General Permit
An Army Corps of Engineers authorization that
is issued on a nationwide or regional basis for categories of human activities
within navigable waters of the U.S. General
permits are issued when: (1)these activities are substantially similar
in nature and cause only minimal individual and cumulative environmental
impacts; or (2) the general permit would result in avoiding unnecessary
duplication of the regulatory control exercised by another federal, state,
or local agency provided it has been determined that the environmental
consequences of the action are individually and cumulatively minimal.
There are three types of general permits, Regional
Permits, Nationwide Permits, and Programmative
Permits. Related Programs - Section 404, 33 CFR
Glossary of the Great Lakes GGL
You are reading it! Great Lakes
Lake Ontario,
Lake Erie, Lake Huron (including Lake St. Clair), Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior,
and the connecting channels (Saint Marys River, Saint Clair River, Detroit River,
Niagara River, and Saint Lawrence River to the Canadian border).
Great Lakes 2000 GL2000
Led and implemented by Environment
Canada, GL2000 is based on a vision of sustainable development in the Great
Lakes Basin, with specific objectives of restoring degraded ecosystems,
preventing and controlling pollutant impacts, and conserving
human and ecosystem health. Other participating federal agencies include the Department
of Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Transport
Canada, Canadian Heritage, and Public Works and Government Service Canada.
Great Lakes Atmospheric Deposition Network
See Integrated
Great Lakes Atmospheric Deposition Network. Great Lakes
Basin
See Great Lakes System.
Great Lakes Charter
An international organization formed in 1985 by the premiers of Ontario
and Quebec and the governors of the eight Great Lakes
States in response to the increased interest in diverting Great
Lakes water to arid regions of the U.S. The charter does not encourage
these diversion proposals but has no enforcement powers to prevent their
implementation.
Great Lakes Commission
A Great
Lakes States organization formed in 1955 by the states of Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to promote a
cleaner environment, stronger economy and better quality of life for residents
of the Great Lakes States. Although Canada is not an official member of the commission,
it is on the task force. Through policy development, intergovernmental coordination,
and advocacy, the commission offers a variety of services to member states, and
provides a unified and influential regional voice on policy, program and legislative
matters affecting the Great Lakes. It maintains an active
observer program with representation from federal agencies, provincial governments,
regional organizations and tribal authorities. The commission also maintains the
Great Lakes Information Network and initiated the Ecosystem
Charter for the Great Lakes Basin. Great Lakes Critical
Pollutants GLCP
Substances (a total of 138) currently identified
as most critical to improving water quality under four major Great Lakes Initiatives:
The Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative, the Lake Michigan
Lakewide Management Plan, the Lake Ontario/Niagara River
Four Party agreement, and the Lake Superior Binational Program
Agreement. Each of the four initiatives may define critical
pollutants differently. Great Lakes Critical Programs
Act
Federal legislation in which Congress amended Section
118 of the Clean Water Act in 1990 to improve
the effectiveness of EPA's existing programs
in the Great Lakes. The Critical Programs Act
established the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative
and identified key treaty agreements between the United States and Canada
in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The
act required the EPA to establish statutory deadlines for treaty activities
and increased federal resources for the program. It also requires the
EPA to publish proposed water quality guidelines for the Great Lakes System.
The guidelines must specify minimum requirements for waters in the Great
Lakes system in three areas: water quality standards;
anti-degradation policies; and implementation
procedures. Related Programs - Clean Water Act,
Great Lakes Initiative
Great Lakes Enforcement Strategy
A federal program that is a joint
effort of the eight Great Lakes States and the EPA.
The strategy is a part of the process for implementing the Great
Lakes Five-Year Strategy for the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System program by reducing dischargers non-compliance in the Great
Lakes Basin and reducing toxics loading. A key element of the strategy is the use of screening
criteria that are more stringent than the national definition of significant non-compliance.
