The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Michigan — The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for projects that will help improve Great Lakes water quality by reducing nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds and eroding shorelines and streams. Indigenous Nations, nonfederal units of government, and incorporated nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for grants for up to $300,000 through the 2026 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) grant program.

Ann Arbor, Michigan/Chicago, Illinois — A report released today on Great Lakes water use demonstrates the region’s ongoing commitment to coordinated, science-based management of the world’s largest freshwater system. The 2024 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database shows that water withdrawals in the basin remained stable, with the vast majority of withdrawn water returned to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin.

Overall, the basin gained a total of 345 million gallons of water per day in 2024; by comparison, the basin lost 550 million gallons per day in 2023. This change is primarily due to an increase in the amount of water diverted from the Hudson Bay watershed into the Lake Superior basin through the Long Lac and Ogoki diversions in northern Ontario.

The report found that 35.7 billion gallons of water per day were withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin in 2024, representing a less than 1% increase from 2023. Just under 5% of the total reported water withdrawn was consumed or otherwise lost from the basin. Thermoelectric power production (once-through cooling), public water supply, and industrial use were the primary water use sectors.

The report’s findings were shared at the December meeting of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body. Since 1988, the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces have reported water use data to the Great Lakes Commission, which compiles and summarizes these datasets into an annual report. This report meets requirements of the Great Lakes Compact and Agreement, and strengthens shared stewardship of the basin’s waters by improving access to consistent information on how water is withdrawn, used, and conserved across the region.

“This report gives the Great Lakes states and provinces the information needed to better manage water use in the largest surface freshwater system in the world, but also serves as an example of how interstate compact agencies can leverage each other’s strengths and share expertise to the benefit of everyone in the basin,” said Great Lakes Commission Chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“The value of shared regional water use reporting is more evident than ever,” said Loren Wobig, chair of the Regional Body and Compact Council. “This reporting is an important tool in supporting the regional water resources management that is so vital to future development in the Great Lakes region.”

“For more than 15 years, the Compact and Agreement have provided a model for regional cooperation and responsible water management,” said Peter Johnson, deputy director of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP). “This annual reporting initiative is central to advancing sound decision-making, sustainable economic development, and long-term protection of our region’s waters.”

The 2024 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database is available at waterusedata.glc.org.

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The Great Lakes Commission, led by Chair Timothy Bruno, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of Great Lakes water resources and brings the region together to address issues no single entity can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact Council is comprised of the Governors of the eight Great Lakes States and is responsible for implementing the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact in the United States. The Compact, which is both State and U.S. Federal law, protects the largest freshwater body on earth.

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body consists of the Governors of the eight Great Lakes States and the Premiers of Ontario and Québec. Formed under the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, the Regional Body promotes coordinated review, information sharing, and cooperative action in managing Great Lakes water resources across the international border.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Nearly $315,000 will be awarded to support local organizations in controlling nonnative Phragmites australis, one of the most aggressive plant species invading the Great Lakes basin and North America. Grantees will implement certain combinations of management actions for Phragmites, and the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) will use the data gathered to improve guidance on management practices that are most likely to be effective.

Phragmites is currently managed using a suite of approaches, including herbicide, cutting/crushing, flooding, and burning. These actions are resource intensive and differ in effectiveness due to site-specific conditions and variations in implementation. PAMF is a predictive model, developed by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative, that uses participant data to continually ‘learn’ more about which management techniques are working against Phragmites in certain conditions and which are not. In turn, the PAMF model predicts optimal guidance for each site. Data provided to PAMF by grantees will reduce the uncertainty surrounding management outcomes, increase the model’s predictive power, and improve best management practices.

2025 is the second year that PAMF Active Adaptive Management Program grants are available for Phragmites management in Great Lakes states. In the first year of the program, AAMP recipients from 17 organizations contributed 70 management units totaling over 130 acres. The grant program contributed data to six combinations lacking data in the PAMF model, three of which had no prior data.

Twenty-one grants have been awarded in 2025:

The Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (GLPC) is a regional partnership led jointly by the Great Lakes Commission and U.S. Geological Survey to foster more coordinated, efficient and strategic approaches to Phragmites management and ecosystem restoration. Funding for the PAMF Active Adaptive Management Program is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) will award more than $1.76 million in grants to local groups to reduce the runoff of pollutants such as sediment and nutrients from entering the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Since 2016, projects funded by the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program have protected the Great Lakes through the prevention of nearly 200,000 pounds of phosphorus, 400,000 tons of sediment and millions of gallons of stormwater from leaving the landscape.

