St. Mary's
River AOC
» Kinnickinnic River - Milwaukee
Estuary AOC
» Waukegan Harbor AOC
» Hog Island Inlet - Newton Creek -
St. Louis River AOC
• Binational Monitoring Plans
• Fall Toxics Strategy Meeting
• Lake Ontario Habitat Workshop
• 2004 Conservation and Native Land-
scaping Awards
• Benefits of Landscaping with Native
Plants
• New Publications
Bagpipes lead the Conveners arriving at the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
In May 2004, President Bush signed a Presi-
dential Executive Order recognizing the
Great Lakes as a national treasure, calling for
the creation of a "Regional Collaboration of
National Significance" and a cabinet-level
interagency Task Force. After extensive dis-
cussions, the federal Great Lakes Interagency
Task Force, the Council of Great Lakes Gov-
ernors, the Great Lakes Cities Initiative,
Great Lakes Tribes, and the Great Lakes
Congressional Task Force moved to convene
a collaboration.
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
brings together a federal Task Force, the
Great Lakes states, local communities,
Tribes, regional bodies, and other interests in
the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes
Framework calls for these parties to design a
strategy to restore and protect the Great
Lakes now and into the future. They have set
an ambitious deadline of one year for this
complex task.
The "Great Lakes Regional Collaboration"
convened in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, De-
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October - December 2004
Significant Activities Report
cember 3rd. The Conveners Meeting was the
official launch of this collaborative effort.
Approximately 400 national and regional
leaders and stakeholders attended the event.
On this day, members of the President's
Cabinet, the Great Lakes Governors, the
Great Lakes Congressional delegation,
Mayors, and Tribal leaders met and forged
an intergovernmental partnership and offi-
cially voiced their support for a coordinated
strategy to further protect and restore the
Great Lakes. The Conveners Meeting pro-
vided a forum for the region's leaders, in
the presence of interested stakeholders, to
declare publicly and formally their support
for the development of a widely understood
and broadly supported strategy with actions
to further protect and restore the Great
Lakes through the Great Lakes Regional
Collaboration process.
The ceremonial Conveners Meeting had two
purposes:
• First, the convening body acknowledged
the reasons behind launching the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration. By sign-
ing the Great Lakes Declaration, Con-
veners pledged to support the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration process
and devise an integrated, collaborative
restoration/protection strategy for the
Great Lakes basin.
• Second, there was a ceremonial signing
of the Great Lakes Regional Collabora-
tion Framework document by spokes-
persons or representatives of each of the
convening groups. Following the cere-
mony, the document was signed by ad-
ditional Conveners, including mayors,
federal government representatives,
Congressional delegates, and Tribes.
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
Framework defines the commitment of
the signatory bodies to meaningful par-
ticipation in the Great Lakes Regional
Conveners pose with their signed copies of the Great
Lakes Declaration
Collaboration and the development of
the Great Lakes Restoration and Protec-
tion Strategy.
Following the Ceremonial Conveners Meet-
ing, attendees and others met for the first
time as Great Lakes Issue Area Strategy
Teams. The Issue Area Strategy Teams
were organized using the October 1, 2003
Council of Great Lakes Governors' priori-
ties as a starting point. The Strategy Teams,
made up of government representatives as
well as representatives of organizations and
entities, are the working bodies responsible
for producing draft strategic action plans
that are supported by specific action items
and recommendations to address the issues
considered by the specific Teams. The stra-
tegic action plans from the Strategy Teams
will be combined into a draft of the compre-
hensive strategy that will be provided to the
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration mem-
bers for review and consideration. Participa-
tion on the Issue Area Strategy Teams is
open to government and organizational rep-
resentatives but on-line registration is re-
quired. The Great Lakes Regional Collabo-
ration is a US effort; however, Canadian
representatives may register for Issue Area
Strategy Teams as observers.
The eight Issue Area Strategy Teams are:
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1. Habitat/species
2. Indicators and information
3. Persistent bioacculumative toxics reduc-
tion
4. Invasive species
5. Sustainable development
6. Coastal health
7. Non-point source
8. Areas of Concern restoration/sediments
As they focus on the respective conditions
and tasks of each Issue Area, the Strategy
Teams will also address the following over-
arching considerations and topics:
• Human health impacts and priorities
• Tribal interests and perspectives
• Research and monitoring
Much more information about the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration effort is
available on the Web at: http://www.epa.
gov/greatlakes/collaboration/index.html
(Contact: Vicki Thomas, 312-886-6942,
thomas.vicki@epa.gov)
State of the Lakes Ecosystem
Conference
The 6th biennial State of the Great Lakes
Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) was held
in Toronto, Ontario on October 6th to 8th.
