Great Lakes Regional Collaboration - Strategy for Toxics

In December 2004, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration of National Significance (GLRC) was launched, established by Executive Order 13340, creating a partnership of federal, state, and local governments,  tribes, and other stakeholders for the purpose of developing a strategic plan. This strategy is intended to build upon the extensive regional efforts to date, working together toward a common goal of restoring and protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem for this and future generations.  This strategy has identified 9 areas for focus, including toxic pollutants.  The entire draft strategy, addressing all the focus areas, is available at www.glrc.us.

While certain persistent toxic substances (PTS) have been significantly reduced in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem over the past 30 years, they continue to be present at levels that pose threats to human and wildlife health and warrant fish consumption advisories in all five lakes. PTS releases from contaminated bottom sediments, various industrial processes, and non-point sources, loadings from atmospheric deposition and continuous cycling of PTS within the Great Lakes themselves, all contribute to this ongoing problem. More recently, researchers have documented the presence of additional chemicals of emerging concern that may also pose threats to the Great Lakes. Characteristics of these substances, such as sources, releases, fate, transport, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity, must be better understood.

Toxic pollutants continue to stress the Great Lakes ecosystem, posing threats to human and wildlife health.  Persistent toxic substances such as mercury and PCBs remain present in fish at levels that warrant advisories and restrict consumption throughout the Basin. To address this ongoing problem, actions are needed to:

• reduce and virtually eliminate the discharge of mercury, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides and other toxic substances to the Great Lakes;
• prevent new toxic substances from entering the Great Lakes;
• institute a comprehensive research, surveillance and forecasting capability;
• create consistent, accessible and easy to understand fish consumption advisories throughout the basin; and
• enlist the general public in efforts to reduce the generation and use of toxics substances throughout the Great Lakes.

The toxic pollutants draft strategy may be reviewed here.
 

Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049
Phone (614) 644-3469
Fax (614) 644-2807
Toll Free (800) 329-7518
E-Mail: p2mail@epa.state.oh.us

page last updated: August 25, 2005