Evolution of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Evolution of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Author: Lee Botts
Publisher: Dave Dempsey Environmental
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2005
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

Water quality concerns are not new to the Great Lakes. They emerged early in the 20th century, in 1909, and matured in 1972 and 1978. They remain a prominent part of today's conflicted politics and advancing industrial growth. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, became a model to the world for environmental management across an international boundary. Evolution of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement recounts this historic binational relationship, an agreement intended to protect the fragile Great Lakes. One strength of the agreement is its flexibility, which includes a requirement for periodic review that allows modification as problems are solved, conditions change, or scientific research reveals new problems. The first progress was made in the 1970s in the area of eutrophication, the process by which lakes gradually age, which normally takes thousands of years to progress, but is accelerated by modern water pollution. The binational agreement led to the successful lowering of phosphorus levels that saved Lake Erie and prevented accelerated eutrophication in the rest of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Another major success at the time was the identification and lowering of the levels of toxic contaminants that cause major threats to human and wildlife health, from accumulating PCBs and other persistent organic pollutants

Advice to Governments on Their Review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Advice to Governments on Their Review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Author: International Joint Commission
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2006
Genre: Biotic communities
ISBN:

Today, however, other concepts need to be incorporated into the Agreement so that it can facilitate contemporary efforts to protect and restore The purpose of the Agreement is to "restore and the water quality of the Great Lakes system and maintain" the water quality of the Great Lakes. [...] The following are four areas the Commission to the development of the Agreement in the 1970s suggests be considered for the purpose and scope and its amendment in 1987:. [...] For purposes of the Agreement, the Commission However, the Commission believes firmly that is of the view that a definition of the ecosystem adopting the ecosystem approach should not lead approach should be developed that is appropriate to to broadening the purpose of the Agreement. [...] This the objectives of the Agreement and the conditions means that the scope of the new Agreement - that in the basin. [...] Because the Commission basinwide consultations conducted by is recommending that the Agreement be endorsed the Commission, of the triennial progress by the U. S. Congress and the Parliament of reports under the Binational Action Plan, Canada, it is of the view that its role should be set out in a formal reference pursuant to Article IX of and (b) the Commission's independent the Boundary Waters Tr.

The Late, Great Lakes

The Late, Great Lakes
Author: William Ashworth
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Total Pages: 292
Release: 1987
Genre: Great Lakes (North America)
ISBN: 9780814318874

The Late, Great Lakes is a powerful indictment of man's carelessness, ignorance, and apathy toward the Great Lakes. With the longest continuous coastline in the United States, they hold one-fifth of the world's freshwater supply. Author William Ashworth presents a compelling history of the Great Lakes, from their formation in the Ice Age, to their "discovery" by Samuel de Champlian in 1615, and, finally, to their impending death in our time. Ashworth systematically deals with the wild life that once flourished in the region-beaver, salmon, whitefish, and trout-and describes the threatening elements which have displaced them-the predatory sea lamprey, the alewives, toxic waste, and volatile solids.

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
Author: Dan Egan
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2017-03-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0393246442

New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award "Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.

The Great Lakes Water Wars

The Great Lakes Water Wars
Author: Peter Annin
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2009-08-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 159726637X

The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.

Poisoned Rivers and Lakes

Poisoned Rivers and Lakes
Author: Ellen Lawrence
Publisher: Bearport Publishing
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1627241574

What happens to trash if it is thrown into a river? Where does garbage in a lake come from, and how can it harm animals that live there? Poisoned Rivers and Lakes introduces young readers to the issues of river and lake pollution due to the dumping of garbage, chemicals, and other things into our planet’s waterways. It also gives students plenty of ideas for ways that they can be part of the campaign to help keep our rivers and lakes clean and safe for the future. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of an early-elementary audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume includes grade-appropriate activities and experiments, critical-thinking questions, and fascinating fact boxes to keep the pace lively and interactive.

The First Century of the International Joint Commission

The First Century of the International Joint Commission
Author: Murray Clamen
Publisher: Canadian History and Environme
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2020-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781773851075

The International Joint Commission oversees and protects the shared waters of Canada and the United States. Created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, it is one of the world's oldest international environmental bodies. A pioneering piece of transborder water governance, the IJC has been integral to the modern Canada-United States relationship. This is the definitive history of the International Joint Commission. Separating myth from reality and uncovering the historical evolution of the IJC from its inception to its present, this collection features an impressive interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners. Examining the many aspects of border waters from east to west The First Century of the International Joint Commission traces the three major periods of the IJC, detailing its early focus on water flow, its middle period of growth and increasing politicization, and its modern emphasis on ecosystems. Informative, detailed, and fascinating, The First Century of the International Joint Commission is essential reading for academics, contemporary policy makers, governments, and all those interested in sustainability, climate change, pollution, and resiliency along the Canada-US Border.

Pollution of Lakes and Rivers

Pollution of Lakes and Rivers
Author: John P. Smol
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2009-03-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1444307576

Now in its second edition, Pollution of Lakes and Rivers provides essential insights into present-day water quality problems from an international perspective. Explains simply and effectively how lake sediments can be used to reconstruct pollution history Includes over 200 additional references and a new chapter on recent climatic change and its effects on water quality and quantity Tackles present-day water quality problems from an international perspective Previously published by Hodder Arnold PowerPoint slides of the artwork from the book are available from: http://post.queensu.ca/~pearl/textbook.htm Reviews: "This is a very well-written and wide-ranging volume that is both instructive and topical. It is likely to prove useful as an introduction to the general area, a reference source and for teaching purposes." (The Holocene, November 2008) "If you thought that paleolimnology was just mud, pollen, and diatoms then you will likely be both struck by the complexity of this field of research and grateful that John Smol, FRSC, has described it so clearly and broadly. Simply put, the second edition is an excellent book." ( Journal of Phycology, 2008) “This is a useful text. It provides a good level of detail so that the beginner in this area can appreciate what palaeolimnology can (and cannot) achieve. It goes beyond the simple introduction to provide a detailed understanding of how techniques can be applied ... This is a different take on the usual pollution text and would be of great use to those wishing to understand more from sedimentary records.” Taken from the British Ecological Society’s Teaching Ecology website "John Smol has extensive experience in this field of paleoenvironmental research which he combines well with his excellent written communication skills to produce a text that is easy to read but also thought provoking." (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2009) “The breadth of coverage in this text is impressive.” (Lake and Reservoir Management, 2009) “If I could speak with fluidity and clarity in my lectures as consistently as John Smol writes my students would be very grateful.” (Journal of Paleolimnology, 2009)