lake erie millennium network april 30, conference...
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
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: [email protected]
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Online interactive nearshore:www.canamglass.org/near
Resources