Great
Lakes
National
Program
&EPA
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/greatlakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Significant Activities Report
April 2006
IN THIS ISSUE:
Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement Review Underway
Spring Water Quality Survey
Earthkeepers E-Waste Collection
a Whopping Success
Virtual Classroom
Lake Guardian Visits Rochester
Scrap Tire Cleanup Guide
Waukegan Harbor Summit
Ohio Environmental Health Assn.
Great Lakes Legacy Act Rule
Mudpuppy and Crew Tests
Its 'Metal'
Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement Review Underway
On April 28th, the Governments of the U.S. and
Canada, launched the one every six year review
of the operation and effectiveness of the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The kick-off
meeting was held at USEPA Region 5 Headquar-
ters in Chicago, Illinois. Attendees included the
Agreement Review Committee, which is the bi-
national steering committee overseeing the re-
view, the Review Working Group co-chairs who
are responsible for the review of the articles and
annexes of the Agreement, and a number Review
Working Group members (approx. 150) to kick-
off the formal review process. About 100 addi-
tional people participated via a Webcast and tele-
conferencing. This also allowed for each of the
Review Working Groups to have their first for-
mal meeting. Since April 28th, the Review Work-
ing Groups have begun to meet via teleconfer-
Participants in Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Kick-off Meeting in Chicago on April 28, 2006
ence to begin the formal review. The Review
Working Groups are tasked with providing a
draft report to the Agreement Review Committee
by September 25, 2006. The entire process is
scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2007.
More information can be found at: http://
binational .net/glwqa 2006 e .html.
(Contact: Mark Elster, 312-886-3857), elr
ster.mark@epa.gov)
Spring Water Quality Survey
GLNPO's 2006 Spring Great Lakes monitoring
survey began on Saturday April 1st, monitoring
all of the Great Lakes and providing samples for
biological and chemical analysis.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
is responsible for monitoring the offshore water
quality of the Great Lakes to evaluate water qual-
ity over time and identify any emerging water
quality problems. Comprehensive water quality
surveys are conducted in all five Great Lakes in
both the Spring, when the water is cold and well
mixed, and in the Summer, when the surface wa-
ters are warmer and the lakes are stratified and
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April 2006
Significant Activities Report
more biologically active. GLNPO's 180-foot re-
search ship, the R/V Lake Guardian is used to
conduct the surveys.
The measurements made during the water quality
surveys in all five Great Lakes are:
Chemical/Nutrient Parameters
Phosphorus - important, limiting nutrient for
algae growth; a natural component of the
Great Lakes but excess amounts can be intro-
duced by municipal and industrial sewage
processes, phosphate detergents, and runoff
from urban and agricultural areas.
Nitrogen - important nutrient for algae
growth; a natural component of the Great
Lakes but excess amounts can be introduced
through natural and human activities such as
runoff from urban and agricultural areas and
atmospheric deposition.
Silica - important mineral for diatom (algae)
growth; a natural component of the Great
Lakes
Chloride - an anion that is introduced to the
Great Lakes via anthropogenic input of chlo-
ride compounds (brines, road salt).
Physical and Water Quality Parameters
Water temperature, transmissivity, incident
light, air temperature, wind speed, wave
height, barometric pressure, conductivity,
dissolved oxygen, pH.
Biological Parameters
Phytoplankton and zooplankton - abundance
and biomass of these important components
of the lower food web are important indica-
tors of the health of the Great Lakes food
web.
Benthos - abundance, biomass, and species
distributions of these bottom-dwelling inver-
tebrates are important indicators of the health
of the benthic community and the health of
the Great Lakes food web; changes in the
benthic community can also indicate poten-
tial disruptions resulting from pollutants or
invading species such as zebra and quagga
mussels.
a
Scientists prepare to lower the "rosette"
water sampler aboard the R/V Lake Guardian
Supporting Great Lakes Research
Per it's usual practice, in order to maximize the
utility of the R/V Lake Guardian, GLNPO ac-
commodated several other researchers while con-
ducting the Spring survey:
Dr. Michael Twiss from Clarkson University,
Potsdam, New York came on board in Lake
Ontario to develop standard operating proce-
dures for the FluoroProbe profile and to re-
late the measurements of algal divisions by
the FluoroProbe to the phytoplankton and
measured chlorophyll-a.
Purdue University doctoral graduate student
Kimberly Ralston-Hooper collected the am-
phipod Diporeia (which is a key part of the
Great Lakes food chain) aboard the first leg
of the GLNPO Spring survey to study the
effects of multiple stressors on Diporeia in
order to help explain the causes of the rapid
decline in Diporeia populations in the Great
Lakes. The method applies stable isotopes as
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indicators of dietary health and trophic status
of this benthic amphipod using protocols un-
der development by Dr. Marisol Sepulveda in
the Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources
Department.
Dr. Mary Balcer was aboard to study the
population estimates of Mysis relictct, a krill-
like crustacean that is a part of the food base
for many fish in the Great Lakes.
