Volume 21, Issue 2, 1996 July/August 1996

International Joint Commission Adopts Strategic Plan for Great Lakes Restoration Activities

by Bruce Kirschner

In April 1996, the International Joint Commission approved an Annex 2 Strategic Plan to more effectively fulfill its role under Annex 2 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Under Annex 2, the Commission evaluates and reports on activities by the Parties to the Agreement (the two federal governments) and the jurisdictions (the Great Lakes state and provincial governments) to clean up local Areas of Concern and open lake waters. To document their planning and restoration activities, the Parties and jurisdictions prepare Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) and Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs).

At present, most of the relevant government agencies are reexamining their work on RAPs and LaMPs because of reduced funding or internal restructuring. It is the Commission's hope that its new strategic plan will encourage and support the Parties and jurisdictions as they prepare and implement RAPs and LaMPs.

The goals of the Commission's new strategic plan are:

• to provide effective support for efforts by the Parties and jurisdictions to restore beneficial uses in Areas of Concern and open lake waters
• to better evaluate remedial activities as specified in Annex 2 of the Agreement
• to facilitate communication between the various RAP and LaMP efforts
• to provide expertise and information to facilitate remediation, and
• to provide opportunities for interaction between the public and the Commission.

Evaluation and Reporting

The Commission will report on the overall status of RAPs and LaMPs as required by Annex 2. This reporting will be part of the Commission's biennial reports or, when necessary, special reports.

A major new focus of the strategic plan will be status assessments that review activities related to specific Areas of Concern and open lake waters. Status assessments will concentrate on:

• sites that have the potential to export persistent toxic substances
• binational sites
• sites with high level of activity and
• sites with notable institutional arrangements.

Focusing on a subset of open lake waters and Areas of Concern will allow more in-depth study and should provide information that will be valuable to other Great Lakes basin sites.

One focus of status assessments will be to examine technological and institutional issues that influence the restoration of beneficial uses. Status assessments, including site visits by Commissioners, will play an integral role in the successful completion of the strategic plan. Six to eight status assessments will be conducted during each two-year cycle.

Communication and Coordination

To fulfill this strategic element, the Commission will:

• place emphasis on binational Areas of Concern and attempt to bring Parties and jurisdictions together for closely coordinated, joint efforts
• arrange forums to provide information exchange on approaches to funding, administration and other aspects of successful remediation programs
• provide mechanisms for technology and information sharing, and
• identify institutional barriers to remediation and arrange workshops, as appropriate, to provide necessary expertise.

Consultation with Governments

The Commission will meet with appropriate representatives of the Parties and jurisdictions as needed concerning progress toward restoring beneficial uses in Areas of Concern and open lake waters. In addition, the Commission will evaluate the extent to which the Parties, in cooperation with state and provincial governments, have consulted the public in all actions taken under Annex 2.

Review of RAP and LaMP Documents

Review of RAPs by Commission staff members will be a comprehensive overview to ensure the documents meet the spirit of the Agreement. Updates submitted to the Commission will be reviewed to determine the level of response from the Commission that provides the best assistance to the Parties. Review of LaMPs will be completed in a similar manner, except that more attention to technical detail will be given to Stage 1 LaMP submissions for each lake.

The Commission's new strategy is designed to make optimum use of Commission resources and provide more flexibility in the ongoing evaluation and facilitation of remedial action planning in Areas of Concern and open lake waters.

For more information, or to provide your input on the Commission's Annex 2 activities, contact Bruce Kirschner, RAP and LaMP Coordinator, International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Regional Office, 100 Ouellette Avenue, Eighth Floor, Windsor, ON N9A 6T3 or at P.O. Box 32869, Detroit, MI 48232. Telephone (519)257-6700 or (313)226-2170; fax (519)257-6740; email kirschnerb@ijc.wincom.net.

Sommaire

En avril 1996, la Commission mixte internationale a approuvé l'Annexe 2 du Plan stratégique, qui lui permettra de mieux s'acquitter du rôle que lui confie l'Annexe 2 de l'Accord sur la qualité de l'eau des Grands Lacs. En vertu de cette annexe 2, la Commission évalue les activités exécutées par les Parties à l'Accord (les gouvernements des deux pays) et les instances pertinentes (les gouvernements des États américains et des provinces canadiennes bordant les Grands Lacs) en vue du nettoyage des Secteurs préoccupants et des eaux des lacs, et elle en fait rapport. Pour documenter les activités de planification et de restauration, les Parties sont chargées de préparer des Plans d'assainissement et des Plans d'aménagement panlacustre.

La Commission fera rapport sur l'état global des Plans d'assainissement et des Plans d'aménagement panlacustre en fonction des exigences de l'Annexe 2. Les évaluations de la situation concerneront surtout l'examen des questions liées aux technologies et aux établissements qui influent sur la restauration des utilisations bénéfiques. Ces évaluations, dont les visites des sites par les commissaires, joueront un rôle déterminant dans la mise en oeuvre du plan stratégique. De six à huit évaluations de la situation seront effectuées au cours de chaque cycle biennal.

Revised: 17 February 1997
Maintained by Kevin McGunagle, mcgunaglek@ijc.wincom.net

URL: www.ijc.org/rel/focus/v21i2/feat05.html