 Please find below frequently asked questions about the US-Canadian Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), and its on-going review by the Canadian and US governments. Once you've got the facts, get involved.
What is the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) was first negotiated by the United States and Canada in 1972, in recognition of binational responsibility for controlling sewage discharges to the Lakes. It was updated in 1978 and 1987 to address toxic substances and highly contaminated areas. The GLWQA is a historic model of international cooperation - it set a precedent for resource protection of internationally shared waterbodies. And over the past 33 years, the GLWQA has driven important public health and water quality improvements for citizens of the Great Lakes, such as phosphorus reductions and cuts in toxic pollution. Read the GLWQA.
Why is the GLWQA under review by the US and Canadian governments?
Regular review and revision of the GLWQA is important as changes in the health of the Great Lakes, and new threats, develop and are discovered. Likewise, regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the GLWQA ensures that environmental protection agencies in each nation remain accountable to the people. Towards these ends, the GLWQA is reviewed by the US and Canadian governments every six years. As a result of these reviews, the GLWQA has been renegotiated twice, in 1978 and 1987.
What is the status of the current review?
The current governmental review process began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed in December of 2007, when the US and Canadian governments will decide whether to renew, revise or renegotiate the GLWQA.
The review is divided into three stages: 1) Establishment of the design and scope of the review process; 2) Review and analysis of the GLWQA; 3) Implementation based on review findings. A schedule of the review process follows. Note that there are opportunities for the public to participate in the review (identified by italics below). See our Get Involved for details on how to participate.
Stage 1: Establish Design & Scope of Review (2004 - March 2006)
This stage was completed in March 2006. As part of stage one, the governments asked the International Joint Commission (the IJC is the independent, bi-national body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the GLWQA) to hold a series of meetings to garner the public's opinion on how the GLWQA review process should work. Public consultation was conducted in the fall of 2005. You can read meeting transcripts, the web dialogue and a synthesis report on-line.
Stage 2: Review & Analysis of the GLWQA (Spring 2006-Fall 2007)
Most of this stage will be conducted by the Binational Executive Committee (BEC), a binational body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the GLWQA.
April-December 2006: Review of GLWQA
Ten Working Groups, coordinated by the BEC, are assessing the effectiveness of the current GLWQA, and whether it should be revised or renegotiated. The Working Groups will be open to a limited number of non-government experts (from NGOs, industry, academia, etc). Learn more about how you can participate in our Get Involved section.
January-May 2007: Analysis of Review
BEC will prepare a Draft Agreement Review Report, which categorizes review findings and recommendations.
May-June 2007: Public Consultation
A 60-day public consulation period will offer Great Lakes residents the chance to review and comment on the Working Groups' findings - specifically the Draft Agreement Review Report. Visit our Get Involved section for details on how to participate.
July - October 2007: Final Report & Transmittal
The BEC will prepare and submit a Final Agreement Review Report with recommendation to Environment Canada and the US EPA on whether to renew and/or revise/renegotiate the Agreement. The agencies will pass the report, along with their separate recommendations, to the US and Canadian governments.
Stage 3: Implementation (Fall 2007)
The Canadian and US governments will decide how to proceed. They will choose whether to renew, revise or renegotiate the GLWQA.
Should the GLWQA be renewed, revised or renegotiated?
Members of the Great Lakes environmental community have drafted Promises to Keep, Challenges to Meet, a report that discusses the effectiveness of the current GLWQA and whether the GLWQA should be revised or renegotiated.
The report discusses how the GLWQA should be revitalized. It recommends that the GLWQA set bi-national goals and objectives, with the U.S. and Canada determining how best to achieve those goals and objectives within their own policy processes. We recommend the revitalization of the GLWQA within the context of achieving clean water. Whether the revitalization we recommend means full renegotiation will be determined by whether the GLWQA meets the following, recommended principals:
- Be preventative in its ecosystem approach to eliminate emerging threats to the lakes.
- Compel ecological recovery and restore the Great Lakes.
- Provide for implementation with public accountability.
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