GLWQA
Canada, U.S. to update water quality pact
While the clouds might have threatened rain, for the future of the Great Lakes there’d be no wet blanket. In June, the International Joint Commission celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty in Niagara Falls Ontario and New York. As the celebrations neared, rumours were flying that the governments would take this opportunity to announce the renegotiation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The accidental environmental treaty
When it was signed in 1909, the Boundary Waters Treaty was a means of settling water use disputes that could have led to armed conflict. At the time, no one anticipated that one sentence would set in motion a century of progressive, binational environmental protection initiatives.
Great Lakes can’t wait
In a letter to President Obama and Prime Minister Harper, groups across the region urged the leaders to commit to revitalizing an historic water quality pact.
Toxic ‘not’ spots
Across the region, heavily polluted and impaired waterways are going unnoticed, despite pleas from citizens to designate their site an Area of Concern. Unfortunately, these appeals are falling on deaf ears. But why would any community want to be deemed a toxic hotspot?
Protecting our water through international cooperation
Originally established in 1972 by the governments of Canada and the United States, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) set a precedent for protection of internationally shared waters. Over the past 36 years, the Agreement has driven important public health and water quality improvements for the residents of the Great Lakes, such as phosphorus reductions and cuts in toxic pollution. Today, experts point to the Agreement as critical in calling for the “zero discharge” and “virtual elimination” of toxic pollutants that harm our families, fish, and wildlife
© 2008 Great Lakes News. 
