Great Lakes water must be improved
Water quality in western and central Lake Erie is “unacceptable,” voluntary efforts to stop harmful algal blooms have failed, and Canada and the United States are “disappointingly slow” to address toxic chemicals getting into the Great Lakes, says the International Joint Commission.
The report is surprisingly critical of international efforts to protect the Great Lakes from untreated sewage, farm runoff and toxic chemicals, said Derek Coronado, executive director of the Citizens Environment Alliance.
The commission, created by Canada and the United States, this week released its first progress report on the 2012-updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
“I think the IJC reflected a lot of the frustration that citizens and citizen-based groups like mine are experiencing in trying to work with the governments on improving the Great Lakes,” Coronado said Wednesday. “The report highlights the fact that governments — it says it point blank — that governments have to do a much better job. They’re being very slow about these issues.”
Coronado said there’s not enough action on toxic chemicals such as PCBs and fire retardants that affect drinking water, fish and human health.
“When you literally have hundreds and hundreds of chemicals of concern, that we know of, in the Great Lakes and only eight have been identified by the two governments working together, and there’s no binational management strategies completed for these chemicals, that is completely unacceptable and, I think, good on the IJC to point that out.”
The report was also critical of voluntary guidelines that have failed to stop harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, including this year’s thirdworst bloom in the last six years.
The commission is calling on governments in Canada and the United States to create enforceable standards to reduce the phosphorus from fertilizer and animal and human waste that contributes to the algae growth and to set a target date for not allowing any discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage into the Great Lakes.
Both sides of the border need to dedicate more money, set deadlines and be specific on steps to clean up the water quality in the Great Lakes, commission scientist Raj Bejankiwar said Wednesday.
“Given the seriousness of the situation, we think it’s not acceptable,” said Bejankiwar, who focuses on algal blooms and the Detroit River. “In the last six or seven years, there’s no signs of blooms being reduced by any measure.”
Bejankiwar said the commission wants regulations to reduce phosphorus from reaching the lake and monitoring to see if the money given to farmers to voluntarily reduce runoff is working.
Funding should be increased so municipalities can upgrade sewage plants and reduce the number of combined sewers, which should in turn decrease beach closures, he said. The report called for governments to speed up the process to reach zero discharge of untreated sewage.
“It’s unacceptable that sewage treatment plants, cities or municipalities can discharge untreated, raw sewage under certain conditions,” Bejankiwar said.
The algal bloom in Lake Erie was so bad in 2011 it was rated 10 out of 10 for severity and then a few years later in 2015 the bloom peaked at a 10.5 in severity. This year’s bloom was rated an eight and its scum reached the shores of Essex County.
Ontario, Michigan and Ohio agreed two years ago to reduce phosphorus getting into Lake Erie by 40 per cent over 10 years. But there’s no specific actions or timelines of how that will happen.
The highlights of the report can be viewed at www.ijc.org.