International Joint Commission
Spring 2001
Volume 26, Issue 1
Tell the governments your views on transboundary air quality
Your comment is invited on efforts to address transboundary air
quality
The IJC would like to know how well you think the United States and Canada
are
doing to reduce transboundary air pollution under their 1991
Agreement on Air
Quality.
The Agreement, which can be found on the IJC web site at
http://www.ijc.org/rel/agree/air.html
, intends to provide a "practical and effective instrument to address
shared
concerns regarding transboundary air pollution." It also
provides an
opportunity for you to submit comments to the IJC on the
most recent review of
progress, the
2000 Progress Report
, prepared by the governments’ Air Quality Committee.
The
2000 Progress Report
reviews acid rain control programs, monitoring, prevention of air
quality
deterioration, visibility protection, notification,
assessment and mitigation
of significant transboundary air pollution,
and scientific information
exchange. The report also describes
cooperation between Canada and the United
States on ground-level
ozone and particulate matter. You may obtain the
2000 Progress Report
of the Air Quality Committee from the IJC or the following website:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/can_us/qual/2000/aqa_2000_e.pdf.
In December 2000, after the Progress Report was printed, the two
countries
announced that a new Ozone Annex to the Agreement had been
brought into force.
The Annex sets targets for reducing
smog-producing emissions in both countries.
The full text of the
Ozone Annex can be found at:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/air/ozone-annex_e.shtml
.
The IJC will provide a synthesis of public comments to the two
federal
governments for their consideration in further developing
programs under this
Agreement.
Please send comments by email, fax or letter to either the U.S. or
Canadian
Sections of the IJC by April 30, 2001.
Study of Lake Ontario outflows moves ahead
The International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study has moved ahead
on
several fronts since the last issue of
FOCUS
. As reported previously, the study will review the criteria set by the IJC
in
1956 for regulating Lake Ontario outflows.
IJC Commissioners have established a 14-member study board with experts
drawn
from various levels of government, academia, Native peoples and
the community
at large. The study board, lead by U.S. co-chair Eugene
Stakhiv and Canadian
co-chair Doug Cuthbert, is responsible for
carrying out the study directive
issued by the IJC and ensuring the
managerial and scientific integrity of the
study.
The IJC has also established a binational 24-member Public Interest
Advisory
Group to further the Commission’s goal of comprehensive
public participation in
the study. The Public Interest Advisory Group
will provide public involvement
guidance, consultation and assistance
to the study board, and periodically
report on its work to the IJC.
An article about this group will appear in the
spring issue of
FOCUS
.
In January, a workshop was held in Montréal to develop a work plan and
budget
for the study, and to form several of the technical work
groups responsible for
conducting various elements of the study. The
groups will deal with such areas
as recreational boating and tourism,
evaluation methodologies, hydrology,
commercial shipping, hydropower,
modeling, shoreline and environment. One group
was formed to ensure
that the data collected in the study serves all of these
efforts. As
in other areas of the study, the working groups are fully
binational
with equal representation from each country.
Two full-time study co-managers will assist the study board with its work.
Mr.
Ed Eryuzlu has been hired as the Canadian co-manager and support
is currently
being provided in the United States by the Buffalo
District of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers until hiring for the
U.S. co-manager is completed.
In an effort to leverage resources and take advantage of existing data,
the
study personnel are reaching out to academics, governments at all
levels and
others to coordinate existing studies with the Lake
Ontario-St. Lawrence study.
More information about study activities can be found at
www.ijc.org
.
Members of the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study
Board
Dr. Eugene Stakhiv
, U.S. co-chair. Dr. Stakhiv has pioneered the use of modeling as
a
decision-making and public involvement tool in watershed planning.
He is chief
of policy and special studies, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Institute for Water
Resources.
Doug Cuthbert
, Canadian co-chair. As water issues division manager, Mr. Cuthbert
is
responsible for Environment Canada’s work on water quantity issues
throughout
Ontario and the Great Lakes.
John Cahill
, as Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,
has
spearheaded Governor Pataki’s efforts to make New York a national
leader in
environmental protection and natural resource management.
Mr. Cahill will be
assisted by Sandra LeBarron, director, Region 6,
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation.
André Carpentier
is a civil engineer currently in charge of transboundary basins for the
Quebec
Department of the Environment.
Lynn Cleary
has held several management positions in the Canadian Public
Service.