SOLEC is a joint effort of USEPA GLNPO
and Environment Canada, who organize the
conference and oversee the preparation of
conference materials and presentations.
Scores of Great Lakes experts worked for
over a year to collect and interpret monitor-
ing data and prepare summaries to present
at the conference. Four hundred Great
Lakes scientists, managers, and interested
stakeholders actively participated in the
meeting, listening to and discussing the
presentations and related Great Lakes is-
sues. Prior to the Conference, a draft "State
SOLEC participants listen to Plenary session speaker
of the Great Lakes 2005" report was pre-
pared, relying on 56 indicator reports about
the Great Lakes that were prepared by sub-
ject matter experts throughout the Basin.
Also included were summary evaluations of
each of the five Great Lakes, as well as the
St. Clair River - Lake St. Clair - Detroit
River ecosystem, and the St. Lawrence
River.
On the first day, presentations were deliv-
ered in Plenary sessions on groupings, or
bundles, of related indicators. Participants at
the Conference met in sessions following
the Plenary to discuss the indicator findings,
evaluations, and implications for manage-
ment. Among the presentations at this
year's SOLEC was one by the Great Lakes
Coastal Wetlands Consortium on 8 indica-
tors of ecosystem health, including a map of
all the 216,000 hectares (534,000 acres) of
coastal wetlands in the basin.
Afternoon workshops expanded on the
morning's presentation with in-depth pres-
entations about individual indicators. One
of the sessions was an "Introduction to Indi-
cators" for conference participants who de-
sired a more general briefing on the subject.
Another special session involved about 40
senior-level managers and decision makers
who explored implications of the indicator
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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October - December 2004
Significant Activities Report
findings on their programs.
On the second day, the ecosystem health of
each of the Great Lakes was described and
reports were given on the state of the fish-
ery in Lakes Erie and Ontario. Afternoon
discussion sessions focused on topics spe-
cifically relevant to each of the Great Lakes.
On the final day of the Conference, a series
of concurrent workshops were held to allow
participants to learn about and discuss vari-
ous topics relevant to the Great Lakes in
greater depth. Two of these are describe be-
low.
One workshop was on Great Lakes islands.
Participants included representatives from
Environment Canada, Parks Canada, Great
Lakes Commission, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency-Great Lakes National
Program Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources, Georgian Bay Land
Trust, University of Minnesota, Nature
Conservancy Great Lakes, Nature Conser-
vancy of Canada, Northeast- Midwest Insti-
tute, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
and the Service. Presentations were given,
and feedback was given on the overview
and approach of the Great Lakes Islands
Conservation Consortium; the suite of
SOLEC Indicators for Great Lakes Islands;
the Freshwater Island Classification System
being developed; and the Island Ranking
Paper and proposed field testing of the rank-
ing system. Participants identified where
they wanted the Island Conservation Con-
sortium to provide leadership:
1. Provide a large-scale science framework
to evaluate islands for protection so that
(local/state/provincial/federal/
binational) work can be done in a global
context;
2. Offer a range of strategic approaches
Participants in SOLEC 2004 Workshop on Chemical
Integrity of the Great Lakes
that might be applied at different scales
of implementation. Particularly, try to
identify policy and other strategies for
island protection that operate at large
spatial scales (i.e., policy and other)
3. Identify potential sources of funding to
implement work and groups working on
island conservation;
4. Be a communicator of information,
work being done and on points 1-3
above.
Participants supported an effort to pull to-
gether island science experts from through-
out North America and beyond, to create
guidelines for island managers and owners.
Another workshop was held on the subject
of Chemical Integrity of the Great Lakes.
One of the purposes of this workshop was
to lay the groundwork for SOLEC 2006
where the overall theme will be Chemical
Integrity (the themes of SOLEC 2002 and
2004 were Biological and Physical Integ-
rity, respectively, which together with
Chemical Integrity reflect the three broad
perspectives on ecosystem health articulated
in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agree-
ment). Gerald Mattisoff of Case Western
Reserve University introduced the "General
Definition of Chemical Integrity." Brian
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Eadie of the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration spoke
about "Advances in Monitoring for Re-
search." Miriam Diamond of the University
of Toronto gave a presentation on "Future
Research Needs and Directions relative to
Chemical Integrity." Four panelists (Keith
Solomon of the University of Guelph,
Robert Pepin of USEPA Region 5, Murray
Charlton of Environment Canada, and Jo-
seph DePinto of Linmo-Tech, Inc.) led dis-
cussions following each presentation. There
was overall agreement that monitoring ef-
forts need to eventually change over from
the current set of persistent bioaccumulative
toxics (PBTs) such as PCBs and DDT to
emerging chemical of concern, and that re-
visions to the Water Quality Agreement
should reflect a more dynamic process ori-
ented approach to managing chemical
threats as they arise in the Great Lakes Ba-
sin.
