International Joint
Commission
Summer 2000
Volume 25, Issue
2
Great Lakes Decline for Third
Year
Water levels on all Great Lakes,
with the exception of Lake Ontario, have declined for the third year in
a row. At present, lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie are well below their
level of one year ago. On lakes Michigan and Huron, the last 24 months
have brought the sharpest two-year drop in recorded history, which goes
back to the 1860s. As we go to press in mid-May, Lake Superior has not
been lower at this time of the year since 1926 and lakes Michigan, Huron
and Erie have not been lower since the mid-1960s.
While water levels will be greatly
affected by the amount of precipitation and evaporation in the system,
continued low water levels can be expected in the Great Lakes, except
for Lake Ontario, during the next several months.
Anglers and boaters are dismayed
by Great Lakes
levels, down nearly one meter since 1997.
Credit:
George Brooks
Currently, Lake Superior outflows
are being set according to its regulation plan, which attempts to
balance available water supplies among lakes Superior, Michigan and
Huron. On Lake Ontario, outflows have been reduced below what its
regulation plan calls for in order to store up to 10 centimeters (four
inches) of water. This is to provide greater flexibility for managing
Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River later in the season. Details on
the strategy for managing Lake Ontario outflows can be found on the
World Wide Web at:
http://www.islrbc.org/new_design/frame2-new.htm
.
The regulation of Lake Superior and
Lake Ontario outflows are the only two points where the International
Joint Commission can influence water levels in the system, but this
influence remains marginal in relation to the natural influences of
precipitation, evaporation and flows.
Given the outlook for low water, it
is by no means too early for those affected to consider what
alternatives may be available. Some of the actions that might be
considered include the following:
-
First and foremost, users of the
system should inform themselves of current conditions before
undertaking any activities that could be affected by low water.
Mariners should possess navigation charts and refer to current water
level gauge readings, which can be found on the Internet.
-
Boating facility operators who
are considering dredging should start the process now rather than
waiting until later in the season.
-
Municipalities should evaluate
whether low water levels could cause problems with water supply at
their intakes. They should also consider possible water contamination
problems because diffusion of treated wastewater may be different at
lower water levels.
-
Users of well water should
consider whether alternative sources of water supply will be necessary
because of possible impacts to ground water aquifers.
-
Local governments should
carefully consider new requests for shoreline development. While water
levels are currently low, higher levels will recur at some point in
the future.
In fact, this may be the best time
to prepare for higher levels by inspecting and repairing breakwalls,
seawalls and other infrastructure that is normally under water.
IJC Seeks Better Reporting to
Assess Progress on Great Lakes Water Quality
In a recent letter to the
governments of the United States and Canada, the International Joint
Commission (IJC) recommended that they begin using indicators to measure
and report on progress for three desired outcomes under the
Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement
-- fish that are safe for eating and water that is safe
for swimming and drinking.
The desired outcomes and their
indicators were developed by the IJC's Indicators Implementation Task
Force (IITF), whose final report was released in April. The IJC also
urged governments to continue work on implementing the remaining six
desired outcomes described in the report and to correct data
accessibility problems so that subsequent reports could address the full
slate of desired outcomes.
The IJC considers the indicators
approach to be central to its ability to carry out its responsibilities
under the Agreement. It is therefore essential that the governments make
the necessary data and information pertinent to these indicators and
measurements available to the IJC.
In 1996, the IJC adopted a framework
for assessing progress under the Agreement based on the work of its
Indicators for Evaluation Task Force. The framework, consisting of nine
Desired Outcomes with specific indicators and measurements for each, was
presented in the IJC's report,
Indicators to Evaluate
Progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
, and
forwarded to governments in January 1997.
In 1997, the Commission established
the IITF to examine and consider how these nine desired outcomes and
their related ecosystem indicators could be implemented. Since good
quality data is essential for this activity, an important part of the
IITF's work was to assess the adequacy of existing data bases and
information related to these indicators. The Task Force found that while
more effort is needed to improve data collection and the quality of
data, sufficient data exists to support the use of indicators, at least
those associated with the three desired outcomes noted above.
The Indicators Implementation Task
Force Final Report is available at
http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/iitf/IITF-pdf/iitf.pdf
or from an IJC office.
Report Identifies Economic
Benefits of Cleaning Up Contaminated Sediment
Contamination of the sediments at
the bottom of harbors and rivers is the major problem in the 42 Great
Lakes Areas of Concern, and it is a large problem. Only limited progress
has been achieved after $580 million has been spent on 38 sediment
remediation projects over the last 13 years. Over 80 percent of all
Areas of Concern have restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption,
degradation of bottom-dwelling organisms and loss of fish and wildlife
habitat due to potential links with contaminated sediment.