Recently, she was the regional director of the St. Lawrence
Center of
Environment Canada. She is currently the director of the
Biosphere of Montreal.
Ian Crawford
has served as senior advisor on water and natural resource issues to
the
Province of Ontario since 1984. Currently he is manager of water
power
projects, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Dalton Foster
is a retired biochemist. Long concerned with the ecology of the St.
Lawrence
River, he currently is technical advisor to the
International Water Levels
Coalition. He also serves as U.S. co-chair
of the Public Interest Advisory
Group.
F. Henry Lickers
serves as director, Environmental Division, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
and
has long worked on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence ecosystem health
issues.
Dr. Daniel P. Loucks
has pursued a distinguished career in many areas of water resources
management
and systems analysis. Currently he is a professor in the
School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, Cornell
University.
Fred Parkinson
is a hydraulic engineer and private consultant who has led ice, navigation
and
sediment transport studies of the St. Lawrence River and other
waters. He also
serves as Canadian co-chair of the Public Interest
Advisory Group.
Dr. Frank Quinn
is an expert on climate change and senior research hydrologist at the
Great
Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration.
Dr. Frank Sciremammano Jr.
is professor of mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute
of
Technology. His research has focused on long-range water level
forecasting and
mitigating environmental pollution.
Water levels vary along U.S.-Canadian border
Water supply conditions vary this year in the lakes and rivers where the
IJC
has responsibilities for water flows and apportionment. While
current
information on levels in watersheds along the boundary can be
accessed from the
IJC’s website at
www.ijc.org
, notable highlights are provided.
In the Great Lakes basin, the levels of lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron
have
fallen for the fourth year in a row. Lake Superior’s level has
not been lower
at this time of year since 1926, and lakes Michigan
and Huron, which rise and
fall as one lake, have not been lower at
this time of year since the mid-1960s.
All three are expected to
remain below chart datum, a low water reference level
for navigation,
into the month of May. Lake Erie is below average and Lake
Ontario is
near average. Both are above chart datum and above their levels
of
last year. While Lake Erie is likely to remain below average into
the summer,
Lake Ontario may be either slightly above or slightly
below long-term average
levels depending on how wet or dry the
weather is this spring and summer.
Further downstream, the average
level in Montréal Harbour during February set a
new record low.
Levels in Montréal Harbour, while above chart datum, are
expected to
remain well below average for the next few months.
To the west of the Great Lakes, soil moisture remains high in the Red
River
basin due to heavy rains this past fall. Snow cover over most
of the basin is
only somewhat above normal, except for the extreme
southern portions that are
well above normal. There is a minor to
moderate flooding potential over most of
the basin, except for the
extreme southern portions of the basin where the
potential exists for
moderate to major flooding. With normal weather
conditions, minor
agricultural flooding could occur; with unfavorable
weather
conditions, extensive flooding of agricultural lands and
urban flooding could
occur in some areas, particularly in the
southern portions of the basin.
In the Souris River basin, soil moisture and snow cover are both well
above
average. Potential flooding is a concern even with favorable
weather
conditions, and unfavorable weather conditions could produce
moderate to major
flooding in the lower Souris basin. Controlled
releases are being made from
major reservoirs in Saskatchewan and
North Dakota to make flood control storage
available in preparation
for the forecasted above-normal spring runoff. Based
on the snow
pack, the outlook is for below-average stream flow in the St.
Mary
and Milk rivers this spring.
In Idaho, Washington and British Columbia, precipitation during the fall
and
winter 2000-2001 has been at near record low levels. Snow pack
and
corresponding spring and summer runoff in the basins above
Kootenay and Osoyoos
lakes is expected to be about 50 percent of
normal.
Montréal Public Forum Update
The IJC has been busy planning for the Public Forum on Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence
Water Quality, September 14-15, 2001 in Montréal. We will
be regularly
updating the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence community on our
progress through the
use of newsletters and our web site.
Watch for the program and registration material to be mailed in
mid-May.
Current information about the Public Forum is also available
at
www.ijc.org
.
People
On January 20, 2001, President George W. Bush accepted the resignation of
U.S.
Commissioners Alice Chamberlin and Susan Bayh. The IJC wishes
them well and
thanks them for their seven years of service. Thomas
Baldini will continue to
serve as chair of the U.S. Section.
