Citizens Campaign for the Environment

CAMPAIGNS

Great Lakes

Image of the Great Lakes The Great Lakes are a natural wonder of the world that holds one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply. Comprising over 700 miles of New York’s shoreline, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River hold the key to our economic health, recreation, and irreplaceable family experiences. The Great Lakes supply millions of New Yorkers with their drinking water, provide habitat for wildlife, and support billion dollar industries such as tourism and fishing

With miles of spectacular beaches, wildlife-rich wetlands, amazing fishing opportunities, expansive forests, and clean drinking water, the Great Lakes ecosystem is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent treasure troves of natural resources on Earth.

CCE works at the local, state, and federal level to protect Great Lakes water quality and quantity by championing several Great Lakes campaigns and initiatives:

Comprehensive Great Lakes Restoration & Protection
Great Lakes Forever: Protecting Water Quantity
Lake Ontario Water Level Management
Halting Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species
Cleaning Up Toxic Great Lakes Pollution
Ecosystem-based Management for Great Lakes, Estuaries, and our Ocean

Great Lakes Under Threat: Comprehensive Protection & Restoration Needed

While the Great Lakes are truly great, they are also quite fragile, and signs of decline are apparent. Eighty-four percent of New York State’s (NYS) Great Lakes waters do not support designated uses, such as fishing and swimming. Raw sewage waste contaminating beaches, invasive species threatening food webs, unsustainable development destroying habitat, and toxic mercury making fish unsafe to eat have reached the point that the Lakes need us to defend them -to keep them healthy. We must take action now, before these problems get worse and the solutions become more expensive.

Click here for more information and opportunities to take action to restore the health of the Great Lakes, improve water quality, and protect this amazing freshwater resource for current and future generations.

CCE is a member of the Healing Our WatersSM Great Lakes Coalition. Established in 2005, the coalition’s goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Led by the National Wildlife Federation and the National Parks Conservation Association, the coalition represents millions of residents in the Great Lakes region. For more information, visit www.HealthyLakes.org

Great Lakes Water Quantity: Ensuring Abundant Fresh Water for Future Generations

While seemingly inexhaustible, the Great Lakes are truly a gift of the glaciers, as rainfall and snowmelt only naturally replenish about one percent of the water annually. Once water removal from the Great Lakes for any reason extends beyond one percent annually, lake levels will decrease. The existing strains on this fragile ecosystem, such as pollution, invasive species, and global warming, will only be exacerbated if the sheer quantity of water is jeopardized by Great Lakes water export.

In response to the emerging threat to Great Lakes water quantity, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, composed of the eight Great Lakes Governors and the two Great Lakes Canadian Premieres, developed strong uniform standards to scrutinize all large water withdrawals. The plan, known as the Great Lakes St Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, required ratification by eachGreat Lakes State Legislature and the US Congress. In New York, CCE successfully secured state passage of the Compact in April 2008. The United States Senate unanimously passed the Compact on August 1, 2008, followed by successful passage by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 23, 2008. Thanks to all CCE’s members who worked to ensure the passage of this landmark water protection act. Now CCE is working to ensure strong implementation of the Compact in New York.

Click here for more information on the Compact and protection of Great Lakes water quantity.

Water Level Management of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River
The International Joint Commission (IJC), the bi-national organization established in the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, is charged with addressing the interests of the United States in Canada on water issues. In the 1950s, the St. Lawrence Water Control Board was established to manage water flowing over the Moses-Saunders Dam, which produces hydroelectric power. The IJC is in the final steps of evaluating public comments and the $20 million study on the effects of water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Almost 5,000 CCE members signed petitions in support and more than 600 wrote letters in support of the IJC adopting a firm deadline for more natural water level fluctuations, to improve Upstate New York’s economy and ecology.

Click here for more information on the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Water Level Management Plan from the International Joint Commission

Halting Invasive Species: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

Image of Asian Carp Invasive species pose an unrelenting threat to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy. There are 185 known invasive species already in the Great Lakes, and a new one arrives on average every 28 weeks. Once a new species establishes itself, it is almost impossible to remove and incredibly difficult to contain. CCE is working to urge Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to address the invasive species problem.

Of particular concern is the Asian carp, which are an invasive species of fish that wreak havoc on native fish species. Due to their large size, ravenous appetites, and rapid rate of reproduction, these fish could pose a significant risk to the Great Lakes ecosystem. If not stopped, they could become a dominant species in the Great Lakes. CCE successfully advocated that Congress authorize funding for an electronic barrier to stop the invasion of the Asian carp into the Great Lakes, and continues to work to ensure that Asian carp are kept out of the Great Lakes.

Click here for more information and to take action to urge Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to address the invasive species problem

Cleaning up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes: Support reauthorization of a strengthened Great Lakes Legacy Act

Imge of Great Lakes industry. In 1987, the U.S. and Canada identified and committed to restoring the 43 most toxic hot spots within the Great Lakes basin, known as Areas of Concern or AoCs. The sediments in Great Lakes AoCs contain high concentrations of toxic chemicals and heavy metals, which threaten humans, aquatic organisms, and wildlife health. To remediate persistent contamination in the Great Lakes, Congress passed The Great Lakes Legacy Act in 2002, to provide critical funding to finally clean up these toxic hot spots. Much work remains to clean up the most toxic hot spots in the Great Lakes. Congress reauthorized the Great Lakes Legacy Act for two years, preventing a lapse in critical programs that work to clean-up toxic waste in the Great Lakes. Thanks to all of CCE’s members who worked to highlight the need for Great Lakes restoration for our Congressional members.

Click here for information about CCE’s campaign to reauthorize a strengthened Great Lakes Legacy Act

In 2005 New York passed the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act. This legislation shifts New York's coastal policy toward a comprehensive, holistic approach, known as ecosystem-based management (EBM). CCE is working to increase public awareness of this effective approach to improve New York’s water quality from Montauk to Buffalo, as well as ensuring that New York adequately funds this important program.

Click here for information about CCE’s campaign for New York’s ocean, estuaries, and Great Lakes

Click here to view CCE's brochure, The Great Lakes: The Future is in Our Hands (PDF format)

Updated by dglance 9/30/08