Federal Policy Initiatives
Aquatic Invasive Species
The invasion of exotic species is one of the gravest dangers facing the Great Lakes today. Invasive species such as round gobies, zebra and quagga mussels, sea lamprey, and ruffe have taken over Great Lakes ecosystems not only at the expense of native species, but also to the expense of Great Lakes residents and businesses as well. We work on legislation needed to combat the future wave of invasions from occurring. This includes working to eliminate the threat of invasive species from ballast water and updating importation regulations to significantly strengthen the ability of federal regulators to make rapid, science-based decisions on whether nonnative fish or wildlife species pose a risk to ecosystems within the United States and cause economic damage or threaten public health. If we are going to maintain the proud heritage of the Great Lakes, now is the time to shut the door on aquatic invasive species.
The invasion of exotic species is one of the gravest dangers facing the Great Lakes today. Invasive species such as round gobies, zebra and quagga mussels, sea lamprey, and ruffe have taken over Great Lakes ecosystems not only at the expense of native species, but also to the expense of Great Lakes residents and businesses as well. We work on legislation needed to combat the future wave of invasions from occurring. This includes working to eliminate the threat of invasive species from ballast water and updating importation regulations to significantly strengthen the ability of federal regulators to make rapid, science-based decisions on whether nonnative fish or wildlife species pose a risk to ecosystems within the United States and cause economic damage or threaten public health. If we are going to maintain the proud heritage of the Great Lakes, now is the time to shut the door on aquatic invasive species.
Invasive Carp
Invasive carp are a tremendous threat to the Great Lakes and could devastate the lakes if they enter our Great Lakes ecosystem. Ultimately, the permanent solution is to restore the ecological barrier between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins to prevent invasive species from moving back and forth between the two bodies of water.
Invasive carp are a tremendous threat to the Great Lakes and could devastate the lakes if they enter our Great Lakes ecosystem. Ultimately, the permanent solution is to restore the ecological barrier between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins to prevent invasive species from moving back and forth between the two bodies of water.
Clean Water Act
The 1972 Clean Water Act was written to protect all the waters and wetlands of the United States. Two unfortunate Supreme Court decisions narrowed its scope, weakened its safeguards, and thoroughly confused the federal agencies responsible for enforcing it. As a result, thousands of miles of streams and millions of acres of wetlands have been exposed to development and degradation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a rule restoring the historic scope of the Clean Water Act. The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined, more predictably determined, and easier for businesses and industry to understand. It has faced several legal challenges, and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reviewing the rule, which it stayed last October. We are supporting the rule making efforts to clarify existing law and to protect vulnerable wetlands and provide clearer direction on which waters are protected as “waters of the United States.”
The 1972 Clean Water Act was written to protect all the waters and wetlands of the United States. Two unfortunate Supreme Court decisions narrowed its scope, weakened its safeguards, and thoroughly confused the federal agencies responsible for enforcing it. As a result, thousands of miles of streams and millions of acres of wetlands have been exposed to development and degradation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a rule restoring the historic scope of the Clean Water Act. The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined, more predictably determined, and easier for businesses and industry to understand. It has faced several legal challenges, and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reviewing the rule, which it stayed last October. We are supporting the rule making efforts to clarify existing law and to protect vulnerable wetlands and provide clearer direction on which waters are protected as “waters of the United States.”
Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the Compact) bans large-scale diversions from the Great Lakes and establishes a consensus-based process for managing the region’s waters. It also is a catalyst for state and regional water conservation measures and sets uniform standards for monitoring new water withdrawal proposals within the Basin. This formal, interstate compact has the force of a federal law, with standing in federal court. It was signed by all eight Great Lakes state Governors in December 2005. It then began a journey that included being passed by each of the eight state legislatures, ratified by the US Congress, and finally signed into law by the President on October 3, 2008.
In 2016, the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Council), representing the governors of the eight Great Lakes states, approved the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin’s request to divert Great Lakes water. Waukesha is the first community located entirely outside the Great Lakes Basin to receive a diversion of Great Lakes water since the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) became federal law in 2008. The Council approval contains a series of conditions significantly narrowing the original application. The extent of public engagement across the Great Lakes states, together with the advocacy efforts of the Watershed Council and our partners, contributed to these improvements. We will need to be vigilant in making sure that the City of Waukesha and the State of Wisconsin honor the terms of the agreement. Effective implementation of the Great Lakes Compact will hinge on rigorous enforcement of the conditions approved. We expect that the Council and its members will act promptly if Waukesha and Wisconsin do not meet every requirement imposed by the Council.
Great Lakes Restoration
In May of 2004, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration was created which completed a comprehensive strategy to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The $26 billion restoration plan represents one of the most comprehensive conservation planning efforts in the history of the region. The plan contains recommendations to halt the introduction of aquatic invasive species, restore wildlife habitat and wetlands, modernize municipal sewers, and cleanup toxic hotspots, each of which is an essential component of restoring the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Over the last seven years, the U.S. Congress has invested over $2.2 billion through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in more than 2,900 projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. These projects have restored more than 150,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat; opened up fish access to more than 3,800 miles of rivers; helped farmers—in combination with other programs—implement conservation programs on more than 1 million acres of rural working lands; and accelerated the cleanup of toxic hotspots by delisting three formerly contaminated sites. In the previous two decades before the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, only one site identified as a toxic hotspot had been delisted. Federal restoration efforts are producing results—but there is more work to do. We are working to ensure our region continues to work together successfully to implement a science-based plan of action for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes as a natural treasure and vital economic asset.
