Under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Commission is asked to review and comment before an Area of Concern (AOC) is removed from the list of AOCs (“delisting”).
Areas of Concern
On July 20, 2026, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) requested the International Joint Commission review and provide comments on the potential removal of the Black River in Ohio, United States, from the list of sites designated as an “Area of Concern” (AOC) under Annex 1 of the…
Due to numerous factors, the sediments at Pine, Curry and Sable Islands, located within the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed, are eroding.
The Great Lakes support a US$6 trillion regional economy. But their value goes well beyond, including benefits such as aesthetics, wildlife habitat, biodiversity conservation, recreational fishing, swimming, boating and aquatic life support. The lakes also provide drinking water to nearly 40…
Ohio’s Ashtabula River, which flows into Lake Erie, was removed from a binational list of “Areas of Concern” in the Great Lakes.