ESM 595 Chris Gibson

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It

is the earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the

depth of his own nature."

Henry David Thoreau,"Walden"

• Background• Agencies• Programs/Projects• Updates

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA)

• Created in 1972, revised in 1978• Purpose is to “restore and maintain the

chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem."

• International Joint Commission (IJC)

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.

• Remedial Action Plans (RAPS)• 43 total

– 26 in US– 12 in Canada– 5 shared

• Ecosystem approach

• Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy– Toxics Reduction Team– Virtual Elimination Pilot Project

• Pollution Prevention Grant Assistance Program

Strategy for the virtual eliminationof persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes

• Acknowledges and builds on the existing Canadian and U.S. regulatory programs which address the targeted substances

• Encourages ongoing programs or emerging initiatives to better address toxic releases

• Provides a context of basin-wide goals for localized actions

The Four Step Analytical Process 1. Gather information2. Analyze current regulations, initiatives,

and programs which manage or control substances

3. Identify cost-effective options to achieve further reductions

4. Implement actions to work toward the goal of virtual elimination

• Mercury• PCBs• Dioxin/Furans• Benzo[a]pyrene & HCB• Pesticides• Alkyl Lead• Octachlorostyrene

Critical Pollutants

Level I Substances Aldrin/dieldrin Benzo(a)pyrene {B(a)P} Chlordane DDT (+DDD+DDE) Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) Alkyl-lead Mercury and mercury compounds Mirex Octachlorostyrene PCBs PCDD (Dioxins) and PCDF (Furans) Toxaphene

Level II Substances

Cadmium and cadmium compounds 1,4-dichlorobenzene 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine Dinitropyrene Endrin Heptachlor Hexachlorobutadiene Hexachlorocyclohexane 4,4'-methylenebis Pentachlorobenzene Pentachlorophenol Tetrachlorobenzene Tributyl tin PAHs

• Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy– Toxics Reduction Team– Virtual Elimination Pilot Project

• Pollution Prevention Grant Assistance Program

• 1992 –1995: GLNPO awarded over $1,600,000 in grants

• Funded general P2 technical assistance to supporting activities

• Built a network of environmental professionals

P2 Grant Assistance Program

LIST OF PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GREAT LAKES NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE IN

1997

• Council of Great Lakes IndustryMobilizing/Coordinating Industry Support of the Virtual Elimination Strategy

– $70,000

• Great Lakes United                                              Virtual Elimination Strategy Implementation Project

– $70,000

• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Reducing Mercury Releases Through Pollution Prevention in Healthcare Facilities

– $82,800

• Indiana Department of AgricultureClean Sweeps

– $30,000

• Menominee Indian Tribe of WisconsinHousehold Hazardous Waste Cleansweep

– $12,000

• Michigan Department of AgricultureClean Sweeps

– $60,000

• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Mercury Pollution Prevention Project

– $100,000

• National Wildlife Federation                Non-governmental Organization Involvement in Implementating Virtual Elimination

– $70,000

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection  A Partnership for Prevention (Mercury)

– $75,000

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Pollution Prevention Specialist

– $18,400

• Restoration of degraded sites• Prevention and control of pollution• Conservation and protection of human

and ecosystem health• Great Lakes Cleanup Fund

• Great Lakes Commission

• Online partnership

• State, provincial, federal and regional partner agencies and organizations

Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) • Started in 1990 • U.S. EPA Region 5 States• Today – over 160 organizations and 345

individuals from the Great Lakes States and Ontario

• Ban use of mixing zones– 70,000 toxic pounds annually

• Prohibits new discharges

• 10 year phase out

• 300/600 major industrial and municipal facilities affected

• Historical P2– Focused on TSS and BOD loadings– Implemented 2º treatment facilities

• Present P2 – Concerned with chlorinated organics– Replaced elemental Cl with ClO2

• Future P2– No discharge of effluent– Introduce the closed-cycle mill

Web Links

• Great Lakes Information Network– www.great-lakes.net

• EPA Great Lakes National Program Office– www.epa.gov/glnpo

• Environment Canada Great Lakes Information Management Resource– www.on.ec.gc.ca/glimr