In recognition of the scope of the
problem and the limited progress in addressing it, the International
Joint Commission (IJC), in 1997, identified contaminated sediment as a
program priority. The Sediment Priority Action Committee (SedPAC) was
formed under the Great Lakes Water Quality Board from agency experts, as
well as the IJC's own advisory board members, to carry out this work.
SedPAC's final product is a recently released report on
Identifying and
Assessing the Economic Benefits of Contaminated Aquatic Sediment
Cleanup
.
Since the sediment problem is still
under assessment and management decisions are still required in 31 of
the Areas of Concern, it is hoped that the information in the report
will facilitate decision making and generate greater awareness of the
potential economic benefits associated with aquatic sediment cleanup.
The specific objectives of the report are to:
-
identify the types of potential
economic benefits that may result from aquatic sediment
remediation;
-
assess the potential economic
valuation tools;
-
highlight methodological
challenges; and
-
identify areas for further
action.
Identifying
and Assessing the Economic Benefits of Contaminated Aquatic Sediment Cleanup
and other
reports from SedPAC are available on the Internet at
http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/water_greatlakes/glwqb_pub.php . Limited numbers of hard
copies are also available from IJC offices.
Susie Schreiber, Citizens
Advisory Group chair, explains how
contaminated sediments from
Waukegan Harbor (Illinois)
will be treated and contained during a a
recent Water Quality
Board visit to this Area of Concern. Credit:
Bruce Kirschner
Red River Update
The International Joint Commission
(IJC) has released the final report of its International Red River Basin
Task Force, which examines issues related to the flood of 1997 and
actions required to better prepare for floods of a similar magnitude in
the future. The report makes recommendations on flood management,
communities at risk, preparedness and resiliency, data and decision
support needs, and institutional mechanisms for better flood management.
The
Next Flood: Getting Prepared
may be viewed or downloaded at the
following website:
http://www.ijc.org/rel/publications/redriver/nextflood-e.pdf
The IJC will prepare its final
report to the Governments of the United States and Canada after
considering public comment on the report of its Task Force received in
writing and at public hearings held May 15-17, 2000. Watch for more
details on the IJC's website or in future editions of
Focus
.
Community Health Assessment in
Areas of Concern
In 1909, when the
Boundary Waters Treaty
was signed, it was agreed that the boundary waters would not be polluted
on either side to the injury of health on the other side. However, by
1972, when the
Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement
was signed, there was concern that
boundary water quality was impaired to an extent that was causing injury
to health. The first requirement in preparing a Remedial Action Plan for
Areas of Concern is to describe the environmental problem, which should
include a definition of the threat to human health. The International
Joint Commission asked the Science Advisory Board to host a Workshop on
Community Health Assessment in Areas of Concern. On
October 4 and 5,
2000
, workshop participants will examine health data and statistics
of the incidence of disease conditions in Areas of Concern, with a
special focus on Windsor, Ontario. Of interest are the diseases that
might be caused by exposures to pollutants and particularly the effects
that might be caused by endocrine disruptors and thereby influence the
quality of people's lives. Estimates will be made of the societal costs
of environmental disease and participants will discuss ethical aspects
of the disparities in the incidence of environmental diseases in
different subpopulations. Registration information will be available at
www.ijc.org
closer to the workshop.
People
IJC welcomes the recent
appointments
to its boards:
William Ayer
Manager, Environmental Quality Branch
New Brunswick Department of Environment
International Advisory Board on Pollution Control - St. Croix River
Jacques Lorquet
Director, Marine Aids
Canadian Coast Guard
International St. Lawrence River Board of Control
Dr. Deborah Swackhamer
Associate Professor, Environment and Occupational Health
School of Public Health , University of Minnesota
Great Lakes Science Advisory Board
Steve Clarkson
Director, Bureau of Chemical Hazards,
Health Canada
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
James Mattison
Director, Water Management Branch
and Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights
British Columbia Ministry of Environment
International Kootenay Lake Board of Control
International Osoyoos Lake
Board of Control
And we thank those who have
finished their service:
Michael Sprague
New
Brunswick Department of Environment
International Advisory Board on Pollution
Control-St. Croix River
Peter L. Wise
Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes Water Quality
Board
Dr. David Bates
Professor
Emeritus, University of British Columbia
International
Air Quality Advisory Board
Jean Murray
Canadian Coast
Guard
International St. Lawrence River Board of Control
Prad Kharé
British Columbia
Ministry of Environment
International Kootenay Lake Board of
Control
International
Osoyoos Lake Board of Control
Hot Off the Press
For the full text of IJC reports,
click on the publications button at
www.ijc.org
or go to the specific web site below. Limited numbers of hard copies are
also available from the IJC at (519)257-6734 in Canada, (313)226-2170
ext. 6734 in the United States, and
commission@windsor.ijc.org
by email.
