Lake Superior
Upcoming Great Lakes issues and policies
Great Lakes Charter Annex (Annex 2001)
This is a potentially binding agreement between Great Lakes governors and premiers on the future management of Great Lakes basin waters. It sets a common standard against which water use/withdrawal/export proposals would be reviewed. If it is strong enough, it could be a very powerful tool to protect against wasteful water use and harmful diversions. This is critical in a system where less than 1 percent of the water in the Great Lakes is renewed every year.
Great Lakes Restoration
Over the next couple of years, a large scale ecosystem restoration project could be developed and funded. The key will be making sure that the project is a good project that it benefits the environment and helps the region and that we maintain strong implementation and enforcement of our existing environmental laws, while improving areas in which our environmental policies fall short.
Invasive Species
The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act is under current consideration in Congress. The environmental community at large has been very supportive of this bill as a way to help control the flood of invasive species like zebra mussels into the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Navigation System Expansion
The Corps wants to assess the feasibility of widening and deepening the Great Lakes navigation system. This would greatly increase the volume of contaminated sediments that we have to dispose of and could dramatically increase invasive species as larger foreign ships would have more access to Great Lakes ports.
More Information
Volunteers who are interested in helping with these Great Lakes issues are asked to contact Heather Cusick at .