Schedule

2007-2009 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Priorities

What is a “Priority” undertaken by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to fulfill the purpose of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA)?

The work of the IJC under the GLWQA includes dedicated work by advisory boards on a GLWQA “Priority.” Priorities are established in two-year cycles and they include reports used by levels of government and citizens concerning problems of water quality in the Great Lakes Ecosystem. The reports detail assessment of the effectiveness of the programs and other measures pursuant to the Priority, and advice and recommendations to spur new initiatives for cleaning up the Great Lakes.

• Nearshore Framework
• Eutrophication
• Chemicals of Emerging Concern
• Benefits and Risks of Great Lakes Fish Consumption
• Binational Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid-Response Policy Framework
• Beaches and Recreational Water Quality

Nearshore Framework

The nearshore is a critical component of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem as the interface between the watershed and offshore waters, and where much human activity takes place. The work group report covers the nearshore framework, an "umbrella" activity for the Commission's 2007-09 Priorities under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The report includes the latest scientific, policy and governance information on the nearshore waters of the Great Lakes with a focus on 1) the Agreement and its review; 2) the binational implications for addressing nearshore issues, and 3) critical science, policy and management needs. Information was obtained primarily in two Nearshore Expert Consultations held November 2007 and March 2008 in Dearborn, Michigan. This report concludes that nearshore water quality problems do indeed have binational implications, and that the updating of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is an opportunity to make vague and implicit references to the nearshore in the current Agreement clear and explicit. The recommendation is that a nearshore framework should not be a separate institutional arrangement. Rather, the nearshore needs to be addressed more comprehensively as part of an adaptive-management framework embedded in the Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs). In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on the Nearshore Framework on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, the work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission’s 15th Biennial Report.

Eutrophication

This Work Group discusses a concept-mapping process for taking a weight–of–evidence approach to determining the cause(s) of the resurgence of eutrophication in the nearshore waters of the Great Lakes. Weight-of-evidence is an approach to determine multiple lines of tacts or evidence to reduce uncertainty and support science-based decision making. The effects of eutrophication include the return of blue–green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms and rotting masses of the green macro–alga, Cladophora, in shallow waters and on beaches in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. Effects may also include the persistence and possible expansion of hypoxia (dissolved–oxygen depletion) in the bottom waters of Lake Erie's central basin (the so–called "dead zone"). Information for the workshops and mapping exercises has been compiled by conducting a literature review on eutrophication research since the early 1990s when this issue reemerged in the Great Lakes with adverse environmental and economic consequences.

In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on Eutrophication on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission's 15th Biennial Report.

Chemicals of Emerging Concern

Subsequent to the 1987 update of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, targeted actions to control many industrial, municipal and agricultural sources of so-called legacy pollutants have been undertaken. Over the past 10 years, the emphasis on research and monitoring has shifted to an array of new chemicals being discovered in the environment that is often referred to as "chemicals of emerging concern"(CECs).

This Work Group focused on two categories of CECs (1) those that have just gained entry into the environment (i.e., new to commerce or a new formulation); and (2) those that are newly characterized as a result of increases in concentrations in the environment, improvements in chemical analysis, an ability to detect at a lower concentration or in new environmental compartments. This second category makes up the vast majority of emerging contaminants and among these are compounds used every day in homes, on farms or by business and industry including industrial chemicals, household chemicals, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, disinfectants, pesticides and nanomaterials. The chemical classes the Work Group identified as emerging chemicals included: synthetic musks, fluorinated surfactants, brominated flame retardants, chlorinated flame retardants, alkylphenol-ethoxylates, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, phthalates, hydroxylated PCBs, pharmaceauticals and personal care products and pesticides. Based on a review of (1) current scientific literature and (2) national and international management policies and programs, as well as a gap analysis, the Work Group is providing advice on CEC issues to the International Joint Commission.

In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on Chemicals of Emerging Concern on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission's 15th Biennial Report.

Benefits and Risks of Great Lakes Fish Consumption

Fish are an important part of a healthy diet and contain several important nutrients. Although recent publications have detailed benefits of consuming seafood, very limited data are currently available on the content of omega-3 fatty acids in freshwater fish from the Great Lakes System. Monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls and methylmercury levels in Great Lakes fish has been useful for establishing fish-consumption advisories. However, levels of emerging contaminants have not been adequately quantified and thus have not been suitably monitored in Great Lakes fish.

