[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12641-S12642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT

 Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, this year marks the 25th anniversary 
of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which has united Canada and 
the United States in their dedication to protecting the biological, 
chemical, and physical integrity of the Great Lakes. The commitment of 
both countries to manage water quality on an ecosystem basis has been 
so successful that other regions often praise our accomplishments and 
strive to achieve the same high quality of management. I applaud the 
efforts of both countries in the last 25 years to achieve the goals set 
forth in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and urge that they 
continue to work cooperatively to maintain and improve Great Lakes 
water quality during the next 25 years.
  On April 15, 1972, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed 
by President Richard Nixon and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as a 
binational pledge to reduce and prevent pollution in the Great Lakes. 
The impetus for this agreement was the deteriorated quality of the 
Great Lakes into which we discharged our untreated wastes. In fact, 
Lake Erie was declared dead because of its poor quality and the 
Cuyahoga River had even caught fire. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario 
suffered from high phosphorus loadings which caused excessive amounts 
of algae to grow and deplete the water of oxygen. Low oxygen levels in 
the lakes caused fish to die. Other contaminants discharged into the 
water entered the food chain and caused deformities in the fish and 
wildlife of the region.
  The initial agreement concentrated on reducing phosphorus and 
pollutants entering our lakes through municipal and industrial 
discharges. As a result of the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality 
Agreement, phosphorus levels significantly decreased in the Great 
Lakes. In Lake Erie and Ontario, phosphorus loadings have been reduced 
by almost 80 percent. The United States and Canada achieved this 
binational goal through improvements in sewage treatment, lowering the 
levels of phosphorus in detergents, and reducing agricultural runoff.
  While significant improvements were being made in controlling 
phosphorus and other wastewater discharges, researchers showed that 
toxic substances were a major concern. Persistent toxic substances, 
such as DDT, DDE, mercury, and PCB's, bioaccumulate in organisms and 
increase in concentration up the food chain. Some substances have been 
shown to cause birth defects in wildlife and adverse health effects in 
humans.
  As a result, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was revised in 
1978 to meet the challenge of controlling toxics and included an 
ecosystem approach to managing the water quality of the Great Lakes 
basin. The two countries committed themselves to achieving zero 
discharge of toxic substances in toxic amounts and the virtual 
elimination of persistent toxic substances.
  Due to the United States and Canadian commitment to reduce toxic 
substance releases, some major strides have been accomplished. The 
cormorant population in the Great Lakes region has significantly 
increased from 1950's to 1970's levels when the number of nesting pairs 
of cormorants dropped by 86 percent. Between 1971 and 1989, 
concentrations of DDE and PCB's decreased in cormorant eggs by more 
than 80 percent.
  An additional refinement of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 
occurred with the 1987 protocol which reinforced the 1978 commitments 
of the two countries and highlighted the importance of human and 
aquatic ecosystem health. Provisions were added to clean up 42 local 
areas of concern in the Great Lakes and included the development and 
implementation of remedial action plans [RAP's] and lakewide management 
plans.
  A challenge to controlling pollutants entering the Great Lakes exists 
since toxics and other pollutants enter the system in numerous ways. 
Therefore, the 1987 protocol also focused on nonpoint source pollution, 
contaminated sediments, airborne toxic substances, and contaminated 
groundwater.
  Since the 1987 protocol, accomplishments have been made in the areas 
of concern. In 1994, Collingwood Harbour, ON, attained its restoration 
goals. The community worked together to insure that the contaminated 
sediments and deteriorated fish and wildlife habitats were dealt with 
in an innovative and cost-effective manner. On our side of the border, 
a fish consumption advisory was lifted for the first time in two 
decades at Waukegan Harbor, IL, in February of this year. The harbor is 
an area of concern which has been undergoing remediation efforts to 
clean up the largest known-concentration of PCB's and PCB contaminated 
sediments.
  Though toxic substances continue to pollute the Great Lakes and 
threaten the health of humans and wildlife, there also have been 
accomplishments in controlling some toxics. For instance, 
concentrations of poly-chlorinated compounds, such as dioxins and 
furans which are used in the bleaching process of pulp and paper mills, 
have decreased in the Great Lakes by 90 percent since the late 1980's.
  While improvements in Great Lakes water quality are evident, they 
have not come quickly enough nor have they addressed all facets of the 
problem. Moreover, the most difficult challenge laid out by the Great 
Lakes Water Quality Agreement is still before us--the virtual 
elimination of persistent toxic substances. Much more work needs to be 
done in this arena. Fortunately, the Great Lakes Water Quality 
Agreement is precisely the vehicle which will enable us to rise to the 
challenge of virtually eliminating persistent toxic substances in the 
Great Lakes. Though crafted 25 years ago, the agreement and its 
amendments remain, in its current form, a vital road

[[Page S12642]]

map for the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes. I hope that 
my colleagues will join me in respecting this agreement so that future 
generations will be able to enjoy a thriving Great Lakes ecosystem. 


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