A Proceedings is planned to be prepared by
the SOLEC organizers, and it should be
available electronically and online in early
2005. The State of the Great Lakes 2005 re-
port will also be finalized in early 2005.
Contacts:
SOLEC: Paul Bertram, 312-353-0153, ber-
tram.paul@epa.gov
Wetlands Consortium: Karen Rodriguez,
312-353-2690, rodriguez.karen@epa.gov
Great Lakes Islands: Rich Greenwood, 312-
886-3853, greenwood.richard@epa.gov
Chemical Integrity: Ted Smith, 312-353-
6571, smith.edwin@epa.gov
Enhanced Asian Carp Barrier
USEPA Administrator Mike Leavitt joined
U.S. Senators George Voinovich and Mike
DeWine on October 14th at Cleveland's
Wildwood Marina to announce that a fund-
USEPA Administrator Mike Leavitt announces Asian
Carp Barrier funding solution accompanied by (I to r)
Colonel Gary E. Johnston (District Engineer, Chicago
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), U.S. Senator
George Voinovich, Bob Collins (President, Lake Erie
Charter Boat Association), and U.S. Senator Mike
DeWine at Wildwood Marina in Wildwood State Park
East of Cleveland, Ohio
ing package had been assembled to allow
construction of an enhanced barrier to keep
the invasive Asian carp out of the Great
Lakes. The U.S. House and Senate voted to
increase the cap on federal spending for the
project, authorizing $6.825 million, which
is 75 percent of the $9.1 million needed to
complete the barrier. The Army Corps of
Engineers, which is overseeing the project,
says, with this authorization approved, it
will be able to fund the federal share. The
State of Illinois has committed $1.7 million
and the Great Lakes governors have com-
mitted to funding the remaining non-federal
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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October - December 2004
Significant Activities Report
share of $575,000.
"Asian carp threaten both the ecology and
the economy of the Great Lakes system,"
Leavitt said. "The collaborative effort that
brought together the Great Lakes Congres-
sional delegation, Great Lakes Governors
and federal agencies for the success we
celebrate today provides hope that through
the regional collaboration called for in the
executive order we can protect and eventu-
ally restore this great natural resource."
The increased funding means the permanent
electric barrier now under construction on
the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal can be
built as originally planned. The barrier, is
scheduled to be completed in February
2005. It also means that a second control
house can also be built so that the two sets
of electrodes - primary and backup - can be
operated simultaneously. Funding also cov-
ers design changes to provide a stronger,
more consistent electric field.
Partners in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship
Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Barrier
Project include: Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the Council of Great Lakes Governors,
Commonwealth Edison, the Dispersal Bar-
rier Advisory Panel, the Great Lakes Fish-
ery Commission, the Great Lakes Sportfish-
ing Council, the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources, the International Joint
Commission, the Metropolitan Water Recla-
mation District of Greater Chicago, Mid-
west Generation, the Mississippi Interstate
Cooperative Resource Association, the New
York Department of Environmental Conser-
vation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Wisconsin Sea Grant, and other state, non-
governmental, and academic partners.
For more information on the barrier and on
Asian carp in the Great Lakes, go to: http://
www.epa.gov/greatlakes/invasive/asiancarp
(Contact: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov)
Black Lagoon Cleanup Begins
The first contaminated sediment cleanup
project funded under the Legacy Act of
2002 began. Dredging of the highly con-
taminated muck started on October 19th.
The site in the Trenton Channel of the De-
troit River Area of Concern is heavily con-
taminated with oil and grease, heavy metals
and PCBs. About 90,000 cubic yards of
heavily contaminated sediment will be
dredged from the Black Lagoon and placed
in the Point Mouillee Confined Disposal Fa-
cility. The project is scheduled to be com-
pleted by January, 2005. In events leading
up to the cleanup, USEPA Administrator
Leavitt visited the Black Lagoon site on
September 27th, and a public meeting was
held in Trenton, Michigan on October 4th to
GLNPO's Marc Tuchman shows USEPA Administra-
tor Mike Leavitt a jar of the kind of muck that will be
removed from the Black Lagoon in the first Legacy
Act funded sediment cleanup.
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October - December 2004
inform the local community about the pro-
ject specifics.