IJC welcomes the recent appointments to its boards.
Dr. Nancy M. Milton
Director, U.S. Geological Survey,
Great Lakes Science Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
Dr. Donna Mergler
Professor, Neurobiology
University of Québec at Montréal
Great
Lakes Science Advisory Board
Robert Metcalf
Ontario Power Generation
Toronto, Ontario
International St. Lawrence River Board of Control
Doug Brown
Water Issues Division
Environment Canada
International St. Lawrence River Board of Control
Fredrick W. Kircheis
Executive Director,
Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission
Augusta, Maine
International
St. Croix River Board of Control
And we thank those who have finished their service.
Lynn Cleary
Director, Biosphere
Environment Canada
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
Dr. Gregory J. Smith
Senior Advisor,
USGS Biological Resources Division
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
Dr. Fred Edgecombe
Canadian Plastics Industry Association
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
D. Wayne Draper
Transboundary Air Issues Branch
Environment Canada
International Air Quality Advisory Board
Doug Cuthbert
Water Issues Division Manager
Environment Canada
International St. Lawrence River 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.
Transboundary Watersheds
First report to the governments of Canada and the United States under
the
Reference of November 19, 1998 with respect to international
watershed boards
http://www.ijc.org/rel/comm/wtr_shede.pdf
.
IJC
1999 Great Lakes Water Quality Forum Transcripts
from the September 24-26 meeting held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are
available
online.
www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/postprog.html
.
IJC introduces
Environmental Health in Family Medicine
, which has been prepared by the Commission’s Health Professionals Task
Force
and contains materials intended to help health professionals
address
environmental health issues in family medicine. This set of
six modules is
based on clinical cases and can be used by health
professionals for
self-learning, small-group learning or teaching.
Each module is co-authored by
a family physician and an environmental
health specialist. The modules are
available on-line at
http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/hptf/modules/content.html
or on CD by sending an e-mail to
houstonj@ottawa.ijc.org
.
Stay in the loop! The fastest way to receive updates about new IJC reports
and
activities is by email. To register for regular updates, visit
our website at
www.ijc.org
and click on the
"IJC Announce"
button.
What's Happening
What's Happening
Public meetings of the IJC and its boards:
March 28, 2001
IJC public consultation on the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern
, Cornwall, ON
March 29, 2001
Lake Erie at the Millennium Modeling Workshop
, Windsor, ON. Co-sponsored by the
Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
June 13-14, 2001
St. Lawrence River Board of Control
public meeting, Kingston, ON
June 27 2001
Lake Superior Board of Control
public meeting, Port Severn, ON
September 14-15, 2001
Public Forum on Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Water Quality
, Montréal, PQ
Contact Us
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.ijc.org
Commission@windsor.ijc.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
202.467.7046
519.257-6740
Telephone
613.995.2984
202.736.9000
519.257.6700
or
313.226.2170
Home Page
www.ijc.org
Commissioners
Thomas Baldini,
U.S. Section Chair
Leonard Legault,
Canadian Section Chair
International Joint Commission
Spring 2001
Volume 26, Issue 1
Tell the governments your views on transboundary air qualityYour comment is invited on efforts to address transboundary air quality
The IJC would like to know how well you think the United States and Canada are doing to reduce transboundary air pollution under their 1991 Agreement on Air Quality.
The Agreement, which can be found on the IJC web site at http://www.ijc.org/rel/agree/air.html , intends to provide a "practical and effective instrument to address shared concerns regarding transboundary air pollution." It also provides an opportunity for you to submit comments to the IJC on the most recent review of progress, the 2000 Progress Report , prepared by the governments’ Air Quality Committee.
The 2000 Progress Report reviews acid rain control programs, monitoring, prevention of air quality deterioration, visibility protection, notification, assessment and mitigation of significant transboundary air pollution, and scientific information exchange. The report also describes cooperation between Canada and the United States on ground-level ozone and particulate matter. You may obtain the 2000 Progress Report of the Air Quality Committee from the IJC or the following website: http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/can_us/qual/2000/aqa_2000_e.pdf.
In December 2000, after the Progress Report was printed, the two countries announced that a new Ozone Annex to the Agreement had been brought into force. The Annex sets targets for reducing smog-producing emissions in both countries. The full text of the Ozone Annex can be found at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/air/ozone-annex_e.shtml .