International Air Quality Advisory
Board
Progress Report 25
addresses emissions and ambient
concentrations of common pollutants from stationary and mobile sources
in Canada and the U.S.
http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/progress25/index.html
.
IJC Indicators Implementation Task Force
Final Report 2000 examines the U.S. and Canadian government's progress to
restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters
of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. www.ijc.org/rel/boards/iitf/IITF-pdf/iitf_final.pdf
The Next Flood: Getting
Prepared
. Final Report of the International Red River Basin Task
Force to the International Joint Commission.
http://www.ijc.org/rel/pdf/nextfloode.pdf
.
IJC Lake Superior Stage 2
Lakewide Management Plan Review (LaMP)
can be accessed on line at:
http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/lsstage2.html
.
Identifying and Assessing the
Economic Benefits of Contaminated Sediment Cleanup
. IJC Sediment
Priority Action Committee report to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board.
http://www.ijc.org/rel/publications/ecben.pdf
.
Two additional
IJC 1999 Great
Lakes Water Quality Forum Transcripts
from the September 24-26
meeting held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are now available on line:
Municipal Caucus on Land Mangement -- A Tool to Protect the Great Lakes;
and Great Lakes Fisheries Declines. Look for other transcripts in the
future.
www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/postprog.html
.
What's Happening
Public meetings of the IJC and its
boards:
June 27, 2000
Public meeting of the
International
Lake Superior Board of Control
, Marquette, MI.
Stay in
Contact
The IJC is interested in your views
on any of our activities. You may contact us in the following
ways:
Canadian
Section
United
States
Section
Great Lakes
Regional Office
Contacts
Murray
Clamen
Secretary
Fabien
Lengellé
Public Affairs
Gerald
Galloway
Secretary
Frank
Bevacqua
Public Affairs
Tom
Behlen
Director
Jennifer Day
Public
Affairs
Email
Commission@ottawa.ijc.org
Commission@washington.org
Commission@windsor.org
Mail
234 Laurier
Avenue West
22nd Floor
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6K6
1250 23rd Street
NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20440
100 Ouellette
Avenue, 8th Floor
Windsor, ON
N9A 6T3
or
P.O. Box
32869
Detroit, MI 48232-2869
Fax
613.993.5583
202.736-9015
519.257-6740
Telephone
613.995.2984
202.736.9000
519.257.6700
or
313.226.2170
Home Page
http://www.ijc.org
Commissioners
Thomas Baldini,
U.S. Section Chair
Leonard Legault,
Canadian Section Chair
The International Joint
Commission prevents and resolves disputes between the United States of
America and Canada under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and pursues the
common good of both countries as an independent and objective advisor to
the two governments.
International Joint Commission
Summer 2000
Volume 25, Issue 2
Great Lakes Decline for Third Year
Water levels on all Great Lakes, with the exception of Lake Ontario, have declined for the third year in a row. At present, lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie are well below their level of one year ago. On lakes Michigan and Huron, the last 24 months have brought the sharpest two-year drop in recorded history, which goes back to the 1860s. As we go to press in mid-May, Lake Superior has not been lower at this time of the year since 1926 and lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie have not been lower since the mid-1960s.
While water levels will be greatly affected by the amount of precipitation and evaporation in the system, continued low water levels can be expected in the Great Lakes, except for Lake Ontario, during the next several months.
Anglers and boaters are dismayed by Great Lakes
levels, down nearly one meter since 1997.
Credit: George BrooksCurrently, Lake Superior outflows are being set according to its regulation plan, which attempts to balance available water supplies among lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron. On Lake Ontario, outflows have been reduced below what its regulation plan calls for in order to store up to 10 centimeters (four inches) of water. This is to provide greater flexibility for managing Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River later in the season. Details on the strategy for managing Lake Ontario outflows can be found on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.islrbc.org/new_design/frame2-new.htm .
The regulation of Lake Superior and Lake Ontario outflows are the only two points where the International Joint Commission can influence water levels in the system, but this influence remains marginal in relation to the natural influences of precipitation, evaporation and flows.