(Contacts: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov; and Rose Ellison,
734.692.7689, ellison.rosanne@epa.gov)
MN PCB Transformers Removed
Using a combination of funding from
GLNPO, the Legislative Commission on
Minnesota Resources and other state fund-
ing, the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MFCA) has reported on a project
to remove transformers suspected of con-
taining PCBs. The four utilities that partici-
pated in the project are all located in north-
eastern Minnesota and have distribution
transformers within the Lake Superior ba-
sin. The project includes a comparison of
the utilitys' transformer inventories to
manufacturing information; purchasing new
transformers; and replacing, testing and dis-
posal of the old transformers. Crews of
linemen will be installing the last of the
transformers this winter.
Of the four facilities whose inventories
were evaluated, this project will result in re-
moval of 71% of the transformers suspected
to contain PCBs. All of the three utilities
that actually removed transformers used
their own resources as well as contracts
with the MFC A to carry out the project. To
their great credit, Lake Country Power re-
moved 100% of the 292 suspect transform-
ers even though the state contract covered
only a portion of their costs. Cooperative
Light and Power made similar arrange-
ments, replacing 145 GE transformers in the
suspect list of 241. The City of Grand
Marais not only removed suspect transform-
ers, but also tested other transformers. The
Grand Marais data are included in the report
and testing results from the other utilities
will be summarized in an addendum.
Removing PCB-containing transformers helps safe-
guard the environment from leaks or spills
The report is available from Carri Lohse-
Hanson at the MPCA at 651-296-9134 or
carri.lohse-hanson@pca. state.mn.us.
(Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
2003 Sediment Cleanup Numbers
In 2003, over 975,000 cubic yards of sedi-
ment were remediated from eight U.S. sites
and one Canadian site in the Great Lakes
Basin. Four of these sites initiated work for
the first time in 2003; these four and one
other site completed their remedial actions
in 2003. One large-scale project, U.S.
Steel - Gary Works, made up approxi-
mately 80% of the total volume of contami-
nated sediment remediated in 2003.
Graphic summaries of sediment remediation
from 1997 through 2003 can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glindicators/
sediments/remediatea.html
Details on the individual cleanup actions
can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/
glindicators/sediments/remediateb.html
And additional information about GLNPO's
sediment program can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/sediments.html
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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October - December 2004
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(Contact: Mary Beth G. Ross, 312-886-
2253, ross.marybeth@epa.gov)
Saginaw Watershed Dioxin Study
During the week of October 18th, USEPA
GLNPO's Scott Ireland and scientists from
the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ) collected sediment sam-
ples in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay
using GLNPO's 32-foot research vessel, the
R/VMudPuppy. This sampling is part of a
project MDEQ is heading under a grant
from GLNPO to further characterize the na-
ture and extent of dioxin-like toxicity in
sediments from the Saginaw River and
Saginaw Bay. While PCB contamination
has been well documented in this area, di-
oxins and furans have not. While not as well
studied, these compounds have been de-
tected at levels exceeding human health-
based regulatory criteria.
(Contact: Scott Ireland, 312-886-8121, ire-
land.scott@epa.gov)
N.E. Ohio Conservation Grants
Workshop
On October 27th, GLNPO's Karen Rodri-
guez participated in the Northeast Ohio
Conservation Grants Workshop organized
by the National Fish and Wildlife Founda-
tion (NFWF) at the Rocky River Nature
Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The meeting
was funded in part by GLNPO through the
cooperative agreement with NFWF, the
GLNPO Grant Servicing Intermediary.
More than 30 different local not-for-profit
organizations, including land trusts and wa-
tershed councils, attended the meeting to
learn about funding opportunities from
GLNPO, NFWF, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Ohio Coastal Management Pro-
gram, and the Ohio Protection Fund. At the
end of the meeting, a "Cleveland Wilder-
ness" to model after Chicago Wilderness
was suggested and approved as a laudable
partner project by the participants. NFWF
and the Cleveland Metroparks will take the
lead on organizing the project.
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystem
Learning Center Dedicated
The world-class Shedd Aquarium, located
in Chicago, Illinois in the Museum Campus
along the shores of Lake Michigan, was of-
ficially dedicated by Coastal America as an
Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center on Oc-
tober 28th. This prestigious national desig-
nation was presented to the Aquarium by
James L. Connaughton, chairman of the
White House Council on Environmental
Quality and chairman of Coastal America.
Coastal America is a part-
nership of 12 federal agen-
cies, working to protect,
preserve and restore
America's coastal re-
sources and watersheds.
USEPA, one of the partner
agencies, leads the team
supporting Shedd's Learn-
ing Center.
"I am delighted that Shedd Aquarium has
joined the Coastal America partnership,"
said Connaughton. "Shedd provides a win-
dow into the depths of marine life around
the world. By making us better students,
Shedd's educational tools are making us
better stewards of our oceans, coasts and
Great Lakes."