The IJC will provide a synthesis of public comments to the two federal governments for their consideration in further developing programs under this Agreement.
Please send comments by email, fax or letter to either the U.S. or Canadian Sections of the IJC by April 30, 2001.
Study of Lake Ontario outflows moves ahead
The International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study has moved ahead on several fronts since the last issue of FOCUS . As reported previously, the study will review the criteria set by the IJC in 1956 for regulating Lake Ontario outflows.
IJC Commissioners have established a 14-member study board with experts drawn from various levels of government, academia, Native peoples and the community at large. The study board, lead by U.S. co-chair Eugene Stakhiv and Canadian co-chair Doug Cuthbert, is responsible for carrying out the study directive issued by the IJC and ensuring the managerial and scientific integrity of the study.
The IJC has also established a binational 24-member Public Interest Advisory Group to further the Commission’s goal of comprehensive public participation in the study. The Public Interest Advisory Group will provide public involvement guidance, consultation and assistance to the study board, and periodically report on its work to the IJC. An article about this group will appear in the spring issue of FOCUS .
In January, a workshop was held in Montréal to develop a work plan and budget for the study, and to form several of the technical work groups responsible for conducting various elements of the study. The groups will deal with such areas as recreational boating and tourism, evaluation methodologies, hydrology, commercial shipping, hydropower, modeling, shoreline and environment. One group was formed to ensure that the data collected in the study serves all of these efforts. As in other areas of the study, the working groups are fully binational with equal representation from each country.
Two full-time study co-managers will assist the study board with its work. Mr. Ed Eryuzlu has been hired as the Canadian co-manager and support is currently being provided in the United States by the Buffalo District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until hiring for the U.S. co-manager is completed.
In an effort to leverage resources and take advantage of existing data, the study personnel are reaching out to academics, governments at all levels and others to coordinate existing studies with the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence study.
More information about study activities can be found at www.ijc.org .
Members of the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study Board
Dr. Eugene Stakhiv , U.S. co-chair. Dr. Stakhiv has pioneered the use of modeling as a decision-making and public involvement tool in watershed planning. He is chief of policy and special studies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources.
Doug Cuthbert , Canadian co-chair. As water issues division manager, Mr. Cuthbert is responsible for Environment Canada’s work on water quantity issues throughout Ontario and the Great Lakes.
John Cahill , as Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, has spearheaded Governor Pataki’s efforts to make New York a national leader in environmental protection and natural resource management. Mr. Cahill will be assisted by Sandra LeBarron, director, Region 6, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
André Carpentier is a civil engineer currently in charge of transboundary basins for the Quebec Department of the Environment.
Lynn Cleary has held several management positions in the Canadian Public Service. Recently, she was the regional director of the St. Lawrence Center of Environment Canada. She is currently the director of the Biosphere of Montreal.
Ian Crawford has served as senior advisor on water and natural resource issues to the Province of Ontario since 1984. Currently he is manager of water power projects, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Dalton Foster is a retired biochemist. Long concerned with the ecology of the St. Lawrence River, he currently is technical advisor to the International Water Levels Coalition. He also serves as U.S. co-chair of the Public Interest Advisory Group.
F. Henry Lickers serves as director, Environmental Division, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and has long worked on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence ecosystem health issues.
Dr. Daniel P. Loucks has pursued a distinguished career in many areas of water resources management and systems analysis. Currently he is a professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University.
Fred Parkinson is a hydraulic engineer and private consultant who has led ice, navigation and sediment transport studies of the St. Lawrence River and other waters. He also serves as Canadian co-chair of the Public Interest Advisory Group.
Dr. Frank Quinn is an expert on climate change and senior research hydrologist at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dr. Frank Sciremammano Jr. is professor of mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. His research has focused on long-range water level forecasting and mitigating environmental pollution.
Water levels vary along U.S.-Canadian border
Water supply conditions vary this year in the lakes and rivers where the IJC has responsibilities for water flows and apportionment. While current information on levels in watersheds along the boundary can be accessed from the IJC’s website at www.ijc.org , notable highlights are provided.
