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Significant Activities Report:
July 2001
International Activities
Chinese Television Films Special on
Lake Management
On June 28th and 29th, a
three-member television crew from Anhui TV (AHTV), Anhui Province, China,
visited USEPA Region 5 to discuss and film some environmental scenes
concerning water pollution and Great Lakes management. The crew’s trip
was sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Anhui Province wants to use
what they learn from USEPA's lake management techniques to restore and
protect Chao Lake, which is one of their most polluted lakes and is
prioritized for cleanup.
On June 28th, GLNPO's Paul Horvatin and Tony Kizlauskas presented the story of the Great Lakes. Paul Horvatin opened by explaining the international significance of the resource that is the Great Lakes. He then related the history of pollution that, by the 1960's , had resulting in the Lakes being declared as "dying," and how point source and non-point source controls on pollution, especially phosphorus had reversed the effects of the gross pollution. Tony Kizlauskas then explained the threat posed by toxic substances, whose effects were much more subtle and difficult to detect than the historic air and water pollution. He explained the significance of localized non-point sources such as contaminated sediments, as well as global sources like atmospheric deposition, emphasizing that, to be successful in eliminating persistent toxics, all countries need to work cooperatively.
On June 29th, Paul Horvatin joined the City of Chicago in hosting field trips for the TV crew to Lake Calumet, where they toured a brownfields site, and on Lake Michigan, where they toured a drinking water intake crib and a swimming beach.
When finished, the hour-long documentary will be shown to a potential audience of over 50 million Chinese as well as millions more in 34 countries via satellite feed.
Contact: Paul
Horvatin, U.S. EPA - GLNPO
(312) 353-3612
Tony Kizlauskas, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312)
353-8773
Sediments
Contaminated Sediments Science Plan
Being Developed
On June 19th and 20th in Crystal
City, VA, Marc Tuchman attended a 2-day session focused on the development
of a USEPA-wide contaminated sediments science plan. The goal of this
plan, developed at the request of ORD's Science Policy Council, is to
initially identify sediment science activities taking place across USEPA,
and to develop a list of unmet needs for future work. The plan will also
outline a process USEPA can undertake to begin addressing these science
gaps or unmet needs. The group consists of representation from USEPA
Office of Water, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Office of
Research and Development, Region 5 and GLNPO. A draft science plan for
internal USEPA review is scheduled for release in September 2001.
Contact: Marc Tuchman, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-1369
New Method Tested for In-Place
Analysis of PAHs in Sediments
On June 4th and 5th, in conjunction
with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, GLNPO conducted initial field
testing on the Milwaukee River of a system designed to provide real-time PAH sediment data. During this shake-down survey, all bugs were worked out
of the system and a sampling plan was developed for the week of July 9th
to conduct the field testing on the R/V
Mudpuppy.
Contact: Marc Tuchman, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-1369
R/V Mudpuppy Samples Sediments at
Whihala Beach, Indiana
From May 29th through June 1st, the R/V
Mudpuppy was in Hammond, Indiana to support a sediment investigation
led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near Whihala Beach. The
screening-level survey collected sediment samples near the Amoco refinery
property and in the vicinity of a historic gun club. A total of eight
sediment cores and three surficial ponar samples were collected from
nearshore Lake Michigan. Results from the screening-level survey will
determine if additional sampling is warranted.
Contact: Scott Cieniawski, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-9184
Beneficial Use for Contaminated
Sediments Demonstrated Using Glass Aggregate Treatment
On June 18th, the pilot-scale
sediment treatment demonstration of the Minergy
Corporation's glass
furnace technology began in Winneconne, Wisconsin. The project is a joint
effort between the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, GLNPO
(through a $250,000 grant to Wisconsin DNR) and Minergy Corporation to
determine the technical and economic feasibility of utilizing Minergy's
vitrification (melting) process to treat contaminated sediments from the
Fox River, Wisconsin. The technology destroys organic contaminants
(primarily PCBs) and immobilizes inorganic contaminants in a glass matrix
that may then be used as construction fill or other beneficial uses. The
pilot-scale demonstration processed 15 tons of contaminated sediments in
the first week of operation, and is scheduled to treat a total of 70 tons
of contaminated material. USEPA's Superfund Innovative Technology
Evaluation program is conducting evaluations of the treatment cost and
effectiveness.