The Coastal America Learning Center net-
work was established in 1996. Becoming a
Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center offers
many resources to Shedd Aquarium, includ-
Coastal America
logo
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ing time aboard research vessels, expert
speakers, educational publications and
workshops for the public. Shedd is the 17th
designated Learning Center, and the first on
the Great Lakes.
"We are extremely pleased to receive this
designation and to strengthen our federal
partnerships while working to protect our
national treasure - the Great Lakes," said
Shedd's Chief Executive Officer Ted
Beattie. "This comes at a perfect time be-
cause Shedd is increasing our own efforts to
make the public aware of Great Lakes is-
sues that touch their lives." Beattie also
serves as a member of the U.S. Commission
on Ocean Policy.
Other participants in the dedication included
Virginia Tippie, Director of Coastal Amer-
ica; Marcia Jimenez, Commissioner of the
Chicago Department of Environment; Sena-
tor Richard Durbin of Illinois; several Con-
gressional representatives and Lt. Governor
Pat Quinn. Federal agency directors and
members of the Great Lakes Executive Or-
der Regional Work Group also attended.
Rich Greenwood, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Liaison to GLNPO and GLNPO's
Judy Beck helped coordinate the event.
To learn more about Coastal America, see
www.coastalamerica.gov.
(Contacts: Rich Greenwood, 312-886-3853,
greenwood.richard@epa.gov; and Judy
Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.judy@epa.gov)
New on the Web
Two beautiful new additions to GLNPO's
Web Site to check out:
Explore Our Natural World: A Biodiver-
sity Atlas of the Lake Huron to Lake Erie
Corridor was produced by the Wildlife
Habitat Council with funding from
GLNPO. The book will be distributed
widely throughout the region for use as a
textbook and an information source. Hard
copies may be obtained from Lawrence
Brail atbrail.lawrence@epa.gov. It's also
available on the GLNPO Web Site at http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/ecopage/stclairbiodiv/
index.html
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
The ever-popular Landscaping with Native
Plants, also known as "Wild Ones Hand-
book" is now available in an updated (rev.
4) version on GLNPO's Web Site at: http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/greenacres/wildones/
index.html
(Contact: Danielle Green, 312-886-7594,
green.danielle@epa.gov)
Water Quality Data Online
Users can now perform their own queries
and retrievals of GLNPO's open lake water
quality monitoring data from the Great
Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA)
through the Internet. Users first need to ap-
ply for a GLENDA account in order to ac-
cess the database. Data from 1996 to 2003
is currently available for a suite of chemical
and physical parameters as well as chloro-
GLNPO's open lake monitoring stations
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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phyll-a (an indicator of phytoplankton abun-
dance in the water).
Links to apply for a GLENDA account as
well as to query the database online can be
found at: http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/
monitoring/data_proj/glenda/
gl enda_query_index. html
In addition, monitoring data from the Lake
Michigan Mass Balance project is available
online at:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lmmb/drp.
html
(Contact: KenKlewin, 312-886-4794,
klewin.kenneth@epa.gov)
Sediment Cleanup Planning
Several meetings were held recently to fur-
ther sediment cleanup efforts in Great Lakes
Areas of Concern (AOCs) under a number
of existing authorities, including the pro-
gram authorized by the Great Lakes Legacy
Act of 2002.
Ottawa River - Maumee River AOC
On October 6th, GLNPO's Mary Beth Ross
attended the Ottawa River Remediation
Team meeting in Toledo, Ohio. Ottawa
River is part of the Maumee River Area of
Concern. Hans Gottgens of University of
Toledo presented the results from the Ot-
tawa River Dam Removal Study, and John
Hull of Hull & Associates presented the re-
sults from the Ottawa River Sediment
Remediation Priorities project, which was
funded by GLNPO in FY2002. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers gave an update on
the status of the Ottawa River Navigational
Dredging Project. Mary Beth provided a
status report on the Ottawa River Great
Lakes Legacy Act project that was submit-
ted under the FY2004 Request for Projects,
and discussed possible funding options for
A sediment remediation project underway
the additional sediment assessment that is
needed to complete the design for the reme-
diation project.
(Contact: Mary Beth Ross, 312-886-2253,
ross.marybeth@epa.gov)
Rudiman Creek - Muskegon Lake AOC
On October 25th, A public meeting was held
in Muskegon, Michigan about the proposed
Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act project. Rud-
diman Creek, part of the Muskegon Lake
Area of Concern is an urban waterway
heavily contaminated with PCB, PAHs, and
heavy metals. The Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality has submitted a Leg-
acy Act project proposal to USEPA, and the
meeting was convened to get feedback from
the Mukegon Lake Public Advisory Council
on the proposed plans for dredging of ap-
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proximately 66,000 cubic yards of contami-
nated sediments from Ruddiman Creek and
the adjacent lagoon. USEPA GLNPO's
Marc Tuchman gave a presentation on the
Legacy Act and the status of additional
sampling scheduled for the site in Novem-
ber 2004.
