Great Lakes Areas of Concern

There are a total of 43 areas of concern within the Great Lakes, 26 being in the United States, 12 in Canada, and five shared by the two countries.

An area of concern must have at least "one beneficial use impairment which means that it has undergone a change in its chemical, physical, or biological integrity of a water body."

The goal of the agreement is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem through a concerted set of interventions that are targeted at the aforementioned Areas of Concern.

Primarily run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Great Lakes Committee Members have added indigenous representatives and local public government organizations.

This governing body is also known as the Binational Executive Committee (BEC), which meets at least twice a year to establish priorities and review progress.

For example, the 2012 amendment resulted in the creation of GLWQA Nutrients Annex Subcommittee that will help target the algal bloom in Lake Erie.

[5] Overall, the General Lakes Water Agreement is a dynamic piece of legislature that will continue to address ever-changing priorities and values.

The Air Quality Agreement was put into place to help protect the health of not only the ecosystems of the Great Lakes but the citizens who live around them as well.

A major food source for most fish in Lake Michigan had been Diporeia shrimp that have been drastically decreased by an infestation of zebra mussels.

Prior to enactment of the 1972 Clean Water Act in the US and similar laws in Canada, cities and towns, industries, farms and other facilities discharged wastewater into lakes, rivers and other waterways, due to the belief that dilution in the receiving water body would mitigate any potential harm.

Sources of this type of air pollution are smoke stacks at power plants and factories, as well as cars, trucks, other motor vehicles and stationary engines that burn fossil fuels.

These substances rise very high into the air, mix with and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to create acid rain pollution.

These include: [8] Additionally, eight areas of concern in the United States and two in Canada have completed restoration efforts and are awaiting final delisting.