Dr. Greg Michalski from Purdue University
conducted isotopic analysis of nitrogen and
oxygen in nitrate from hydro casts collected
in each lake during the GLNPO Spring sur-
vey. His analyses will detect the amount of
photochemically-produced nitrate that is re-
tained in the water column without biologic
recycling, and relate water column nitrogen
to nitrogen deposition in the region.
The Spring survey ended on April 27th after the
scientists and crew of the R/VLake Guardian
guided the ship to over 75 sampling sites on the
lakes and taking samples for chemical and bio-
logical water quality.
For more information, please visit: http://
www.epa.gov/glnpo/monitor.html
(Contact: Glenn Warren, 312-886-2405, war-
ren.glenn@epa.gov)
Earthkeepers E-Waste Collection a
Whopping Success
The Earthkeepers, a faith-based organization that
L
Earthkeeper e-waste collection at Trinity Episcopal
Church in Houghton, Michigan
(photo courtesy of Don Watson)
Since motor vehicles are not allowed on the island, e-
waste collected on Mackinac Island is transported by
horse-drawn wagon to a ferry to the mainland
(photo by Mackinac Island Recycling Program)
received a GLNPO grant of $55,000 to conduct a
hazardous waste "clean sweep" (collection event)
in the Michigan's Upper Peninsula, made na-
tional news when it held its second annual event.
The group, which is comprised of 120 churches
and temples, representing 9 denominations, con-
ducted an Earth Day "Clean Sweep" event, fo-
cused on electronic waste (e-waste) such as com-
puters, monitors, televisions and cell phones,
some of which contain hazardous materials such
as mercury and lead. The partnership mobilized
over 300 volunteers aged from 9 to 90 to operate
a network of 27 drop off sites across the Upper
Peninsula and assembled a fleet of semi-trucks to
haul away the collected items. Despite intermit-
tent showers and temperatures only in the 40's,
an estimated 10,000 Upper Peninsula residents
turned out for the event and brought a total of
over 320 tons of e-waste in 3 hours. In order to
be environmentally benign as possible, all of the
e-waste collected will be recycled or refurbished
and redeployed, so that it doesn't end up in land-
fills.
(Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
Virtual Classroom
GLNPO intern Jacqueline Adams was featured in
an April 19th USEPA Region 5 news release
highlighting her outreach efforts to area high
schools from GLNPO's research ship, the R/V
Lake Guardian. During the GLNPO Spring
Monitoring Survey (see preceding story), three
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
Chicago high schools learned about science and
the Great Lakes by exchanging e-mails with
Jackie while she was onboard the Guardian.
Jackie fielded questions about her work, the
Great Lakes and life on board the research ship.
The students are participants in the Girls E-
Mentoring in Science, Engineering and Technol-
ogy (GEM-SET) program that is designed to con-
nect girls in middle and high schools with women
in science, engineering and technology fields.
The program is a demonstration project devel-
oped by the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department
of Labor, in partnership with the Center for Re-
search on Women and Gender at the University
of Illinois at Chicago. More information about
GEM-SET is available at: http://www.uic.edu/
orgs/gem-set/index.htm.
Jackie's virtual classroom program will be fea-
tured in an upcoming issue of Public Works
Magazine.
(Contacts: Phillippa Cannon, 312-353 - 6218,
cannon.phillippa@epa.gov: or Jackie Adams,
312-353-7203, adams.jacqueline@epa.gov)
Lake Guardian Visits Rochester
On April 12th, GLNPO staff guided a group of
over 20 interested officials on a tour of the R/V
Lake Guardian while the ship visited Rochester,
New York as part of its Spring Survey of Lake
Ontario. Among the visitors were representatives
from Monroe County's Department of Environ-
mental Services, Monroe County's Health De-
partment, the New York Water Environment As-
sociation Industrial Issues Committee, and the
office of New York State Assemblyman David
Coons.
(Contact: Todd Nettesheim, 312-353-9153,
nettesheim.todd@epa.gov)
Scrap Tire Cleanup Guide
To help state and local governments reduce the
economic burdens and environmental risks asso-
ciated with scrap tire piles on their landscapes,
USEPA Region 5, GLNPO, and Illinois EPA
have collaborated to create the Scrap Tire
Cleanup Guidebook. The guidebook brings to-
gether the experience of dozens of professionals
Cover of Scrap Tire Cleanup Guidebook
to provide state and local officials with the infor-
mation needed to effectively clean up scrap tire
piles. The guidebook discusses starting a cleanup
program, working with contractors to clean up
sites, and implementing prevention programs that
will reduce scrap tire dumping. The Scrap Tire
Cleanup Guidebook is available online at http://
www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/solidwaste/tires/
guidance/
(Contact: Steve Rosenthal, 312-886-6052,
rosenthal.steven@epa.gov)
Waukegan Harbor Summit
On April 19th' U.S. Congressman Mark Kirk
hosted a Waukegan Harbor stakeholders meet-
ing at the Waukegan Yacht Club. Representa-
tives from the USEPA, U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers, the Illinois EPA, the City of Wauke-
gan , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Waukegan Citizens, and the
Alliance for the Great Lakes all called for an
expedient, cooperative effort to remediate the
contaminated sediments in Waukegan Harbor.