Contact: Scott Cieniawski, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-9184
Group Meets on Indiana Harbor
Sediment Disposal Site Risk Assessment
On June 27th, representatives from GLNPO, USEPA Region 5, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, and the East
Chicago Waterways Management District met to discuss the status of the
supplemental risk evaluation work for the proposed Indiana Harbor sediment
confined disposal facility. The purpose of the supplemental risk work is
to determine the accuracy of the original Risk Assessment based on newly
available data. The group discussed the need for an Independent Technical
Review (ITR) team and a peer review group to review and comment on the
three major work items expected; (1) literature review of volatilization
and particulate matter losses, (2) air transport and deposition modeling,
and (3) human health risk assessment. The first draft of the literature
review is due in mid-July and will be made available to the ITR team and
the Grand Cal Task Force for review. The final report, incorporating all
three major work items, is currently scheduled for completion in March
2003.
Contact: Scott Cieniawski, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-9184
R/V Mudpuppy
Tests Maumee River
(Toledo, Ohio) Sediments
From June 11th to 15th, the R/V
Mudpuppy participated in collecting samples in both the Maumee and Ottawa
Rivers in Toledo, Ohio as part of a grant given to the University of
California, Santa Barbara. A total of 25 cores were collected and
subsequently processed through a device called a Sedflume to determine the
erosion rate and the bulk density of the sediment. The results of this
work will assist in determining the potential for downstream migration of
contaminants in the Maumee River Area of Concern.
Contact: Demaree Collier, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 886-0214
Science Advisory Group on Sediment
Quality Assessment Meets
From June 25th to 27th, Demaree
Collier attended a meeting in Monterey, California with the Science
Advisory Group on Sediment Quality Assessment. This meeting focused upon
different aspects of sediment quality relating to toxicity testing and
chemical contamination in sediment. Additionally, discussion focused on a
GLNPO grant received by the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation regarding the
development of a guidance manual for sediment quality assessment. Also,
emerging issues such as methylmercury contamination in sediments and how
to address this problem from a toxicity testing standpoint was discussed
by the group.
Contact: Demaree Collier, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 886-0214
Ecosystems
Draft Great Lakes Strategy Unveiled
A series of public work shops were
held the weeks of June 25th and July 2nd, in Duluth, Minnesota; Detroit,
Michigan; Niagara Falls, New York; and Chicago, Illinois to present the
draft Great Lakes Strategy and to solicit public comment. Well over 200
stakeholders were in attendance at the four workshops, and numerous
comments were received. The Great Lakes Strategy is being developed
cooperatively by the U.S. Policy Committee, a forum of senior-level
representatives from Federal, State, and Tribal natural resource
management/environmental protection agencies. USEPA/GLNPO chairs this
forum.
The draft Strategy identifies the major basin-wide environmental issues in the Great Lakes and establishes common goals that the agencies will work toward. It will also help us fulfill our domestic responsibilities described in the U.S. - Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The draft Strategy was made available for public comment in the Federal Register (comment period: June 1st to July 31st). The Strategy is expected to be finalized in the fall of 2001, and will include a responsiveness summary.
Contact: Edwin Smith, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-6571
Northern Pike Spawning and Nursery
Habitat Restored
A final report was received from
the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, on this project. The goals
of the project were: to restore northern pike spawning habitats in three
identified areas along Green Bay’s western shoreline; to examine and
document the amount of present and potential northern pike spawning
habitats along the entire western shore of Green Bay; and to produce a
comprehensive plan for northern pike habitat restoration for the western
shore of Green Bay. During the second Phase of the project adult northern
pike wetland habitat was restored, and the pike’s access to upstream
spawning and rearing habitats was improved. An monitoring assessment using
traps to estimate the restoration progress showed more pike were being
born. The project was funded by a grant from GLNPO.
Contact: Karen Rodriguez, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-2690
GLNPO Works with Agriculture
Community to Tackle Environmental Problems
The Great Lakes National Program
Office (GLNPO) is analyzing approximately 110 final grant reports from
ecological protection and restoration projects completed between 1992 and
2000. As part of the analysis, projects are being analyzed for
environmental, stewardship, and economic results. One topic funded by
GLNPO is related to agriculture. GLNPO has worked closely with the
agricultural community to find ways to lessen the impacts of poor
agricultural practices that can be a significant cause of non-point source
pollution to Great Lakes tributaries and streams and can threaten aquatic
and wetland habitats for many rare and threatened fish and mussel species.