The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the Compact) bans large-scale diversions from the Great Lakes and establishes a consensus-based process for managing the region’s waters. It also is a catalyst for state and regional water conservation measures and sets uniform standards for monitoring new water withdrawal proposals within the Basin. This formal, interstate compact has the force of a federal law, with standing in federal court. It was signed by all eight Great Lakes state Governors in December 2005. It then began a journey that included being passed by each of the eight state legislatures, ratified by the US Congress, and finally signed into law by the President on October 3, 2008.
In 2016, the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Council), representing the governors of the eight Great Lakes states, approved the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin’s request to divert Great Lakes water. Waukesha is the first community located entirely outside the Great Lakes Basin to receive a diversion of Great Lakes water since the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) became federal law in 2008. The Council approval contains a series of conditions significantly narrowing the original application. The extent of public engagement across the Great Lakes states, together with the advocacy efforts of the Watershed Council and our partners, contributed to these improvements. We will need to be vigilant in making sure that the City of Waukesha and the State of Wisconsin honor the terms of the agreement. Effective implementation of the Great Lakes Compact will hinge on rigorous enforcement of the conditions approved. We expect that the Council and its members will act promptly if Waukesha and Wisconsin do not meet every requirement imposed by the Council.
Great Lakes Restoration
In May of 2004, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration was created which completed a comprehensive strategy to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The $26 billion restoration plan represents one of the most comprehensive conservation planning efforts in the history of the region. The plan contains recommendations to halt the introduction of aquatic invasive species, restore wildlife habitat and wetlands, modernize municipal sewers, and cleanup toxic hotspots, each of which is an essential component of restoring the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Over the last seven years, the U.S. Congress has invested over $2.2 billion through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in more than 2,900 projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. These projects have restored more than 150,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat; opened up fish access to more than 3,800 miles of rivers; helped farmers—in combination with other programs—implement conservation programs on more than 1 million acres of rural working lands; and accelerated the cleanup of toxic hotspots by delisting three formerly contaminated sites. In the previous two decades before the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, only one site identified as a toxic hotspot had been delisted. Federal restoration efforts are producing results—but there is more work to do. We are working to ensure our region continues to work together successfully to implement a science-based plan of action for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes as a natural treasure and vital economic asset.
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
First signed in 1972 and last amended nearly 20 years ago, the Water Quality Agreement outlines the commitment of the United States and Canada to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. It has resulted in cooperation between both countries to limit the discharge of nutrients and toxic substances into the waters, restore degraded areas, and undertake other joint activities designed to improve water quality.
In September 2012, the U.S. and Canada agreed to update the accord. Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council worked in partnership with many other organizations to improve the new agreement, titled the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol of 2012.
First signed in 1972 and last amended nearly 20 years ago, the Water Quality Agreement outlines the commitment of the United States and Canada to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. It has resulted in cooperation between both countries to limit the discharge of nutrients and toxic substances into the waters, restore degraded areas, and undertake other joint activities designed to improve water quality.
In September 2012, the U.S. and Canada agreed to update the accord. Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council worked in partnership with many other organizations to improve the new agreement, titled the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol of 2012.
Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes
Plastic pollution is everywhere – it is in our oceans, rivers and lakes, our fish and waterfowl, and even in the sediments. Plastic particles come in many forms, including lines/fibers, pellets/beads, foams, films, and fragments. Research has shown an alarming amount of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, up to 1.1 million plastic particles per square kilometer. Surveys revealed that the Great Lakes have some of the highest concentrations of microplastics. Microbeads were among the most prevalent, accounting for 16% of the collected samples. New research looking at the rivers that feed the Great Lakes found different, and surprising, results. In the tributaries that flow into the Great Lakes, plastic fibers - which come from items such as synthetic clothes, diapers, and cigarette butts - were the most common type detected at 71% of the total particles. Researchers did note that the study underestimates the actual microplastic concentrations in the rivers because only large microplastics (greater than 3 mm) were sampled and the majority of microplastics are smaller than 1 mm. These discoveries are a result of research conducted by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and State University of New York at Fredonia. 107 water samples were collected from 29 Great Lakes tributaries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New York, which account for approximately 22 percent of the total river water that flows into the Great Lakes. Microplastics were found in every single sample.
Plastic pollution is everywhere – it is in our oceans, rivers and lakes, our fish and waterfowl, and even in the sediments. Plastic particles come in many forms, including lines/fibers, pellets/beads, foams, films, and fragments. Research has shown an alarming amount of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, up to 1.1 million plastic particles per square kilometer. Surveys revealed that the Great Lakes have some of the highest concentrations of microplastics. Microbeads were among the most prevalent, accounting for 16% of the collected samples. New research looking at the rivers that feed the Great Lakes found different, and surprising, results. In the tributaries that flow into the Great Lakes, plastic fibers - which come from items such as synthetic clothes, diapers, and cigarette butts - were the most common type detected at 71% of the total particles. Researchers did note that the study underestimates the actual microplastic concentrations in the rivers because only large microplastics (greater than 3 mm) were sampled and the majority of microplastics are smaller than 1 mm. These discoveries are a result of research conducted by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and State University of New York at Fredonia. 107 water samples were collected from 29 Great Lakes tributaries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New York, which account for approximately 22 percent of the total river water that flows into the Great Lakes. Microplastics were found in every single sample.
In 2015, Congress passed a law banning the manufacture and sale of new products containing microbeads, which takes effect in 2018. However, the ban only addresses microbeads because early studies indicated that microbeads were the most common type of microplastic found in aquatic ecosystems. The results of the new research indicate the problem is more complex and larger than we initially thought. More research is needed to fully understand the problem in order to take necessary steps to address plastic pollution in all of our water ways.