Given the outlook for low water, it is by no means too early for those affected to consider what alternatives may be available. Some of the actions that might be considered include the following:
- First and foremost, users of the system should inform themselves of current conditions before undertaking any activities that could be affected by low water. Mariners should possess navigation charts and refer to current water level gauge readings, which can be found on the Internet.
- Boating facility operators who are considering dredging should start the process now rather than waiting until later in the season.
- Municipalities should evaluate whether low water levels could cause problems with water supply at their intakes. They should also consider possible water contamination problems because diffusion of treated wastewater may be different at lower water levels.
- Users of well water should consider whether alternative sources of water supply will be necessary because of possible impacts to ground water aquifers.
- Local governments should carefully consider new requests for shoreline development. While water levels are currently low, higher levels will recur at some point in the future.
In fact, this may be the best time to prepare for higher levels by inspecting and repairing breakwalls, seawalls and other infrastructure that is normally under water.
IJC Seeks Better Reporting to Assess Progress on Great Lakes Water Quality
In a recent letter to the governments of the United States and Canada, the International Joint Commission (IJC) recommended that they begin using indicators to measure and report on progress for three desired outcomes under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement -- fish that are safe for eating and water that is safe for swimming and drinking.
The desired outcomes and their indicators were developed by the IJC's Indicators Implementation Task Force (IITF), whose final report was released in April. The IJC also urged governments to continue work on implementing the remaining six desired outcomes described in the report and to correct data accessibility problems so that subsequent reports could address the full slate of desired outcomes.
The IJC considers the indicators approach to be central to its ability to carry out its responsibilities under the Agreement. It is therefore essential that the governments make the necessary data and information pertinent to these indicators and measurements available to the IJC.
In 1996, the IJC adopted a framework for assessing progress under the Agreement based on the work of its Indicators for Evaluation Task Force. The framework, consisting of nine Desired Outcomes with specific indicators and measurements for each, was presented in the IJC's report, Indicators to Evaluate Progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement , and forwarded to governments in January 1997.
In 1997, the Commission established the IITF to examine and consider how these nine desired outcomes and their related ecosystem indicators could be implemented. Since good quality data is essential for this activity, an important part of the IITF's work was to assess the adequacy of existing data bases and information related to these indicators. The Task Force found that while more effort is needed to improve data collection and the quality of data, sufficient data exists to support the use of indicators, at least those associated with the three desired outcomes noted above.
The Indicators Implementation Task Force Final Report is available at http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/iitf/IITF-pdf/iitf.pdf or from an IJC office.
Report Identifies Economic Benefits of Cleaning Up Contaminated Sediment
Contamination of the sediments at the bottom of harbors and rivers is the major problem in the 42 Great Lakes Areas of Concern, and it is a large problem. Only limited progress has been achieved after $580 million has been spent on 38 sediment remediation projects over the last 13 years. Over 80 percent of all Areas of Concern have restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, degradation of bottom-dwelling organisms and loss of fish and wildlife habitat due to potential links with contaminated sediment.
In recognition of the scope of the problem and the limited progress in addressing it, the International Joint Commission (IJC), in 1997, identified contaminated sediment as a program priority. The Sediment Priority Action Committee (SedPAC) was formed under the Great Lakes Water Quality Board from agency experts, as well as the IJC's own advisory board members, to carry out this work. SedPAC's final product is a recently released report on Identifying and Assessing the Economic Benefits of Contaminated Aquatic Sediment Cleanup .
Since the sediment problem is still under assessment and management decisions are still required in 31 of the Areas of Concern, it is hoped that the information in the report will facilitate decision making and generate greater awareness of the potential economic benefits associated with aquatic sediment cleanup. The specific objectives of the report are to:
- identify the types of potential economic benefits that may result from aquatic sediment remediation;
- assess the potential economic valuation tools;
- highlight methodological challenges; and
- identify areas for further action.
Identifying and Assessing the Economic Benefits of Contaminated Aquatic Sediment Cleanup and other reports from SedPAC are available on the Internet at http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/water_greatlakes/glwqb_pub.php . Limited numbers of hard copies are also available from IJC offices.
