News from the Canada/U.S. International Joint Commission
(A Brief Foreward from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – In my more than three decades of covering the IJC and reading its many news releases and reports, it has always been very diplomatic and cautious – sometimes too diplomatic and cautious in my view – on reporting on environmental threats in the Great Lakes, so my advice to you is to take what you read and can link to below very seriously.)
A recent satellite photo of the green toxic blob in the western end of Lake Erie off Detriot and Toledo
August, 2014 – A harmful algal bloom and ‘do not drink’ warning issued Saturday for the Toledo, Ohio, water system has put a focus on IJC recommendations made as part of the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority (LEEP).
The warning has since been lifted, but the threat of future blooms remains. Below, find information about LEEP, and other recently posted items on IJC activities.
Toledo, Ohio Water Crisis – IJC Lake Erie Report A Template For Solving Toxic Algae Blooms That Shut Down Region’s Water System
The International Joint Commission (IJC) today expressed empathy for Toledo area residents affected by water contamination caused by toxins from excessive algae growth in Lake Erie. The IJC reiterated its call for action on reducing nutrient loading that contributes to the hazard.
The problem – toxic algal blooms fueled by excessive agricultural fertilizer runoff and urban sources – was detailed in an IJC report released earlier this year, A Balanced Diet for Lake Erie: Reducing Phosphorus Loadings and Harmful Algal Blooms. The report includes 16 recommendations to reduce nutrient loading into Lake Erie and its tributaries.
“Our thoughts are with those in Northwest Ohio struggling to restore safe drinking water to homes and businesses,” said Lana Pollack, U.S. Chair of the IJC. “This is a teachable moment, however, for policymakers across the region. It is more clear than ever that we must take aggressive action to curtail the algae growth that caused, or at least contributed to, this crisis.”
The IJC’s report and recommendations are among its efforts to provide advice to the U.S. and Canadian governments on how to fulfill the goals of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and make the Great Lakes more fishable, swimmable and drinkable.
Gordon Walker, Acting Chair of the Canadian Section of the IJC, whose family roots are on the shores of Lake Erie, said, “We’ve been here before, in the 1970s, when strong protections for Lake Erie helped restore it to health. The IJC is confident that with timely action, this growing algae problem can be solved before more incidents like this one occur.”
The International Joint Commission is an independent bi-national organization created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to investigate and recommend solutions to shared boundary and shared water issues between the United States and Canada.
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