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The agencies are attempting to combine local,
state, federal, and private funding to design and
implement a cooperative project to address the
remaining PCB contamination in the harbor. The
non-federal stakeholders committed to applying
for federal cleanup funds by a January 2007
deadline. Stories on the summit appeared in the
Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times
newspapers.
(Contact: Scott Cieniawski, 312-353-9184,
cieniawski.scott@epa.gov)
Ohio Environmental Health Assn.
GLNPO's Ted Smith gave a keynote address at
the annual meeting of the Ohio Environmental
Health Association, held April 26th, in Columbus,
Ohio. Ted presented an overview of the Great
Lakes National Program Office and the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy and im-
plementation plans and projects. The Association
is comprised mainly of State of Ohio county
health and solid waste management officials, as
well as State health and environmental agency
officials. Ohio EPA's Julie Letterhos co-
presented on the State of Ohio's activities under
the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration as well
as Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan moni-
toring and research activities.
(Contact: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571,
smith.edwin@epa.gov)
Great Lakes Legacy Act Rule
USEPA Administrator Steve Johnson signed the
Great Lakes Legacy Act rule on April 25th. The
rule lays out the process USEPA will use to iden-
tify, evaluate, select, and implement projects un-
der its Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002 authority.
The Act authorizes appropriations of $50 million
annually for fiscal years 2004-2008 for contami-
nated sediment remediation projects throughout
the Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
The rule explains the multi-step method GLNPO
uses to implement the Act. The initial step is pro-
ject identification. GLNPO has released one Re-
quest for Proposals (RFP) in 2004 and plans on
releasing another in the near future, but GLNPO
remains open to the receipt of proposals at any
time. The next step, once a proposal has been
GLNPO's Ted Smith (left) and Ohio EPA's Julie Let-
terhos receive certificates of appreciation for their
keynote addresses at the Ohio Environmental Health
Association's Annual Meeting
received, is the evaluation step. The proposal un-
dergoes a two-stage evaluation process, whereby
the proposal is evaluated to see if it meets the
requirements of the GLLA and it then receives a
thorough technical review. To assist in this re-
view, each proposed project is assigned a cate-
gory(s) to determine if enforcement or regulatory
actions are pending or underway at the proposed
site. Finally, at the appropriate time intervals,
GLNPO prepares a project ranking based on
scores computed from a scoring sheet developed
for this purpose. GLNPO then provides this in-
formation to the Great Lakes National Program
Manager who, in consultation with the USEPA
Office of Water, and taking into account avail-
able GLLA funding, selects projects for which
formal Project Agreement (PA) negotiations will
be initiated. The Final Rule can be found on the
Internet at: http ://www.epa.gov/glla/
GLLAfinalrule .pdf.
(Contact: Scott Ireland, 312-886-8121, ire-
land, scott@epa.gov)
Mudpuppy and Crew Tests
Its 'Metal'
On April 26th, Mary Beth Ross, Ajit Vaidya, and
Dave Wethington - all of the GLNPO Sediment
Team - traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take
part in the R/VMudpuppy's annual shakedown
cruise. Activities included refresher training on
safety procedures, positioning/anchoring, and the
use of various sampling equipment. Dave
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
Wethington remained in Milwaukee on April 27th
and 28th to support additional field work con-
ducted by Dr. Tim Grundl of the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Dr. Tim Elam of the
University of Washington. The Mudpuppy was
utilized to field-test an innovative sampling appa-
ratus that employs x-ray spectroscopy to assess
and quantify in-situ (in-place) metals concentra-
tions in sediment. The in-situ measurements
mean a sediment sample doesn't have to be col-
lected and brought up for later analysis. Rather,
the measurements are made directly in the sedi-
ments with an X-ray probe that is pushed into the
sediments. The measurements were performed at
multiple locations within Milwaukee Harbor, at
areas that were expected to contain both high and
low levels of metals contamination. Sediment
core samples were also collected at the same lo-
cations as a check on the X-ray probe's detection
limits and accuracy.
(Contacts: Mary Beth G. Ross, 312-886-
2253, ross.marybeth@epa.gov: or Dave
Wethington, 312-886-1437, wething-
ton.david@epa.gov)
Upcoming Events
2006
June 27-29 Toward Wildlife-Friendly
Wind Power: A Focus on
the Great Lakes Basin
Toledo, Ohio
October 11-13 Second International Sym-
posium on the Lake Huron
Ecosystem, Honey Harbor,
Ontario Canada
November 1-3
State of the Lakes Ecosys-
tem Conference
(SOLEC) 2006
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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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U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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