“Local communities are critical partners in improving the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes,” Timothy Bruno, chair of the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “The Great Lakes Commission congratulates the 2025 grantees and look forward to their contribution to a resilient Great Lakes basin.”

With a focus on phosphorus and sediment reduction, the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program provides competitive grants to local and state governments, Indigenous Nations, and nonprofit organizations to install erosion and nutrient control practices in the Great Lakes basin each year. Funded projects often include innovative and unique practices not typically funded by other federal cost-share programs.

The 2025 projects continue to promote two approaches: long-term sediment and nutrient management through engagement with the agricultural community and streambank restoration.  The following grants have been awarded:

Since 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service has provided funding for the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). In that time, the GLRI has provided over $4 billion to fund more than 8,000 projects across the Great Lakes region, which protect freshwater resources by restoring wetlands, preventing the spread of invasive species, and reducing sediment and nutrients.

More information about the projects is available at www.nutrientreduction.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Duluth, Minnesota – At its Annual Meeting, held this week on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) passed resolutions calling for advancement of non-potable water reuse and coordinated resource management in the development of AI and computing infrastructure, as well as prevention of plastic pollution and harmonization of stormwater management in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region.

“The economy of the Great Lakes region is supported by access to water — from industry to agriculture and outdoor recreation to shipping,” said GLC Executive Director Erika Jensen. “Our commissioners have noted a growing need to understand the impacts that new technologies will have on the Great Lakes and the roles that water recycling and reuse can play.”

At the meeting, the GLC also elected new leadership: Chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Vice Chair James Jennings, Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

“I’m honored for the opportunity to serve as chair of the Great Lakes Commission,” said Chair Bruno. “This critical agency brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. On behalf of the GLC, I’d also like to extend our gratitude to immediate past chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, for her incredible leadership over her two terms as chair of the agency.”

The Annual Meeting featured remarks from Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert and journalist Peter Annin, author of Purified: How Recycled Sewage Is Transforming Our Water and The Great Lakes Water Wars and executive director of the Burke Center for Ecosystem Research. Attendees also heard from expert panels on microplastics, harmful algal blooms, and water reuse and students participating in environmental programs at Duluth Public Schools. On Wednesday evening, attendees celebrated the 70^th anniversary of the GLC, which was established in 1955 by the Great Lakes Basin Compact. The Compact was ratified by the Great Lakes state legislatures and granted consent by the U.S Congress in 1968.

In advance of the meeting, GLC leadership planted two trees on the Superior Hiking Trail. As a founding member of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Trees and Green Events initiatives, the GLC has committed to using sustainable practices at its meetings and supporting the initiative’s goal of planting 250 million trees in the Great Lakes basin by 2033. The GLC also hosted a tour of the St. Louis River Estuary on the Duluth River Train; representatives of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa outlined remediation and restoration work underway in the estuary. Additionally, the GLC hosted a screening of the film Ripples of Plastic, which explores the unseen impacts of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, including contamination, microplastics, and human health effects, and a conversation with the filmmaker.

The GLC will next convene in Washington, D.C. for its Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day on March 3-5, 2026. More information will be available on the GLC’s website in advance of the meeting. 

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy J. Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Organizations across the region will come together to educate the public about aquatic invasive species (AIS) during the seventh annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, to be held June 30 through July 13, 2025. Volunteers will demonstrate to boaters how to prevent the spread of AIS, how to identify AIS, and how to report AIS, which are recognized as one of the most significant threats to the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes. This annual event is coordinated through an international partnership of Indigenous, federal, state, and provincial agencies with the support of the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and other partner organizations.

“The Great Lakes Commission is proud to continue coordinating the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz with our partners,” said GLC Executive Director Erika Jensen. “Invasive species threaten native species and the regional economy. Fish and wildlife cross jurisdictional boundaries, so we all need to work together to avoid spreading harmful species from one water body to another.”

For the fourth year, the Great Lakes Commission has also awarded more than $105,000 in grants to local organizations to conduct outreach to boaters this summer. This funding will be used by grantees to host local Landing Blitz events, expanding the overall reach of the initiative and supporting strategic education and outreach targeted to the recreational activities pathway of AIS introduction and spread.

