The Great Lakes Commission is well suited to develop tools and support strategies to revitalize waterfront communities and strengthen the “Blue Economy” through research, policy development, information exchange and technology transfer, and stakeholder collaboration. The GLC supports programs, such as the Coastal Zone Management Program as implemented by the states, that facilitate healthy and sustainable coastal development, and advocates for policies and legislation that strengthen state leadership; promote the exchange of best practices; emphasize sustainability and resiliency to impacts from climate change; and balance multiple benefits such as recreation, fish and wildlife, commercial navigation, and water-dependent industries.

Waterfront areas in the Great Lakes historically have been centers of economic activity for coastal communities, supporting industries with fresh water, energy, and access to waterborne networks for shipping raw materials and finished goods. The industrial era left a legacy of contamination and habitat degradation in many shoreline areas and the decline in heavy industry in the Great Lakes region has left many waterfronts vacant or underutilized.

Many coastal communities are working to clean up and reclaim waterfront areas and align them with new plans for economic development, public access, recreation, habitat restoration and other uses, along with continued support for commercial navigation. Progress in cleaning up and restoring degraded shorelines has accelerated significantly in recent years with support from the Great Lakes Legacy Act, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and other state, provincial and federal programs, particularly in Areas of Concern designated under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Multiple state, provincial and federal programs support healthy and sustainable coastal development, including the GLRI, Coastal Zone Management Act, National Sea Grant College Program, and brownfields redevelopment programs. Some recent proposals have focused on promoting economic clusters, particularly those that depend on fresh water, and assisting communities in developing waterfront areas, balancing multiple uses, and strengthening resiliency to impacts from climate change.

The Great Lakes Commission’s work supports waterfront community revitalization by improving water quality, restoring degraded shorelines, enhancing valuable fish and wildlife resources, repairing water infrastructure, promoting commercial navigation, and facilitating collaboration and information exchange among policymakers and local leaders. The GLC will continue to identify and support opportunities to strengthen federal and state policies, programs and funding; facilitate state leadership; promote the exchange of best practices; emphasize sustainability and resiliency to impacts from climate change; and balance multiple benefits such as recreation, fish and wildlife, commercial navigation, and water-dependent industries.

Tracking progress toward a healthier Lake Erie

Lake Erie has a significant social and economic impact on the surrounding region. Currently, harmful algal blooms (HABs) and seasonal hypoxia, which are thought to be the result of excessive phosphorus (P) loading, threaten the water quality and biodiversity of the lake. Recognizing the substantial threat HABs and hypoxia present to the surrounding region, governors and premieres agreed to reduce P loading by 40% (from 2008 loads) by 2025 in the 2015 Collaborative agreement. In the same year, the Great Lakes Commission’s own Lake Erie Nutrient Targets report established similar goals and a set of 10 steps to achieve the targets. Both of those efforts gained further support when the governments of Canada and the United States formally adopted a 40% reduction goal in February 2016 through Annex 4 of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the two nations.

ErieStat is a web-based platform for tracking progress toward the goal of a 40% reduction in phosphorus loads to the western and central basins of Lake Erie. ErieStat provides valuable services to the states of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York and the province of Ontario as these governments work to implement policies and programs to achieve the binational phosphorus reduction goal.

Reducing P loading is expected to substantially decrease the intensity and frequency of HABs while also reducing the areal extent of the hypoxic zone within the central basin, therefore improving water quality for surrounding communities that depend on Lake Erie for safe drinking water and the Lake’s ecosystem as a whole.

ErieStat was led by a team from the Great Lakes Commission. Guidance for ErieStat came from our Steering Committee and Content Advisory Group, which include members from state, provincial, and federal government; academic research institutions; nonprofit organizations; and other experts in the region.

Reducing Phosphorus into Lake Erie

Excess phosphorus entering Lake Erie contributes to the formation of harmful algal blooms and dead zones, and can be dangerous for fish, wildlife and people.

In June 2015, the Governors of Michigan and Ohio and Premier of Ontario signed a Collaborative Agreement to work together toward a 40% reduction in the amount of total and dissolved reactive phosphorus entering Lake Erie’s Western Basin by the year 2025, with an interim goal of a 20% reduction by 2020. In the same year, the Great Lakes Commission’s own Lake Erie Nutrient Targets report established similar goals and a set of 10 steps to achieve the targets. Both of those efforts gained further support when the governments of Canada and the United States formally adopted a 40% reduction goal for phosphorus in the western and central basins in February 2016 through Annex 4 of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the two nations. The Commission is working closely with Annex 4 in developing ErieStat.

This webinar series was recorded between February 28th and May 1st, 2019, and explored the best practices, opportunities, and barriers to catalyzing asset management and IWAM across the Great Lakes region. The four webinars collectively include presentations by 17 different expert panelists about diverse topics related to IWAM. Descriptions and links to recordings of each webinar are available below.

In addition, the Great Lakes Commission hosted three focus groups that brought together 30 professionals in the field of water infrastructure and asset management that took place in Mississauga Ontario (June 26, 2019), Dayton Ohio (June 22, 2019), and Erie, Pennsylvania (July 22, 2019). The ideas shared at these sessions are summarized in the IWAM Phase I Report (coming in November 2019).