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory GLERL
A federal research facility run by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The
GLERL's mission is "to conduct integrated, interdisciplinary environmental
research in support of resource management and environmental services
in coastal and estuarine water, with special emphasis on the
Great Lakes." GLERL's research provides federal, state, and international
decision and policy makers with scientific understanding of:
- sources, pathways, and fates of toxicants
- natural hazards
- ecosystems and their interactions
- hydrology and Great
Lakes water levels
- regional effects related to global climate change.
Related
Programs - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Great Lakes Fishery Commission GLFC
An international organization established in 1955 by Canada and the United
States. Located in Ann Arbor, MI the GLFC works to improve the Great
Lakes fishery, coordinate efforts of the two nations, and implement
management of the sea lamprey. The commission
also advises the two governments on other non-indigenous
species. The USFWS is the U.S. agency that
acts for the commission. Related Programs - United
States Fish and Wildlife Service (Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans),
Sea Lamprey Control Program
Great Lakes Five-Year Strategy
(1992)
A federal (EPA) program that commits the states,
tribes, and U.S. federal agencies responsible for environmental protection
and resource management in the Great Lakes Basin
to achieving specific environmental goals. This overarching EPA strategy
provides a framework for EPAs Great Lakes Programs and contains three
major areas of focus: reduction of toxic pollutants; restoration of habitat; and protection
of the health of all species. Specifically, in the area of toxics reduction,
set forth in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
with Canada, the strategy calls for "...reducing the level of toxic
substances in the Great Lakes System with
an emphasis on persistent toxic substances, so
that all organisms are adequately protected and toxic substances are virtually
eliminated from the Great Lakes ecosystem."
Related Programs - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System
Great Lakes Indian
Fish and Wildlife Commission GLIFWC
An organization of Native
American tribes from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota that assists member tribes
in the management of natural resources, in ecosystem protection,
and in the development of institutions of tribal self-government.
Great Lakes Information Network GLIN
A nationwide Internet information exchange service for the Great Lakes Basin. GLIN ties together a host of databases
and file servers from a wide range of government and academic groups in
an easy-to-access format. Maintained by the Great
Lakes Commission. Related Programs - Great Lakes
Commission
Great Lakes Initiative GLI
The commonly used name for the
Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System, the
federal guidance, drafted in 1993 and finalized on March 23, 1995, that has regulatory
implications. The guidance establishes minimum water quality
standards, anti-degradation policies, and implementation procedures
for waters in the Great Lakes System. Related Program
- Great Lakes Toxic Reduction Initiative, Great
Lakes Toxic Reduction Effort, Clean Water Act
Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences GLLFAS
As a component of the Bayfield Institute, this
Canadian laboratory conducts research on the persistence and impacts of
toxic chemicals on Great Lakes fish communities
and food chains and studies fish habitat for factors that affect production,
species associations, and rehabilitation potential of fish stocks. It
is also responsible for implementing the federal Fish Health Regulations
for Ontario. Research helps support the 1987 Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement and binational concerns related to the
long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants.
Great Lakes Maritime
Industry Voluntary Ballast Water Management Plan for the Control of Ruffe in Lake
Superior
Co-sponsored by the maritime shipping industry Great
Lakes-wide, the plan is designed to reduce the risk that commercial vessels
will transport the Eurasian ruffe in ballast water from
Duluth-Superior harbor to other ports. It requires that ballast water be exchanged
in deep, cold water areas of Lake Superior. Commonly referred
to as the Voluntary Ballast Water Management Plan. Great
Lakes National Program Office GLNPO
A federal EPA office created in 1978 to oversee
the U.S. fulfillment of its obligations under the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement with Canada. It was mandated by the
Clean Water Act in 1987 to be responsible for
coordinating the U.S. response to the water quality agreement. Located
in Chicago, IL, GLNPO is made up of scientists, engineers, and other professionals
who work with staff throughout the EPA, Great
Lake States, other federal agencies, Environment
Canada, Ontario Provincial government, International
Joint Commission, colleges, universities, and the public. GLNPO developed
the Great Lakes Five-Year Strategy to focus the
activities of these groups on the following objectives: reduction of toxic
substance levels, protection and restoration of habitats, and the
protection of health. Related Programs - Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement, Environmental Protection
Agency, Great Lakes Five-Year Strategy, International
Joint Commission
Great
Lakes Natural Resource Center
A center, located in Ann Arbor, MI and
run by the National Wildlife Federation, a private wildlife protection group.