(Contact: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov)
Cannelton Industries - St. Mary's River
AOC
A public meeting was held in Sault Ste.
Marie, Michigan on November 30th to in-
form the local community and the St.
Mary's River Public Advisory Council
about the proposed Legacy Act sediment
remediation project at the Cannelton Super-
fund site. This location was the site of an
old tannery where the sediments and adja-
cent wetland are contaminated with high
levels of chromium and mercury. Previ-
ously, on November 23rd, a meeting had
been held in Chicago, Illinois with Phelps
Dodge Corporation (owner of the site),
USEPA Region 5 Superfund and GLNPO to
review the design for the proposed dredging
project.. It is anticipated that final plans and
specifications will be provided for agency
review by late January of 2005. If approved
and a Project Agreement is signed shortly
after, remediation could begin in the sum-
mer of 2005.
(Contact: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov)
Kinnickinnic River - Milwaukee Estuary
AOC
On November 16th, GLNPO's Mary Beth
Ross and Scott Cieniawski traveled to Mil-
waukee, Wisconsin to participate in a tech-
nical meeting regarding the status of the
proposed Kinnickinnic River remediation
Scene on the Kinnickinnic River, Wisconsin
project. Representatives from the Milwau-
kee Port Authority, USEPA, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (DNR),
and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District attended the meeting. Several criti-
cal tasks must be completed prior to initiat-
ing remedial work at the site. Permission to
use of the Jones Island confined disposal
site (CDF) for sediment disposal and the
stability of the existing seawall in the pro-
ject area are major factors that could have
significant impacts of the cost of the pro-
ject. Wisconsin DNR, the Corps and the
Port Authority all support the project and
are currently discussing the use of the CDF.
An agreement for use of CDF capacity
needs to be worked out. Wisconsin DNR,
the Corps and GLNPO are currently dis-
cussing the extent of sheet pile wall investi-
gation required, funding mechanism, and
contractual vehicles available for complet-
ing the investigation.
(Contact: Scott Cieniawski, 312-353-9184,
cieniawski.scott@epa.gov)
Waukegan Harbor AOC
In a series of meetings in November, project
managers from GLNPO and USEPA Super-
fund met with a wide-ranging group of
Waukegan Harbor stakeholders to discuss
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Significant Activities Report
the status of planning work to address con-
taminated sediments in Waukegan Harbor,
Illinois. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and USEPA are coordinating efforts to de-
sign and implement a joint remedial and
navigational dredging project for the harbor
to clean up sediments contaminated with
PCBs. During the course of the month, the
project managers met with Illinois Con-
gressman Mark Kirk's representatives, in-
dustry groups, city officials, the Port Dis-
trict, and jointly with the Waukegan Harbor
Area of Concern Citizens Action Group and
the Environmental Justice Coalition to up-
date them on the status of ongoing evalua-
tions, obtain feedback on project direction,
and discuss the potential availability of non-
Federal funding that would be necessary to
carry out the cleanup actions in the harbor.
In general, all stakeholder groups voiced
support of the ongoing cleanup efforts.
GLNPO and USEPA Superfund plan to
have contractors in the field by mid-
December to collect sediment samples to
fully delineate the vertical and horizontal
extent of PCB contamination in the sedi-
ments, and to produce preliminary design
and cost estimates for dredging and disposal
of harbor sediments. The most optimistic
project schedule would allow dredging to
begin in early 2006. This schedule is subject
to influence by funding availability and
technical considerations.
(Contact: Scott Cieniawski, 312-353-9184,
cieniawski.scott@epa.gov)
Hog Island Inlet - Newton Creek - St.
Louis River AOC
USEPA is considering this site for cleanup
under the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The
proposal involves digging up and disposing
of approximately 50,000 cubic yards of pe-
troleum-contaminated sediment from New-
ton Creek and portions of Hog Island Inlet.
If USEPA decides to take on this project,
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Re-
sources will obtain all the necessary permits
and sign a project agreement with the
Agency. Work could begin in February and
would last about two months. The antici-
pated cost if this removal is $5.2 million
where USEPA would pay 65% ($3.4 mil-
lion). A public meeting outlining this pro-
posed project was held in Superior, Wiscon-
sin on December 15th.