Susie Schreiber, Citizens Advisory Group chair, explains how
contaminated sediments from Waukegan Harbor (Illinois)
will be treated and contained during a a recent Water Quality
Board visit to this Area of Concern. Credit: Bruce Kirschner
Red River Update
The International Joint Commission (IJC) has released the final report of its International Red River Basin Task Force, which examines issues related to the flood of 1997 and actions required to better prepare for floods of a similar magnitude in the future. The report makes recommendations on flood management, communities at risk, preparedness and resiliency, data and decision support needs, and institutional mechanisms for better flood management. The Next Flood: Getting Prepared may be viewed or downloaded at the following website:
http://www.ijc.org/rel/publications/redriver/nextflood-e.pdf
The IJC will prepare its final report to the Governments of the United States and Canada after considering public comment on the report of its Task Force received in writing and at public hearings held May 15-17, 2000. Watch for more details on the IJC's website or in future editions of Focus .
Community Health Assessment in Areas of Concern
In 1909, when the Boundary Waters Treaty was signed, it was agreed that the boundary waters would not be polluted on either side to the injury of health on the other side. However, by 1972, when the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed, there was concern that boundary water quality was impaired to an extent that was causing injury to health. The first requirement in preparing a Remedial Action Plan for Areas of Concern is to describe the environmental problem, which should include a definition of the threat to human health. The International Joint Commission asked the Science Advisory Board to host a Workshop on Community Health Assessment in Areas of Concern. On October 4 and 5, 2000 , workshop participants will examine health data and statistics of the incidence of disease conditions in Areas of Concern, with a special focus on Windsor, Ontario. Of interest are the diseases that might be caused by exposures to pollutants and particularly the effects that might be caused by endocrine disruptors and thereby influence the quality of people's lives. Estimates will be made of the societal costs of environmental disease and participants will discuss ethical aspects of the disparities in the incidence of environmental diseases in different subpopulations. Registration information will be available at www.ijc.org closer to the workshop.
People
IJC welcomes the recent appointments
to its boards:
Manager, Environmental Quality Branch
New Brunswick Department of Environment
Director, Marine Aids
Canadian Coast Guard
Associate Professor, Environment and Occupational Health
School of Public Health , University of Minnesota
Director, Bureau of Chemical Hazards,
Health Canada
Director, Water Management Branch
and Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights
British Columbia Ministry of Environment
International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control
And we thank those who have finished their service:
New Brunswick Department of Environment
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia
Canadian Coast Guard
British Columbia Ministry of Environment
International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control
Hot Off the Press
For the full text of IJC reports, click on the publications button at www.ijc.org or go to the specific web site below. Limited numbers of hard copies are also available from the IJC at (519)257-6734 in Canada, (313)226-2170 ext. 6734 in the United States, and commission@windsor.ijc.org by email.
International Air Quality Advisory Board Progress Report 25 addresses emissions and ambient concentrations of common pollutants from stationary and mobile sources in Canada and the U.S. http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/progress25/index.html .
IJC Indicators Implementation Task Force Final Report 2000 examines the U.S. and Canadian government's progress to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. www.ijc.org/rel/boards/iitf/IITF-pdf/iitf_final.pdf
The Next Flood: Getting Prepared . Final Report of the International Red River Basin Task Force to the International Joint Commission. http://www.ijc.org/rel/pdf/nextfloode.pdf .
IJC Lake Superior Stage 2 Lakewide Management Plan Review (LaMP) can be accessed on line at: http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/lsstage2.html .
Identifying and Assessing the Economic Benefits of Contaminated Sediment Cleanup . IJC Sediment Priority Action Committee report to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. http://www.ijc.org/rel/publications/ecben.pdf .
Two additional IJC 1999 Great Lakes Water Quality Forum Transcripts from the September 24-26 meeting held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are now available on line: Municipal Caucus on Land Mangement -- A Tool to Protect the Great Lakes; and Great Lakes Fisheries Declines. Look for other transcripts in the future. www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/postprog.html .
What's Happening
Public meetings of the IJC and its boards:
June 27, 2000
Public meeting of the International Lake Superior Board of Control , Marquette, MI.
Stay in Contact
The IJC is interested in your views on any of our activities. You may contact us in the following ways:
Section
Section
Secretary
Fabien Lengellé
Public Affairs
Secretary
Frank Bevacqua
Public Affairs
Director
Jennifer Day
Public Affairs
22nd Floor
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6K6
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20440
Windsor, ON
N9A 6T3
or
P.O. Box 32869
Detroit, MI 48232-2869
or
313.226.2170
Commissioners
|
Thomas Baldini,
U.S. Section Chair |
Leonard Legault,
Canadian Section Chair |
||
The International Joint Commission prevents and resolves disputes between the United States of America and Canada under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and pursues the common good of both countries as an independent and objective advisor to the two governments.