Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Study

Microbial water quality concerns, both historic and emerging, impact human health throughout the Great Lakes region. The IJC’s Health Professionals Advisory Board, which provides advice to the IJC and its Boards, is working towards a comprehensive microbial source water quality assessment in part to draw attention to continuing challenges including large untreated sewage releases, beach closures, waterborne diseases and outbreaks in recreational waters, and boil-water advisories as well as newer and emerging concerns such as harmful algal blooms and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This Phase 1 report is the beginning of the board's multi-year effort to facilitate a large-scale study that demonstrates the effectiveness and utility of modern molecular and genomics technologies to assess microbial source water quality across the Great Lakes and contribute to better policy and decision-making.