More required to clean up Great Lakes - Report
09/25/2007
by -- Globe-Net
www.globe-net.ca
Toronto, ON - A group of six leading environmental groups released a report that urges Canadian governments – federal and provincial – to do more to clean up and protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The release of the Great Lakes Blueprint coincides with a meeting of experts in Toronto to discuss protecting Great Lakes drinking water. The main thrust of the Blueprint is that Canada is falling behind the US in terms of expenditures targeting Great Lakes clean up.
"The U.S. Congress is considering billions in Great Lakes spending. With half of the Canadian population depending on the Great Lakes and their tributaries for drinking water, Canadian funding to protect the resource is grossly inadequate," said Derek Stack, Executive Director, Great Lakes United.
"U.S. efforts to clean up and protect the Great Lakes are eclipsing Canada’s meager commitments," said Aaron Freeman, Policy Director, Environmental Defence. "These waterways carry more than our history. They provide the lifeblood of our economy, the water we drink, and the places we go to relax and rejuvenate ourselves."
The main causes of water quality problem in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River systems are clear according to the report’s authors:
* Cities dump untreated sewage into the Great Lakes in enormous quantities;
* Canadian industries emit more than 1 billion kilograms of pollutants to the air, and on a per-facility basis, release far more than their U.S. counterparts;
* Ocean-going vessels are responsible for at least 65% of the now over 180 invasive species reeking havoc on Great Lakes native species;
* Water levels in Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior are well below normal, with Lake Superior surpassing its record low set in 1926; and,
* Unsuitable urban development is destroying sensitive wildlife habitat. Projections are that by 2030, 3 million more people will live in Lake Ontario’s basin, which could greatly increase these development pressures.
"It is crucial that the federal and provincial governments invest heavily in upgrading wastewater systems and sewage treatment facilities," said Maureen Carter-Whitney, Research Director at the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. "This is necessary to ensure that pollution such as industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals and human waste, no longer threaten the Great Lakes."
The problem of industrial and municipal sewage entering the Great Lakes system has been well documented. See GLOBE-Net article Great Lakes still a giant sewage dump Canada releases over one billion kilograms of chemicals into the lakes each year, according to one estimate.
Great Lakes Blueprint: A Canadian Vision for Protecting and Restoring the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem, outlines eight priorities that Canadian governments must follow to protect the Great Lakes for future generations, including: (1) improving governance; (2) enabling effective public participation; (3) connecting water quality and quantity; (4) practicing ecosystem based stewardship; (5) eliminating toxic substances; (6) upgrading sewage infrastructure; (7) halting aquatic invasive species; (8) protecting water levels and flows.
"Concerns are growing that we may surpass the tipping point in the Great Lakes," said Sarah Miller of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. "Once beyond this point, the ecosystem will not be able to bounce back and recover from the continuing complex stresses from human activity."
Picking up on recent reports of extremely low water levels in the Great Lakes system, Tim Morris, National Water Campaigner for Sierra Club of Canada noted "Most people do not realize that only one per cent of the water in the lakes is renewed each year. There is a precarious balance between human activities and lake levels," he said. "Climate change, urban expansion, and diversions are all serious threats to water levels. Governments must show leadership by committing wholeheartedly to water conservation, prohibiting diversions, and spurring citizen action to save Great Lakes water,” he added.
There is not much in the way of new information in the Blueprint, but it is presented in a very readable and informative format, and is well worth the read. The emphasis taken in the media materials surrounding the release of the report – which focuses on the disparities between Canadian and US spending on Great Lakes clean up activities, is not a major element of the Blueprint and actually detracts from the positive and useful policy observations contained therein.
The Great Lakes Blueprint: A Canadian Vision for Protecting and Restoring the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem report is available to download on the organizations’ web site: Canadian Environmental Law Association and other member associations’ websites.
See also the GLOBE-Net Business Report on a report released recently by the Brookings Institution that quantifies the economic benefits of restoring the Great Lakes. This groundbreaking report that lays out in terms of dollar and cents why restoring the Great Lakes makes good business sense.
(Source: GLOBE-Net News September 21, 2007, www.globe-net.ca)
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