Thirteen grants were awarded:

Funding for the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through a grant agreement between the Great Lakes Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information on the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, including educational materials, location, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.glc.org/blitz.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Washington, D.C. – A binational coalition of regional agencies, Indigenous Nations, legislators, local communities, and business, maritime and environmental groups today released shared priorities for restoring the Great Lakes and supporting the region’s economy. The priorities were released in advance of Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings together regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies.

“Restoring and protecting the Great Lakes is an enduring, bipartisan priority for the nation and for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin communities,” the priorities read. “Our organizations support the following priorities to ensure the Great Lakes are a source of drinking water, an environmental treasure, and an economic engine now and into the future.

The agenda urges Congress and the Trump administration to: continue producing restoration results, including by appropriating no less than $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in FY 2026; provide clean drinking water to all; enhance the Great Lakes Navigation System; strengthen communities; protect people from persistent and emerging threats; and secure a prosperous future

The priorities are endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus, Great Lakes Business Network, and Lake Carriers’ Association.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today released its 2025 agenda for the Great Lakes. It calls for continued strategic investment in the lakes, which hold 95% of America’s fresh surface water and provide drinking water for more than 47 million people.

“Restoring the Great Lakes means protecting drinking water for millions, as well as growing an $81 billion regional recreational economy and a nearly $51 billion maritime system,” said GLC chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. “The Great Lakes Commission urges our federal partners to continue their investment in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and other programs that improve the region’s economy and environment, as every $1 spent restoring the lakes generates more than $3 in economic activity for the country.”

In 2025, the GLC urges Congress and the administration to: fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; fund the GLC to fulfill its unique role in the region; provide the cleanest and safest drinking water in the world; unlock the economic potential of the Great Lakes Navigation System; eliminate harmful algal blooms; defend against invasive species; and build a resilient Great Lakes basin.

The agenda is being shared in advance of next week’s Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings together regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies. Great Lakes Day will be held in-person in Washington, D.C., following the 2025 Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting. The GLC and Northeast-Midwest Institute organize Great Lakes Day annually to bring together the states, members of Congress and the federal government to raise awareness of Great Lakes issues.

For more information on the GLC and its work, visit www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for projects that would help improve Great Lakes water quality by reducing nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds and eroding shorelines and streams. Indigenous Nations, nonfederal units of government, and incorporated nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for grants for up to $300,000 through the 2025 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) grant program.

For 34 years, grants provided by GLSNRP have enabled local partners to reduce nutrients and sediments entering the Great Lakes. 2025 applicants are invited to submit proposals for activities associated with one of the following project types: agricultural nonpoint, or stream/shoreline. Grants awarded through GLSNRP may support work over a period of up to four years.

A webinar for potential applicants will be held on March 13, 2025, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Eastern on April 29, 2025 and will be reviewed by representatives from the eight Great Lakes states, as well as partners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Final decisions on funded projects are anticipated in summer 2025, with work to begin no later than October 1, 2025.

The GLC has managed GLSNRP with funding support through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative since 2010. Funded projects support progress toward the achievement of GLRI Action Plan IV objectives and goals. This program is a partnership between NRCS, U.S. EPA, and the Great Lakes states. GLSNRP funding is subject to the availability of U.S. federal funding.

Please visit www.nutrientreduction.org for more information or contact Connor Roessler at croessler@glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) to support in-person outreach to recreational boaters as part of the annual regional Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Landing Blitz.

The Landing Blitz is an annual event, coordinated by the GLC, that brings together Great Lakes stakeholders to talk about how to prevent the introduction and spread of AIS at boating access sites across the region and why it’s an important endeavor. Units of government (Indigenous, state or local), lake associations, conservation groups, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education are invited to apply for grants for up to $10,000 to support outreach events during the 2025 Blitz period of June 30 – July 13.

The due date for grant applications is 5 p.m. Eastern on April 4, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the eight Great Lakes states. Final decisions on funded projects are anticipated in late April. Selected projects may begin work as soon as June 1, so long as a minimum of three outreach events are planned, and at least one event occurs during the primary event dates of June 30 – July 13.

This funding is intended to expand the reach of the Blitz at water bodies and access points that have not historically been included in previous Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz events. A general informational webinar for the RFP will be held on February 18 from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern. Registration for the webinar is available here.

For more information, please contact GLC Project Manager Theresa Gruninger at tgruninger@glc.org or 734-396-6073.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.