Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Unlike the COA, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S. is not a time-limited agreement with an expiration date. It is a permanent agreement with provisions for periodic review every six years. Public consultations on the latest review of the GLWQA began in the summer of 2005.
The GLWQA was first signed in 1972. Its focus has expanded over the years, from municipal and industrial water pollution to a broader set of problems, including land-based pollution, toxic hot spots and other priority locations (called Areas of Concern), contaminated sediments, and persistent toxic chemicals. Since 1978, the GLWQA’s stated goal has been “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.”
Many Great Lakes problems are not dealt with in the GLWQA, including climate change, drinking water source protection, invasive species, loss of biodiversity, and habitat protection and restoration. The 2005/2006 review of the GLWQA may lead to changes in the Agreement that will address such issues.
| This is an article from the 2005/06 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2006. "Cleaning Up the Great Lakes: The Canada Ontario Agreement." Neglecting our Obligations, ECO Annual Report, 2005-06. Toronto, ON : Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 20.