(Contact: Scott Ireland, 312-886-8121, ire-
land.scott@epa.gov).
Binational Monitoring Plans
USEPA R/VLake Guardian (left) and
Environment Canada R/V Limnos
Representatives from Environment Canada,
the Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans and GLNPO met on November 9th
and 10th to continue discussions of coopera-
tive monitoring begun in February. Discus-
sions and presentations included upcoming
cooperative monitoring on Lake Erie, Lake
Michigan, and Lake Superior. Environment
Canada scientists presented results from
their new protocol for sampling open lake
contaminants in water. Participants dis-
cussed quality assurance and future collec-
tion and methods studies, particularly for
fish tissue contaminants. Other discussions
centered on how to most effectively share
data from the cooperative monitoring ef-
forts. Environment Canada agreed to con-
tinue assisting GLNPO in sampling dis-
solved oxygen levels in the Central Basin of
Lake Erie.
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October - December 2004
(Contact: Paul Horvatin, 312-353-3612,
horvatin.paul@epa.gov)
Fall Toxics Strategy Meetings
About 90 stakeholders attended the Fall
2004 Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strat-
egy Stakeholder Forum on November 30th
in Chicago, Illinois at the Hyatt Regency
O'Hare International Airport. Dr. Dan
Meyers, Associate Director of the American
Dental Association gave the keynote
speech, discussing his organization's efforts
to encourage dentists in the United States to
employ best management practices for den-
tal amalgam in order to minimize mercury
going to wastewater treatment facilities.
The Mercury, PCBs, Dioxins/Furans, and
HCB/B(a)P workgroup co-chairs each pre-
sented updates in plenary and held subse-
quent breakout meetings. Presentations will
be posted to the GLBTS website at http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/meetings.html
shortly.
In related news, working under a grant re-
ceived from GLNPO this year, the Ameri-
can Dental Association is conducting a ba-
sin-wide mailing of a best management
practices video to all dental practices in the
Region.
The GLBTS Integration Workgroup met on
the next day, with over 50 stakeholders in
attendance. Agenda items included reviews
of the draft final Octachlorostyrene (OCS)
Reassessment Report presented by Tom
Tseng, Environment Canada (EC); an up-
date on draft Dioxins and Furans Reassess-
ment Report presented by Anita Wong, EC;
a panel on International PBT reduction ef-
forts with presentations from Angela Ban-
demehr, USEPA Office of International Ac-
tivities, and Luke Trip, Director, North
American Commission on Environmental
Cooperation - Smart Management of
Chemicals program, and an summary of the
SOLEC Chemical Integrity Workshop held
last month in Toronto given by Dale Phen-
ice, Council of Great Lakes Industries. The
OCS report was well received by stake-
holders, and is now final. The Dioxins and
Furans Report will be modified to integrate
stakeholder comments and will be distrib-
uted for further comment in January 2005.
Other Level 1 substances will be reassessed
over the next several months with the goal
of presenting a comprehensive review of all
twelve level 1 substances to the Binational
Executive Committee at the Summer 2005
Meeting. The purpose of the reassessments
is to provide management with advice on
next steps for the GLBTS beyond the cur-
rent interim reduction goal timeline, which
ends in 2006. Presentations will be posted
to the GLBTS website at www.epa.gov/
glnpo/bns/meetings.html shortly.
(Contact: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571, smith.
edwin@epa.gov)
Lake Ontario Habitat Workshop
GLNPO staff attended the Lake Ontario
Habitat Workshop held on November 11th
in Syracuse, New York. USEPA Region 2
hosted the event, which was attended by
more than 50 partner organizations. The
purpose of the workshop was to discuss the
El Dorado Beach Preserve, Black Pond Wildlife
Management Area, Eastern Lake Ontario
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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October - December 2004
Significant Activities Report
draft document "Developing Lakewide
Habitat Priorities for New York's Lake On-
tario Basin." The document identifies five
categories of habitat issues to be addressed
by Lakewide Management Plan partners:
» Tributary buffer restoration,
» Tributary upstream fish passage,
» Restoration and conservation of coastal
wetlands,
» Protection of migratory bird habitats,
and
» Protecting globally unique and rare
habitats.
USEPA Region 2 will coordinate partner
comments and re-issue a second draft docu-
ment early next year.
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
2004 Conservation and Native
Landscaping Awards
Both public and private organizations play
an important role in protecting natural re-
sources and providing habitat for our native
plant and animal communities. The Conser-
vation and Native Landscaping Awards pro-
gram is offered in appreciation of land man-
agement that supports native plant commu-
nities and the species that depend on them.
