Comments Wanted On IJC Assessments Report By Year's End

Nov 21: The International Joint Commission (IJC) has issued a release seeking public comment on its draft report that is a preliminary effort to describe changes in the health of the Great Lakes over the past quarter century. The draft report measures some of the progress made by the US and Canada in their collective efforts towards restoring and maintaining the Great Lakes and achieving the general objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement which was last amended in 1987. At present, the governments of Canada and the United States are working to renew this Agreement to improve their efforts to meet current challenges facing the Great Lakes.

     The draft report uses seven measures of biological integrity, six measures of chemical integrity, and one measure of physical integrity, to assess changes in the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. It draws on the best indicators of ecosystem trends available from government agencies and the academic research community. The draft report, Assessment of Progress Made Towards Restoring and Maintaining Great Lakes Water Quality Since 1987, is available online. The Commission plans to publish a report in 2012 based on comments received and subsequent research. The Commission will accept written comments on the draft report via the comment form on the Biennial Meeting web page or by email or regular mail at until December 31, 2011.

    Access an announcement from IJC (click here). Access the complete 173-page report (click here). Access a comment form or other commenting instructions (click here). Access the IJC website for more information and background (click here).

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