Over the last 8 years, GLNPO awarded a total of $1.3 million for ten
projects. These projects leveraged over $300 thousand more. And over $600
thousand of these funds went back into the community as contract dollars
to local farmers and grain elevator operators for assistance in re-vegetation and fertilizers, to university professors, and to technical
soil and water conservation experts. In addition to the ten grantee
organizations and participation by numerous private landowners, 64
agencies and organizations were partners in the projects. These projects
showed that water quality and aquatic habitats can be significantly
improved through the use of best management practices, while sustaining
agricultural production. Accomplishments as a result of these projects
include:
• 426 acres were restored or enhanced,
• 58,850 feet of filter strips were placed along riparian corridors,
• 4,400 acres were registered in Conservation Tillage Program,
• 139,468 acres were impacted by Best Management Practices,
• 534 acres were placed in conservation easements, and
• 10,000 tons of soil were saved from erosion from one site alone.
Three steps will take what has been learned from these projects beyond demonstration. GLNPO will attempt to:
- Prioritize regions of the basin that have significant aquatic habitats and where agriculture may threaten these habitats.
- Expand and formalize partnerships with Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, and Agriculture Extension Services to continue to demonstrate best management practices to protect aquatic and habitats for rare and threatened fish and mussel species.
- Lay out a plan to distribute information about best management practices in the priority areas.
Contact: Karen Rodriguez, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-2690
|
Benefits
of Buffers: |
Riparian Buffer Goals Set for the
Great Lakes
Riparian buffers are small areas or
strips of land along rivers and streams that are in permanent vegetation,
designed to intercept pollutants and provide other environmental benefits.
As part of the draft GLNPO Great
Lakes Strategy, a section dealing with riparian buffers for the Basin was
developed. To establish a goal for buffers, Roger Nanney, Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS), contacted each Great Lakes state buffer
coordinator. These coordinators were established by NRCS under their
national Buffer Initiative that was part of the Clean Water Action Plan.
Through the Buffer Initiative
NRCS and several agricultural partners established a national goal of
creating two million miles of buffers by 2002. With the aid of the
coordinators, an estimate of the goals acres in the Basin was calculated.
This goal is being accomplished through a variety of Federal and State
programs including the Conservation Reserve Program and the State's
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The estimate is approximately
300,000 acres.
Contact: Roger Nanney, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-7979
More Natural Landscaping
Information on GLNPO Website
A new resource on natural
landscaping has been added to GLNPO's extremely popular Green Landscaping
Web Pages.
Due to the tremendous number of requests for a CD called the "Native
Vegetation Enhancement Project", produced by Springfield Township,
Michigan with funding from GLNPO, the contents of the CD have been put on
the GLNPO website at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/ecopage/springfieldtwp
The CD was developed to assist the Township in fulfilling its goal of protecting natural resource systems by promoting the use of native plants in landscaping and protecting existing native vegetation. A recent study funded by USEPA, the Shiawassee & Huron Headwaters Resource Preservation Project, identified the existence within the Township of rare, high quality natural resource systems of global significance. Threats to these ecosystems were also identified, among them, the impact caused by the spread of non-native invasive plants. To address this threat, landscaping with native plants and preserving existing native vegetation were identified as key tools for protecting and restoring natural resources. The Springfield Township CD is intended to make it both enjoyable and as easy as possible for homeowners, developers and others to use native plants.
Contacts: Danielle Green, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312)
886-7594
Pranas Pranckevicius, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312)
353-3437
Invasive Species
States and Provinces Agree on Great
Lakes Aquatic Nuisance Species Action Plan
The Great Lakes Action Plan on
Aquatic Nuisance Species has been finalized and signed by all eight
Governors and two Premiers from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region. The
Action Plan was initiated as a result of a GLNPO funded project with the
Great Lakes Commission, and developed in conjunction with Great Lakes
Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species. The Action Plan presents a vision
statement and a series of fundamental principles to guide regional aquatic
invasive species prevention and control efforts. The overall goal of the
Action Plan is to enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem by
designing and implementing timely and effective prevention and control
measures.