In the Great Lakes basin, the levels of lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron have fallen for the fourth year in a row. Lake Superior’s level has not been lower at this time of year since 1926, and lakes Michigan and Huron, which rise and fall as one lake, have not been lower at this time of year since the mid-1960s. All three are expected to remain below chart datum, a low water reference level for navigation, into the month of May. Lake Erie is below average and Lake Ontario is near average. Both are above chart datum and above their levels of last year. While Lake Erie is likely to remain below average into the summer, Lake Ontario may be either slightly above or slightly below long-term average levels depending on how wet or dry the weather is this spring and summer. Further downstream, the average level in Montréal Harbour during February set a new record low. Levels in Montréal Harbour, while above chart datum, are expected to remain well below average for the next few months.
To the west of the Great Lakes, soil moisture remains high in the Red River basin due to heavy rains this past fall. Snow cover over most of the basin is only somewhat above normal, except for the extreme southern portions that are well above normal. There is a minor to moderate flooding potential over most of the basin, except for the extreme southern portions of the basin where the potential exists for moderate to major flooding. With normal weather conditions, minor agricultural flooding could occur; with unfavorable weather conditions, extensive flooding of agricultural lands and urban flooding could occur in some areas, particularly in the southern portions of the basin.
In the Souris River basin, soil moisture and snow cover are both well above average. Potential flooding is a concern even with favorable weather conditions, and unfavorable weather conditions could produce moderate to major flooding in the lower Souris basin. Controlled releases are being made from major reservoirs in Saskatchewan and North Dakota to make flood control storage available in preparation for the forecasted above-normal spring runoff. Based on the snow pack, the outlook is for below-average stream flow in the St. Mary and Milk rivers this spring.
In Idaho, Washington and British Columbia, precipitation during the fall and winter 2000-2001 has been at near record low levels. Snow pack and corresponding spring and summer runoff in the basins above Kootenay and Osoyoos lakes is expected to be about 50 percent of normal.
Montréal Public Forum Update
The IJC has been busy planning for the Public Forum on Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Water Quality, September 14-15, 2001 in Montréal. We will be regularly updating the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence community on our progress through the use of newsletters and our web site.
Watch for the program and registration material to be mailed in mid-May. Current information about the Public Forum is also available at www.ijc.org .
On January 20, 2001, President George W. Bush accepted the resignation of U.S. Commissioners Alice Chamberlin and Susan Bayh. The IJC wishes them well and thanks them for their seven years of service. Thomas Baldini will continue to serve as chair of the U.S. Section.
PeopleIJC welcomes the recent appointments to its boards.
Director, U.S. Geological Survey,
Great Lakes Science Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Professor, Neurobiology
University of Québec at Montréal
Ontario Power Generation
Toronto, Ontario
Water Issues Division
Environment Canada
Executive Director,
Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission
Augusta, Maine
And we thank those who have finished their service.
Director, Biosphere
Environment Canada
Senior Advisor,
USGS Biological Resources Division
Canadian Plastics Industry Association
Transboundary Air Issues Branch
Environment Canada
Water Issues Division Manager
Environment Canada
Hot Off the PressFor 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.
Transboundary Watersheds First report to the governments of Canada and the United States under the Reference of November 19, 1998 with respect to international watershed boards http://www.ijc.org/rel/comm/wtr_shede.pdf .
IJC 1999 Great Lakes Water Quality Forum Transcripts from the September 24-26 meeting held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are available online. www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/postprog.html .
IJC introduces Environmental Health in Family Medicine , which has been prepared by the Commission’s Health Professionals Task Force and contains materials intended to help health professionals address environmental health issues in family medicine. This set of six modules is based on clinical cases and can be used by health professionals for self-learning, small-group learning or teaching. Each module is co-authored by a family physician and an environmental health specialist. The modules are available on-line at http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/hptf/modules/content.html or on CD by sending an e-mail to houstonj@ottawa.ijc.org .
Stay in the loop! The fastest way to receive updates about new IJC reports and activities is by email. To register for regular updates, visit our website at www.ijc.org and click on the "IJC Announce" button.
What's HappeningWhat's Happening
Public meetings of the IJC and its boards:
March 28, 2001
IJC public consultation on the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern , Cornwall, ON
March 29, 2001
Lake Erie at the Millennium Modeling Workshop , Windsor, ON. Co-sponsored by the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers
June 13-14, 2001
St. Lawrence River Board of Control public meeting, Kingston, ON
June 27 2001
Lake Superior Board of Control public meeting, Port Severn, ON
September 14-15, 2001
Public Forum on Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Water Quality , Montréal, PQ
Contact UsThe 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 |
||
|