This Work Group report highlights the challenge of evaluating the "net" risks and benefits of consuming Great Lakes fish. The report also identifies important needs concerning monitoring, research, public health communication and policy in order to assist individuals make better personal dietary decisions aimed at maximizing and protecting human health.

In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on the Benefits and Risks of Great Lakes Fish Consumption on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission's 15th Biennial Report.

Binational Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid-Response Policy Framework

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are organisms introduced into a new aquatic ecosystem that leads to harmful ecological or economic impacts. Once an AIS is introduced and spreads, it is extremely hard to get rid of. The best approach is to prevent the introduction of AIS; however, if this fails and a new AIS is discovered, a rapid response to destroy or control the AIS is our only option.

But with so many different Great Lakes organizations, how do we ensure cooperation when rapid response is needed? AIS do not respect national boundaries, so how will the U.S. and Canada coordinate a timely and effective response? Are there even government policies in place that allow a well-coordinated rapid response to the discovery of an AIS?

In October 2007, the International Joint Commission formed a work group to address these questions and more. Members came from the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) advisory boards and the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers.

In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on AIS rapid response on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission's 15th Biennial Report.

Beaches and Recreational Water Quality

Beaches and recreational waters provide enjoyment for humans and habitat for wildlife. Along the thousands of miles of Great Lakes shoreline are more than 800 monitored beaches, but not all places where people swim are monitored and others are only monitored sporadically.

The availability of clean recreational water brings both tourists and locals to our shorelines, helps to create a stable, healthy economy in the area and improves our quality of life. Conversely, impaired beaches and recreational water quality can seriously degrade our quality of life and the economy of the Great Lakes basin.

Understanding the underlying causes of problems and finding appropriate solutions is challenging in our binational, multi-jurisdictional basin. Cooperation, consistent standards and innovative rapid-detection methods will be required to improve the swimmability of our Great Lakes.

This workgroup report synthesizes available information about ecological and source tracking methods and makes recommendations toward consistent sampling methods, standards and beach advisories. The report is based upon a series of ‘white papers’ on fecal indicator monitoring, inconsistent water quality criteria used at Great lakes beaches, local economic effects of impaired recreational water quality, the burden of human illness from impaired recreational water quality, policies and practices for beach monitoring and on protecting beach visitor health.

In addition to preparing its report, the work group will host a session on Beaches and Recreational Water Quality on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the GLWQA Biennial Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. Using the work group report as background material, work group members will present findings and discuss the issue with the public to elicit various perspectives and to inform the Commission's 15th Biennial Report.

Opening Plenary Session

• Opening and Welcome

  • 

    Karen Vigmostad

• Remarks by Commissioners

  • 

    Canadian Co-Chair Herb Gray

  • 

    U.S. Co-Chair Irene Brooks

• Overview of the Six 2007-09 Priorities

• Nearshore Framework

  • 

    John Carey

  • 

    Gary Gulezian

• Chemicals of Emerging Concern

  • 

    Ted Smith

• Eutrophication

  • 

    Joe Koonce

• Binational Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid-Response Framework

  • 

    Hugh MacIsaac

• Benefits and Risks of Great Lakes Fish Consumption

  • 

    Dr. Donna Mergler

• Beaches and Recreational Water Quality

  • 

    Lori Boughton

Reporting out from the Six Priority Workshops

• Nearshore Framework

  • 

    John Carey

• Chemicals of Emerging Concern

  • 

    Gary Klecka, Ph.D.

• Binational Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid-Response Framework

  • 

    Suzanne Hanson

• Beaches and Recreational Water Quality

  • 

    David Ullrich

• Benefits and Risks of Great Lakes Fish Consumption

  • 

    David Carpenter

• Eutrophication

  • 

    Peter Meerveld

Presentations by the co-chairs of the Great Lakes Science Advisory and Water Quality boards

• 

  John Carey

• 

  Gary Gulezian

Keynote Presentation & Luncheon: "Rethinking Water for the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Opportunities" by Peter Gleick

• 

  Peter H. Gleick, Ph.D., President of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California

Luncheon with Keynote Guest Speakers, Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Dr. James Bruce, Environmental Consultant

• 

  Cameron Davis

• 

  James Bruce

Binational Great Lakes Protection and Restoration

• 

  Jim Vollmershausen

• 

  Gary Gulezian

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

• 

  Gary Gulezian

• 

  Jim Vollsmerhausen