Great Lakes Pact
A U.S.-Canadian pact to clean up the Great Lakes is over 30 years old and should be changed in favor of a more modern strategy, which officials from both nations agreed on.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972 has helped, but it overlooks newer problems such as invasive species, habitat loss, climate change and urban sprawl in the lakes that holds over 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water.
The agreement has not been updated since 1987 and also lacks tools for prodding government to act, according to a report by the International Joint Commission, which advises both countries about the lakes. The original water quality agreement was signed by President Nixon and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
At the time, large sections of the lakes were badly polluted. The Cuyahoga River flowing into Lake Erie near Cleveland had caught fire because its surface was caked with oil. Phosphorus buildup caused runaway algae blooms that sucked oxygen from the water, causing massive fish kills.
October 25, 2006 6:45 AM | Category: Cleanup, Great Lakes