Webinar 1: What is Integrated Water Asset Management?

• Click here to view a recording of IWAM Webinar 1 (recorded 2/26/19)
• IWAM Webinar 1: Slide Deck

The kick-off webinar of the IWAM series discussed the basic questions of what should be considered a water infrastructure “asset” and what it means to effectively manage them. It also explored primary drivers for asset management and desired outcomes for communities. While traditional (grey) infrastructure is often thought of as the pipes, pumps, and plants that treat and deliver water supplies, this narrow definition leaves out many essential elements of municipal systems. What about natural and engineered green infrastructure features? What about the knowledge, human capacity, and financing required to design and implement a long-term asset management plan? Why does this even matter? Download the recording of this webinar (link above) to learn more.

Webinar 1 Panelist of Presenters

1. Tim Colling, Michigan Tech
2. Christine Weigle, Lycoming County Water and Sewer Authority
3. Anna Wolf, Center for Neighborhood Technology

Webinar 2: Water Infrastructure Financing and IWAM

• Click here to view a recording of IWAM webinar 2 (recorded 3/18/19)
• IWAM Webinar 2: Slide Deck 

In this webinar a panel of experts shares their perspectives on current financing opportunities for asset management and discusses options for expanding financial support for IWAM. The webinar also explores how asset management can improve and support rate-setting and infrastructure financing.

Webinar 2 Panelist of Presenters

1. Jay Kessen & Mark Hoskins, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
2. Robert Boos, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST)
3. Jeff Hughes, University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center

Webinar 3: Technology and IWAM

• Click here to view a recording of IWAM webinar 3 (recorded 4/11/19)
• IWAM Webinar 3: Slide Deck

This webinar explores how different types of software and technology can support asset management at different scales, from individual municipal supplies to regional systems, and how technology can be used to support data sharing agreements and coordinated decision-making by drinking, waste, and stormwater system managers. A panel of presenters will discuss how their organizations employ technology to conduct asset management and share ideas for systems looking to further integrate asset management into their work.

Webinar 3 Panelist of Presenters

1. Bryon Wood & Jody Caldwell, Great Lakes Water Authority 
2. Heather Himmelberger, Southwest Environmental Finance Center
3. Steve Rozycki, Macomb County, MI Public Works 

Webinar 4: IWAM Policy and Program Implementation

• Click here to view a recording of IWAM webinar 4 (recorded 5/01/19)
• IWAM Webinar 4: Slide Deck

The final webinar of the series explores how water infrastructure asset management programs are currently being designed and implemented in Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. Panelists from these states and province give presentations on their asset management work and address the elements previously discussed throughout this webinar series, including (1) the scope of assets considered within their policies and programs, (2) short and long-term financing considerations, and (3) the technology they currently use or intend on using in the future.

Webinar 4 Panelist of Presenters

1. Jessica Moy, Michigan Infrastructure Council
2. Kelly Green, Michigan Water Asset Management Council 
3. Kelly Karll & Ann Burns, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG)
4. Melissa Osborne, City of Windsor & Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) 
5. Susan Schell, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 

2019 MiCorps Fact Sheet

MiCorps was created by Michigan Executive Order to assist the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs.

MiCorps is comprised of two core volunteer monitoring programs, the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program and the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program, and provides technical assistance and other support to local units of government, nonprofit entities, and other volunteers around the state in the management of these initiatives, including:

• Training for stream and lake monitoring;
• Disseminating methods for accurate data collection;
• Implementing effective quality assurance practices;
• Facilitating data reporting and information sharing online; and
• Providing a forum for communication and support among volunteer monitoring groups in Michigan.

Additionally, the MiCorps Data Exchange (MDE) platform (available from the program website) provides online access to volunteer monitoring data through a searchable database. This system fulfills a critical role by allowing volunteers to gather and exchange reliable and meaningful water quality data for water resources management and protection programs at the state and local level.

The Michigan Volunteer River, Stream, and Creek Cleanup Grant Program (VRSCCP) is a competitive grants program that provides small grants to local units of government to help implement volunteer cleanup efforts of rivers, streams, and creeks to improve the waters in Michigan. Grants typically range from $500 to $5,000, and may be used to support the cleanup and removal of human-made trash and debris from rivers and streams and along their banks. Grant funds awarded under the program can pay for such items as disposal costs, hand tools, supplies, refreshments, and other volunteer appreciation materials for volunteers. Local units of government are eligible to apply for and receive funding and may, in turn, work with nonprofit organizations and grassroots groups to conduct the actual cleanup efforts.

The VRSCCP is managed by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and was administered under contract by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). EGLE worked cooperatively with the GLC staff, providing overall direction for the program and the awarding of grant funds. Additionally, EGLE staff provides advice and assistance to volunteers on technical issues and considerations for the proposed projects.

2019 Fact Sheet

Video: River Raisin Clean-Up 2019

Video: Friends of the Shiawassee River Cleanup Day

The Friends of the Shiawassee River, in partnership with the Shiawassee County Health Department (a 2014 VRSCCP grant recipient) and others, produced a video of their annual Shiawassee River cleanup in 2014.