Contact: Marc Tuchman, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-1369
Monitoring and Research Activities
 Cercopagis pengoi (courtesy of Mirja Rosenberg) |
Scientific Papers Zero In On Latest Great
Lakes Invader
This year, four papers have been
published on GLNPO's open lake Biological Monitoring Program in the
Journal of Great Lakes Research. This is a peer-reviewed Journal dedicated
to publishing scientific work on the Great Lakes. The first paper, which
was published in the March 2001 Issue [J. Great Lakes Res., 27(1)],
focused on the results of a study conducted in Lake Ontario on the
invasive zooplankter Cercopagis pengoi. Cercopagis, which averages about
one-half inch in length, is native to the Ponto-Caspian of northern
Europe. It was probably carried to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of
a foreign ship and released when the ship released ballast water as it
took on cargo. It is commonly called the "fishhook waterflea"
because of it's long tail that ends in a "hook." This
characteristic of the prolific breeder causes them to catch on fishing
lines and nets, fouling the angler's gear. Cercopagis is a voracious
predator that devours small plankton essential to the diet of larval fish.
This has the potential for disrupting the normal food-chain in the Great
Lakes, with unknown future consequences. Their "fishhook" bodies
also make them unpalatable to their natural predators.
This work was conducted as part of the Great Lakes/Baltic Sea Partnership Program. The Fellowship Program supports visits of scientists from the Baltic Sea Countries to the Great Lakes Region to study and conduct a technical exchange on research issues common to both regions. This project was a joint effort between GLNPO and a scientist from the Estonian Marine Institute looking at an Invasive Species common to both waterways. The other three papers, which were published in the June 2001 Issue [J. Great Lakes Res., 27(2)], focused on the 1998 sampling effort, and specifically provide results from the phytoplankton and zooplankton work conducted as part of GLNPO's annual monitoring of the Great Lakes. All the samples for this work were collected from the surveys on board GLNPO's Research Vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian. For more information on GLNPO's biological monitoring program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/monitor.html
Contact: Marc Tuchman, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-1369
Pollution Prevention
Methods to Remove Mercury from
Dentistry Wastewater Explained
On June 5th, Dr. Mark E. Stone from
the Naval Dental Research
Institute, Great Lakes, Illinois presented a
progress report on the work the Navy was conducting through the
Interagency Agreement (IAG) with GLNPO on "Mercury Removal from the
Dental-Unit Wastewater Stream." This IAG is being conducted at the
Great Lakes Naval Base, which is the only recruit training base for the
U.S. Navy. To date, this project has educated practitioners as to the
importance of reducing heavy metal contamination from their dental-unit
wastewater streams. In addition, this IAG has created an electronic
resource where practitioners can locate sources, materials, supplies, and
help in removing heavy metals from the waste stream. The Naval Dental
Research Institute has also established a cadre of qualified personnel who
speak to dental professionals on the subject of amalgam hazards,
collection, and recycling. A study is also being conducted which evaluates
the installation, testing and evaluation of pretreatment systems for both
large and small dental treatment facilities.
Contact: Ed Klappenbach, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 353-1378
Group Tackles Great Lakes Spills
On July 11th and 12th, the Great
Lakes Spill Protection Initiative Meeting was held in Whiting, Indiana.
This is a meeting of a group made up of oil industry, the eight Great
Lakes States, and Federal partners, including U.S. EPA, the U.S. Coast
Guard, the Department of the
Interior, and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. At this meeting, Ann Whelan and Betty Lavis
from Region 5 Superfund gave a presentation on the Oil removal actions
either taking place or being considered for the Indiana Harbor Canal. This
presentation was followed by a discussion of the Natural Resource Damage
Assessment that has taken place on the Canal. The Great Lakes Spill
Protection Initiative and the creation of the Freshwater Spills
Information Clearinghouse
were funded by the Great Lakes National Program Office.
Contact: Ann
Whelan, U.S. EPA - Region 5 (312) 886-7258
Betty Lavis, U.S. EPA - Region 5 (312) 886-7183
David Rockwell, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312)
353-1373
Outreach
|
|
New Self-Guided Tour for R/V Lake
Guardian
The GLNPO Monitoring team created a
series of display boards on Great Lakes issues being addressed by GLNPO.
These boards will serve as an onboard self-guided tour for visitors to the
R/V Lake
Guardian,
GLNPO's 182-foot long open lake monitoring ship. The subjects covered in
the displays are: invasive species, dissolved oxygen in Lake Erie,
atmospheric monitoring, fish monitoring, beach closing on the Great Lakes,
and limnology.
A duplicate set was created to serve as a portable version, enabling GLNPO staff to use these materials in various outreach opportunities.
Contact: Deborah Lamberty, U.S. EPA - GLNPO (312) 886-6691