Like all systems, however, the Great Lakes require upkeep. More than a century of toxic contamination, invasion by nuisance species, polluted runoff, coastal erosion, and habitat loss (particularly in waterways surrounded by some of the most productive agricultural land on the planet), have taken their toll. Beyond economics, the Great Lakes are also home to beaches, recreation, some of the cleanest drinking water on Earth, and an unparalleled quality of life. And without funding, upkeep for these uses is impossible.<\/p>\n
This five-part series describes the advent of the U.S. and Canada\u2019s commitments, starting in 1972, to protect the Great Lakes (Part 1). With that groundwork having been laid, you\u2019ll see that binational commitments didn\u2019t translate into actual protection at the breadth and pace needed to save the ecosystem. Recently, however, that\u2019s changed with the U.S.\u2019s establishment of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative or \u201cGLRI\u201d (Part 2). You\u2019ll also learn about how stakeholders can access GLRI funds to help the Great Lakes (Part 3), a recently announced complementary Canadian counterpart to the GLRI (Part 4), and some insights into political and other headwinds the U.S. and Canadian programs may face in the future that could affect project funding (Parts 4 and 5).<\/p>\n
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As always, we welcome your feedback, questions, and\u00a0hearing about your needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. & Canada Pledge to Protect the Great Lakes Together<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNixon Go Home! Nixon Go Home!\u201d\u00a0shouted throngs of protesters<\/a>\u00a0in Ottawa as the U.S. president entered Parliament to visit with Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.<\/p>\n But the protesters were decrying the U.S. war in Viet Nam, not the reasons for Nixon\u2019s visit: To sign a pact for the two countries to coordinate in protecting the Great Lakes. The civic tension on that day would signal another kind of friction: The push and pull of adequate pledges juxtaposed with inadequate resources to make those pledges mean something.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Signed that gray, cold day, on April 15, 1972, the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (Agreement) recognized\u2014finally\u2014that the largest body of fresh surface water on the planet was in peril largely from sewage that starved the lakes (and aquatic life) of oxygen. Two forces pushed the leaders to that moment: First, scientists were on the brink of declaring the shallowest and most sensitive of the five lakes, Erie, as \u201cdying<\/a>.\u201d The two countries outlined steps in the Agreement to improve water quality. Second, citizens in both countries organized while seeing the horror of the Cuyahoga River catching on fire, and waves of dead fish and algae washing up on their beaches.<\/p>\n Later that year, the U.S. passed the modern Clean Water Act to provide billions of dollars in sewage treatment, proving that national funding to back up binational commitments on paper was critical. But it didn\u2019t take long for the public to see that problems far outpaced pledges, and funding.<\/p>\n In 1978, Canada and the U.S. revised the Agreement, this time to pledging to \u201cvirtually eliminate\u201d the pernicious role of toxic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, dioxin, and others in the Great Lakes and their food chains.<\/p>\n Again, however, progress couldn\u2019t keep pace with the problems posed to the public and environment. The two countries again revised the Agreement with significant new concepts and commitments. Among the most important, Canada and the U.S. recognized the \u201cecosystem approach\u201d to Great Lakes management. In other words, Great Lakes protection required an integration of efforts across media (water, air, land). And, in a landmark move, the nations called for the identification of \u201cAreas of Concern\u201d (AOCs), more than 40 toxic hotspots in industrialized rivers, harbors, and ports on both sides of the border. They also articulated \u201cbeneficial use impairments,\u201d criteria for places to become AOCs and, conversely, once addressed, for the same places to be considered restored for \u201cde-listing.\u201d<\/p>\n Again, neither country dedicated funding commensurate with its pledges.<\/p>\n In 2012, the two countries again significantly revised the Agreement, this time to recognize climate change, provide direction on important subjects like invasive species, habitat, science coordination, and groundwater. Even more importantly, the 2012 Agreement recognized the vital role of tribes, first nations,\u00a0M\u00e9tis<\/a><\/u>, municipalities, states, and provinces, among others, in collaborating for Great Lakes protection. It also recognized the binational stretch of the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to Akwesasne, Ontario\/St. Regis, New York as part of the Great Lakes system.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This time, however, at least in the U.S., history didn\u2019t repeat itself: A significant new jolt of funding came\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0the 2012 commitments.<\/p>\n Next, we\u2019ll discuss the future of Great Lakes Restoration Funding. If you have questions, please\u00a0get in touch<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n This is article one<\/a> of a five-part series on the Great Lakes originally published by GEI Consultants and is re-published here with permission.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Author: Cam Davis<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Vice President, GEI<\/strong><\/p>\n CGLR\u2019s business and sustainability network programming is supported by the\u00a0Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/councilgreatlakesregion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Blog1_1.jpg\")
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