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Bay City, Michigan, November 1, 2005

Key points presented at the public meeting

• The contribution of agriculture in reducing non-point sources is not fully recognized. Best practices, no till, etc. are now routine. If the phosphorus is not coming from agriculture, as we now know, we need to find where it is coming from. Further regulation of agriculture will have no net gain in reducing the inflow of chemicals or phosphorus into the lakes.
  
  
• The Agreement has failed. The Canadian and US governments have a lot to be embarrassed for if you compare the Agreement to actual results.
  
  
• There are four issues for the Saginaw River: loss of wet lands; 2) partial treatment of sewage; 3) new Dioxin sites and contamination from it; 4) need for a spoils sites for dredging activities/and contiminated sediment removal.
  
  
• IJC needs to be a force to be reckoned with, not a toothless tiger.
  
  
• There needs to be funding for RAPs.
  
  
• Dilution is being used as the solution, rather than zero discharge.
  
  
• New chemicals and the combined chemical soup - as the IJC identified in their 11^th Biennial Report - needs to be considered. Leachate from landfills, PBDE's, teflon from non-stick cookware, cell phones, computers, and household waste is poisoning the water.
  
  
• The Agreement needs clear milestones and charged responsibilities. Who is responsible for clearly dealing with which section of the Agreement?
  
  
• The Agreement has been effective as an education tool, but still it's sad to see how much remains to be done, AOCs and impacts on fish persist.
  
  
• In terms of Annex 2, RAPs and LAMPs, there needs to be a clarification and strengthening of roles and responsibilities. Need to use the agreement as a map, with specificity in who does what, and how they interact. Bay City area has spent $3 billion in infrastructure and waste water treatment, but how effective has it been? Need clear role and responsibilities to stretch those dollars.
  
  
• Annex 3 - control of nutrients and nutrient loading: there is a compelling argument why non-source is not agriculture. Margins are so tight in agriculture that the producers knows how much out of every $40 bag of fertilizer runs off - and minimizes that as much as possible. Storm water management plans need to be part of the Agreement. Need further study to clearly identify the sources.
  
  
• Annex 4, 5, and 6 should be consolidated for a more co-coordinated approach.
  
  
• Alien Invasive Species are only mentioned in Annex 17; they need a separate Annex of their own. Need a threshold on NOBOBs.
  
  
• In terms of dredging, we need greater flexibility on how we utilize the dredged sediments and beneficial re-use of the sediments.
  
  
• Low water quantity affects the quality of the water. We need to look at the Georgian Bay homeowners' study on the St. Clair river implement solutions now, as it is a relatively simple fix to raise the levels of the lakes.
  
  
• Aquifers, groundwater and tributaries need to be included under the Agreement.
  
  
• There are several issues in the area: Elevated levels of e coli. The lack of a uniform sanitary code in Michigan. Industrial agriculture is a recent development that has taken place the last review of the Agreement. Waters are being compromised due to this type of land use. We have more waste than a small city, but do not have to treat as cities do. Watershed management plans are required to identify all the non-source points, and these need to be included in the Agreement like AOCs were. More monitoring of level of pesticides and nutrient overloading is required.
  
  
• The Agreement has been effective in improving awareness. Water quality has improved in many areas, but not this one.
  
  
• Need to look at land use - it will dictate the water quality.
  
  
• Just moving the sludge further out in the lake will not really improve the water quality, though it may improve the turbidity.
  
  
• Pursue sustainability as a goal. Economic, environmental and social context of every action we take to guide our actions. We cannot continue to separate one from the other.
  
  
• The process of delisting AOCs must not turn into a process of moving the goals posts. Has taken 150 years to mess up the Great Lakes, its going to take time to restore them, maybe more than 150 years, but because it is a long struggle, it should not cause us to go slowly.
  
  
• Need to learn a lot more about the relationship between land use and activities.

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