Great Lakes Restoration Efforts Dr. Marie Colton Director, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory March 7, 2012 1
COMPARE: U.S. COASTLINE 11,000 miles of coastline 20% of the world’s freshwater 95,000 square miles of lake surface 2
Why a Freshwater Restoration Imperative? Resource loss and contamination, climate accentuated, economic driver. Massive problems requiring integrated, innovative solutions. Not the next oil… worse… • Water scarcity faced by 600 million, up to 3.2 billion • worldwide by 2025 Increasing severe shortages in SE and SW United States – Major aquifers depleted, half of US wetlands gone • – 50% rivers and 66% of lakes now impaired. – 62 million in 45 states exposed to unsafe drinking water • Intersection of climate change, natural resource loss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary population growth, economic recession – leading to Rodham Clinton appears with geopolitical stresses = interstate and international conflicts. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon in Niagara Falls, Water supplies in 70% of counties threatened due to climate change by – Canada, 2009,following a ceremony 2050. 36 States expect severe shortages by 2013. to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. • 60 million visitors/yr generating $6+ billion in Great Lakes (2 to 3:1 benefit-cost ratio on restoration investment) $500 billion + global water technology business sector • 3
Key Events in Great Lakes Restoration History Great Lakes Restoration Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Initiative Clean Water Act: • Coalition of states, tribes, municipalities, • U.S. Federal investment Established the federal partners, etc. • Implements GLRC Strategy structure for • Identified restoration and protection priorities • Fiscal years 2010-2014 regulating discharges • Developed “Strategy to Restore and Protect • FY10: $475 million of pollutants into U.S. the Great Lakes” • FY11: $300 million waters and regulating • FY12: $300 million quality standards for GLWQA surface waters Renewed Amendments to Great Lakes Legacy Act Great Lakes Water GLWQA American Recovery and Provides funding to clean up Quality Agreement Designated 43 “Areas of Reinvestment Act (ARRA) contaminated sediment in U.S. (GLWQA) Concern” (AOCs) and binational AOCs Enacted to spur economic growth • 26 in U.S. waters Expresses the commitment of and create jobs • 12 in Canadian waters U.S. and Canada to “restore • Muskegon Lake - $10M • 5 binational and maintain the chemical, • Indiana Dunes State Park - $1.4M physical and biological • Milwaukee River - $5.25M integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem” 4
Collaboration in the Great Lakes Executive Order 13340 (2004) GLRI was signed into Public Law on 30 October 2009 Unprecedented support from over Strategy to Protect & 1,500 stakeholders including Restore the Great Governors, Mayors, tribes (2005) Lakes (2005) 5
NOAA’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR GLRI PROJECTS Build on successes using 1 national programs with histories of effectiveness Provide high quality in the Great Lakes 3 science to evaluate the progress of restoration Develop high quality 2 decision support tools Create jobs and and forecasts to partnerships with proactively address 4 private industry and problems academia 6
The NOAA GLRI Portfolio, 2010 GLRI Funds Management Distribution of Funds by Focus Area Invasives Interagency Template 4% Agreement Level Toxics Reporting Reporting 6% Accountability 29% Focus Area Leads REGIONAL WORKING GROUP Project Program Habitat Leads Manager Nearshore 50% 9% Funds Manager 7
• Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program, NOAA’ Restoration Center, National Marine Fisheries Service – Awarded $35 million since 2008 through ARRA, congressional base appropriations, and the GLRI • Restored over 1300 acres of habitat for fish and wildlife • Removed almost 200,000 metric tons of waste and demolition material • Opened over 300 miles of river for fish passage • Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Programs – $11.55 million since 2010 through GLRI and congressional base 8 appropriations to protect 6264 acres of coastal habitat
Geographic Distribution of FY2011 GLRI Habitat Projects 9
RESTORATION Milwaukee River Estuary AOC Fish Passage Project Lime Kiln Dam Removal restores 31 miles of Mequon-Theinsville Dam Fishway Milwaukee River mainstem.
Milwaukee River Estuary AOC Fish Passage Project RESULT: Target species, Northern Pike, documented and photographed passing through fishway. SOCIETAL IMPACT: Milwaukee intercity youth corps helping to restore over 75 miles of Milwaukee River tributary streams.
Muskegon Lake AOC Habitat Restoration Project Local middle school involved in To date, 10,251 linear feet of degraded monitoring some of the 24 acres of shoreline has been restored. wetlands restored by the project.
Challenge: Sociology and Expecting the Unexpected
Challenge: Integration of Scientific Priorities • A science plan should be in place to drive the restoration plan • A standing science panel (with both social and natural science expertise) should be established to: – Provide assessments of progress in key areas – Shepherd the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation efforts – Help provide a scientific basis for setting priorities across disparate actions • For the Great Lakes Accountability System, EPA should develop metrics of progress that are more in line with the underlying science of restoring the Great Lakes rather than the Government Performance Results Act measures that currently comprise the Action Plan • The Action Plan recognizes that as the GLRI is implemented, an evaluation and reprioritization of efforts will need to be accomplished, ideally using an adaptive management framework
Challenge: Incorporating shifting baselines during Restoration efforts 1973-2002 mean: 54% March 3, 2009, ~ 84% Max in 1979 95% Max in 2012 ~ 5%--Record low
Challenge: Solving Multi- Stressor Issues On February 20, 2012, the western basin of Lake Erie was dominated by suspended minerals, with a possible diatom (phytoplankton) bloom occurring in the central basin 16
Restoration Lessons Learned • Challenges – Expect the unexpected – Establishing an effective decision- making process for dispersing large amount of $$ in a short period of time Transparency of decision making – processes Communications – – Funds management – Measures of success Issue of scale…going from – particular projects to overall regional restoration
Restoration Lessons Learned Opportunity • – Effectively integrating science with public policy in a way to influence social dynamics and produce sustainable results Adaptive and Predictive Management
So What? Leveraging Restoration for Societal Benefit Why Support the Plan?
Thank you from the Great Lakes! 20
BACKUP 21
11,000 miles of coastline 20% of the world’s freshwater 95,000 square miles of lake surface
North America’s Duluth Freshwater Coast Alpena Au Gres Toronto Milwaukee Muskegon Ann Arbor Chicago Detroit Cleveland 23 23
11,000 miles of coastline 20% of the world’s freshwater 95,000 square miles of lake surface 24
FY2010 GLRI Habitat Projects 25
Dunes Creek Daylighting Project Restored Dunes Creek in location where a parking lot constructed in the 1930’s used to be. Lake Michigan is now connected to the 7,407-acre watershed via almost 6 miles of open stream.
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