Panel Says Pollution Plagues Great Lakes

[southernman]

[font "Arial"][black][size 5]Panel Says Pollution Plagues Great Lakes[/size][/black][/font]

By JOHN FLESHER, Associated Press Writer

[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Despite improvements in recent decades, the Great Lakes remain a dumping ground for pollution ranging from livestock waste to mercury emissions, a U.S.-Canadian panel said Monday. [/size][/black][/font]

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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]In its biennial report on Great Lakes water quality, the International Joint Commission urged the governments of both nations to step up protection and restoration efforts. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]"There are a large number of problems still to be dealt with," Herb Gray, the Canadian co-chairman of the commission, said in a conference call with reporters. The U.S. co-chairman, Dennis Schornack, agreed but added that "things have progressively gotten better." [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]For nearly a quarter-century, the commission has issued biennial progress reports on implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Under the 1978 pact, both nations agreed "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem" and to seek reductions in pollution. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Some of the system's water quality problems have been around for years. But Gray and Schornack said the agreement, which has not been updated in 17 years, should be revised to include newer challenges such as the zebra mussel invasion. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ([/size][/black][/font][url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Environmental%20Protection%20Agency%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw"][font "Arial"][black][size 3]news[/size][/black][/font][/url][font "Arial"][black][size 3] - [/size][/black][/font][url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=Environmental%20Protection%20Agency"][font "Arial"][black][size 3]web sites[/size][/black][/font][/url][font "Arial"][black][size 3]) and its Canadian counterpart, Environment Canada, have formed a committee to consider updates. The IJC will offer suggestions by the end of the year, Schornack said. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Scientists have identified 162 exotic species in the Great Lakes and some believe the total exceeds 170, the IJC report said. They range from well-known invaders such as the zebra and quagga mussels and the fish-killing lamprey to foreign algae and protozoa. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Ballast water from oceangoing ships is believed to be a leading source of exotic species. The International Maritime Organization ([/size][/black][/font][url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22International%20Maritime%20Organization%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw"][font "Arial"][black][size 3]news[/size][/black][/font][/url][font "Arial"][black][size 3] - [/size][/black][/font][url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=International%20Maritime%20Organization"][font "Arial"][black][size 3]web sites[/size][/black][/font][/url][font "Arial"][black][size 3]) has a proposal for dealing with the ballast problem, but the commission report says it won't be implemented for another five years at the earliest. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]In the meantime, an additional eight to 12 exotic species could be introduced to the lakes, the report says. It says both nations quickly should set their own rules. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]"We're pressing them to get on with it," Gray said. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Another threat to the lakes comes from microbial pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, the report says. Sources include pet wastes, manure from livestock farms and leaky septic tanks. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]"Systems for waste collection and water treatment ... around the Great Lakes are inadequate or in decline," the report says. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Urban sprawl is causing an array of pollution problems: sewage overflows, stormwater runoff, motor vehicle emissions. The report says most groundwater problems can be traced to urban land-use practices such as excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and other sources continue to pollute the lakes and accumulate in the bodies of some fish, the commission said. In its previous report, the panel urged both nations to improve their advisories about eating fish. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]"The commission's concerns remain relevant today," the report said. "Advisories are often technical, sometimes offer conflicting advice, and typically fail to reach at-risk populations, including children and women of childbearing age." [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]The report seeks continued funding to study changes in the Lake Erie ecosystem, saying they often serve as an early warning about looming problems with the other Great Lakes. [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Arial"][black][size 3]It said the commission was "seriously concerned" about a rising number of oil and chemical spills in the connecting channel between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, particularly in the St. Clair River. [/size][/black][/font]
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[davetclown]

because of federal government insentive for corporations to move thier poluting activities out of the contry as apost to ensentives for corporations who will spend the money on finding methods of proper disposal or finding a useful product for waist or recycling waist michigan has been reluctant to pass any real laws that are enforcable.

the largest of problems are local manisupalities allow corporations to carry on with this type of activity for years paying only a fraction of the cost of properly handling of said waist in under the table buy offs and in some cases over the table miniscule fines that wont cover the cost of cleaning up the waist dumped.

our federal government needs to set the standards and pass a down river law which any town in the down flow of another town that allows these corporatons to operate above the law knowingly or not be able to hold the upper city financialy responcible for the escape of toxins. I beleive that this and charging corporations large tarrifs for moving out of the contry will change the way american corproatons handle their toxic waist.

this has been my pet peve for the last 20 years. if I try to do any thing about in my home town I become the target of ridicule... if this is ever to realy have a solid corse of action it has to come from the top down and not from the bottom up.

there was a similar incident back in the early 50 with a little known but widely used chemical called "DDT" It took nearly 25 years before the federal government took action against the use of this chemical. and all this time it was proven to cause birth deffects change wild life habbits and was the number one cause of the decline of the bald eagle in the state of michigan. the eagles egg shells were so thin that when the egles attempted to incubate them the eggs would crack and die from being moved around and turned. many of those that did live long enough to be born were born with crippling deffects and they too died. of those that were able to survive and nest on thier own had to deal with shortened life spans due to arthritic simtoms due to week bone structure at an early age.

michigan knew this for 30 years, yet when the proffesor at msu spoke out about it in the 50's he was nearly thrown out on his ear for even speaking about it. the chemical corps threatened to pull funding for the collage if they kept this proffesor on.

In fact the collage had all ententions of canning the good proffesor untill the federal government gave the collage a grant to determine with out a shadow of a doubt that DDT was in fact harming our environment.

it would seem that when it comes to what is good for us we and the rest of this planets inhabitants are placed behind what is best for corporate pocket books.

dont get me wrong I want to see corporate make lots of money so they can get me out of poverty. I just want them to do it responcibly. I beleive there is money to be made developing methods of handling the waist productively. I also beleive many waist material could be changed to other non haserdous materials in the manufacturing industry.

it is to think that my aunt and unkle and their three girls are all dieing of cancer because my unkle worked in the paint shop of ford motor company for 30 years.

that plant was allowed to dump out behind its plant for all them years plus and it wasnt untill the late 80's when the city that the plant where my unkle worked was finned 1 million dollars per day till they stopped dumping behind the shop.

clean up well that is not going to happen. a lot of it went down a dranage ditch to the huron river on down to the detroit river and in to lake erie...

so you can see why we realy need a federal standard to handle this problem....

good artical, thanks for bringing it to attention.... and lets hope the right people get a chance to read this post, it realy is to our benifit to act sooner rather than later and pass the bill on to our kids. I mean are they realy that rotten and spoiled that they diserve to live in a slime hole and have to foot the bill? granted alot of the bill was handed down to us, the diffence is we know what we are doing they didnt back then... or did they?
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[Xman]

it seems the day we will learn that this stuff needs to stop is the day its too late. thanks for the post southern
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