Karen E. Vigmostad, Ph.D.International Joint Commission

Great Lakes Regional Office, Windsor, Ontario

April 30, 2008

Lake Erie Millennium Network Conference

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Recent review of the AgreementIJC public consultationGovernments’ review

Importance of nearshore watersJuly 2007 IJC letter to governmentsIJC Nearshore Priority 2007-2009December 2007 IJC letter to governments

Next steps

1909 Boundary Waters Treaty (Article IV)…boundary waters and waters flowing across the boundary shall not be polluted on either side to the injury of health or property on the other

1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement1978 and 1987 updates

Binational framework for actionThe purpose of the Parties is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem

www.canamglass.org/glwqa

Fall 2005 IJC public consultation Reference from governments14 public consultation meetingsWeb dialogue4100 comments

2 reports to governments

www.ijc.org/en/publications/rpts.htm

Synthesis of Public Comment on the Forthcoming Review by the Federal Governments of Canada and the United States on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

January 2006

Advice to Governments on their Review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

August 2006

IJC calls for a new AgreementAction-oriented, visionary, shorter▪

Tied to Binational Action Plan▪

Clear accountability provisionsRetain virtual elimination and zero-dischargeUse ecosystem approach to broader array of stressors but still a water-quality agreementAdd protectionWatersheds as geographic unitIntegrate human health

2006-2007Binational Executive Committee (BEC)▪

Agreement Review Committee (ARC)

Intensive public review with 350 participants▪

9 Review Working Groups

▪

Governance and institutions workshopARC report to BEC: Review of the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (September 2007)

binational.net/glwqa/v1_glwqareview_en.pdf

“Despite their vital importance, the current Agreement contains few specifics on nearshore waters. The Commission views this as an issue significant enough to warrant opening the Agreement on this basis alone for substantive revisions or replacement to provide the means to address the critical science, resource management, governance and policy needs related to the nearshore waters.”

July 12

2007

Nearshore Waters FrameworkEutrophicationBeach Closings/Impairment of Recreational WatersFish Consumption AdvisoriesChemicals of Emerging ConcernAquatic Invasive Species

Cross-cutting IssuesClimate changeGroundwaterPopulation growth and land-use changes

Nearshore Waters Framework

Scoping session -- November 2007Expert consultation -- March 2008

Current Scientific Knowledge and Research Direction -- Murray Charlton and Stephen Brandt

Current Management Objectives, Programs, and Policy -- Jennifer Vincent and Tracy Mehan

Governance and Institutional Challenges and Opportunities -- Mike Donahue, Paul Muldoon, and Dan Tarlock

Next Steps – Findings and Recommendations

Nearshore water-quality problems are serious in most areas of the Great Lakes and the need to address them is clear

Water-quality problems in nearshore areas have binational implications and binational cooperation will be needed to solve them

Urban and agricultural nonpoint sources of pollution are key contributors to the continued excessive loadings of phosphorus to nearshore waters and they need to be reduced

Nutrient-control programs as outlined in Annexes 3 and 13 of the Agreement need to be funded and implemented

Most programs to monitor Great Lakes phosphorus loadings were terminated fifteen years ago and need to be reinstated

There are significant gaps in our understanding of the science and linkages between land sources and waters in the nearshore and offshore areas

Adaptive Management – John Gannon

Maumee River Case Study – Steve Davis

Stressors on Nearshore Waters (Part II)Climate Change -- Don Scavia

Land Use Changes & Population Growth – Mike Molnar

Groundwater – Norm Grannemann

Air – Elsie Sunderland

Fishery – Ed Rutherford

Habitat – Scudder Mackey

Great Lakes Environment Indicator Project: An Assessment of the Nearshore -- Jan Ciborowski

Towards a Nearshore Waters Adaptive-Management Framework – George Francis and Bud Harris

Further Agreement Board advice to IJC on nearshore and other priorities

SOLEC October 2008 nearshore

Further IJC advice to governments

Governments determine future of Agreement

IJC: www.ijc.org

The Agreement: www.canamglass.org/gl

wqa

Complimentary CD of nearshore workshops: commission@windsor.ijc.o

rg

Online interactive nearshore:www.canamglass.org/near

Resources