Through this program, USEPA and the Chi-
cago Wilderness organization recognize
park district, municipal and corporate prop-
erties in the Chicago Wilderness area for
their use of conservation practices and na-
tive plants in their landscaping designs. The
first awards were given in 2000.
The 2004 Conservation and Native Land-
scaping awards presented at the Chicago
Wilderness Congress on November 18th
went to:
• Chicago Park District: Humboldt Prairie
River
The Village of Schaumburg:
Yeargin Creek Improvements
• Village of Glenview: Gallery Park Na-
tive Landscaping
• Park District of Highland Park: City of
Highland Park, Hidden Creek Aqua
Park Detention Basin
• The Village of Schaumburg: Yeargin
Creek Improvements
• Village of Deer Park: Deer Park, Illi-
nois, Vehe Farm
(Contact: Danielle Green, 312-886-7594,
green.danielle@epa.gov)
Benefits of Landscaping with
Native Plants
A 2-day scientific conference "Landscaping
with Native Plants: Exploring the Environ-
mental, Social, and Economic Benefits" was
held at DePaul University on December 6th
and 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Almost 200
people attended the conference and took an
active role in identifying key gaps in the
Deep roots of native plants reduce irrigation needs
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October - December 2004
current knowledge base, and in defining fu-
ture research priorities.
In preparation for this conference, selected
scientists and researchers compiled a series
of survey papers on the following topics:
• Biodiversity benefits of native landscap-
ing
• Air quality benefits of native landscap-
ing
• Emissions during controlled burns
• Ethical and aesthetic context of native
landscaping
• Economics of native landscaping
• Public perception of native landscaping
• Hydrologic benefits of native landscap-
ing
• Reduction in pesticide and fertilizer im-
pacts through native landscaping
• Phytoremediation using native plants
and
• Carbon sequestration using native
plants.
Products resulting from the conference will
include chapters for a planned book; content
for GLNPO's Green Landscaping with Na-
tive Plants web site (http://www.epa.gov/
greenacres/); and a research agenda to ad-
dress the many gaps in information for the
various topic areas.
The conference was sponsored by USEPA,
DePaul University Environmental Science
Program and Institute for Nature and Cul-
ture, City of Chicago Department of Envi-
ronment, Chicago Wilderness, the Peggy
Notebaert Nature Museum, and the Gutsgell
Foundation.
(Contact: Danielle Green, 312-886-7594,
green.danielle@epa.gov)
New Publications
Two recent publications made use of
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)
GLNPO's long-term open lake monitoring
data to explain important biological phe-
nomena in the Lakes:
The deep chlorophyll maximum in Lake
Superior, R.P. Barbiero and M.L. Tuchman,
J. Great Lakes Res. 30 (Supplement 1):256-
268
This paper presents a multi-year analysis of
physical, chemical and biological aspects of
the deep chlorophyll maximum in Lake Su-
perior, and is probably the most detailed re-
port on the topic in the open literature.
Aside from a paper out of GLNPO in 2001,
this potentially important phenomenon has-
n't been published on since 1983.
Long-term dreissenid impacts on water
clarity in Lake Erie, R.P. Barbiero and M.
L. Tuchman,./. Great Lakes Res. 30(4):557-
565.
This paper builds on a previous GLNPO re-
port {Phytoplankton composition and bio-
mass in the offshore waters of Lake Erie:
Pre- andpost-Dreissena introduction
(1983-1993), Makarewicz, J.C., Lewis, T.
W., and Bertram, P. 1999, J. Great Lakes
Res. 25:135-148} to examine long-term
changes in Secchi depth, turbidity and chlo-
rophyll in Lake Erie since the invasion of
zebra and quagga mussels. While long
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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October - December 2004
Significant Activities Report
thought to have 'cleaned up' the shallow re-
gions of the lake, this paper shows that no
long-term increases in water clarity have oc-
curred in the Western or Central Basin since
the dreissena invasion, although chlorophyll
has declined markedly in the Western Basin.
Instead, the most substantial impacts on wa-
ter clarity have been seen during spring in the
deeper Eastern Basin.
(Contact: LouBlume, 312-353-2317, blume.
louis@epa.gov)
Upcoming Events
March 2
May 17-18
May 23-27
June 9-11
November 29-
30
2005
Great Lakes Congres-
sional Breakfast and Brief-
ing: Washington, DC
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Stake-
holder Forum: Toronto,
Ontario Canada
International Association
for Great Lakes Research
Annual Conference: Ann
Arbor, Michigan
International Joint Com-
mission Great Lakes Con-
ference and Biennial Meet-
ing: Kingston, Ontario
Canada
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Stake-
holder Forum: Chicago,
Illinois
We welcome your questions, comments or
suggestions about this 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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