Their Lake Superior Project focuses on the environmental
problems of Lake Superior. Great Lakes Protection Fund GLPF
A program initiated by the governors of the Great
Lakes as the United States first multi-state environmental endowment, the
fund is guided by principles stressing regional cooperation and communication
with the purpose of promoting a healthy and sustainable Great Lakes ecosystem. Great Lakes Regional Office
See Great Lakes Water Quality Advisory Board.
Great Lakes Research Office
This federal office, administered
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
identifies issues relating to Great Lakes resources on which research is needed, inventories
existing research programs, establishes a mechanism for information exchange,
and conducts research through the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratories, the National Sea Grant College
Program, and other federal labs and the private sector. Related Programs -
Clean Water Act, National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratories, National Sea Grant College Program
Great Lakes Science Advisory Board SAB
See Science Advisory Board. Great
Lakes Sea Grant Network
A U.S. network consisting of Sea
Grant programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio,
and New York. Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council
A binational organization of the Great Lakes sportfishing
community concerned with the present and future health of sportfishing, natural
resources, and the Great Lakes ecosystem in general.
Great Lakes States
The states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Great Lakes
States Air Permitting Agreement
A federal program signed by the environmental
administrators of the Great Lakes States in 1988 to assure
consistent implementation of the Toxic Substances Management
in the Great Lakes Basin Through the Permitting Process Agreement.
Great Lakes System
All the streams, rivers, lakes, and other bodies
of water within the drainage basin of the Great
Lakes. Great Lakes Toxic Substances Control Agreement
An interstate agreement signed by the governors of the eight Great
Lakes States in 1986, this agreement seeks uniform water
quality standards for the Great Lakes. The
purpose of the governors' agreement was to establish a framework for coordinated
regional action in controlling toxic substances
entering the Great Lakes system.
Great Lakes Toxics Reduction Effort GLTxRE
This is a federal/state partnership that seeks to reduce the generation and release
of toxics to the Great Lakes Basin, with an emphasis on
nonpoint sources. It supports the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement and Great Lakes Five-Year
Strategy. EPA and the Great
Lakes States have established a process to deal with gaps or barriers to effectively
preventing, controlling, or eliminating toxics loadings
from nonpoint sources. An EPA team works with federal and state Great Lakes agencies
to enhance efforts to reduce Great Lakes critical pollutants
through three parallel projects: Virtual Elimination,
Lake Michigan Mass Balance, and source pathway analysis.
Related Programs - Great Lakes Initiative
Great Lakes Toxics Reduction Initiative GLTxRI
The original
name for the Great Lakes Toxics Reduction Effort.
Great Lakes Water Quality Advisory Board
A binational advisory
group to the International Joint Commission to assist
in evaluating progress by Canada and the U.S. in accomplishing the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement goals and to make recommendations regarding
the development and implementation of programs. Related Programs - Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement, International Joint Commission
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement GLWQA
An international agreement signed by the United States and Canada in 1972 and
updated in 1987. The agreement seeks to restore and maintain full beneficial
uses of the Great Lakes System. Language committing
the two nations to virtually eliminate the input of persistent
toxic substances in order to protect human health and living aquatic resources
was included when the agreement was updated in 1978. The philosophy adopted by
the two governments is zero discharge of such substances.
Related Programs - Lakewide Management Program, Remedial
Action Plans Great Lakes Water Quality Guidance GLWQG
See Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes
System and the Great Lakes Initiative. Related Programs
- Great Lakes Toxic Reduction Initiative, Clean
Water Act Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative GLWQI
A federal program initiated in 1989 by the EPA and the
Great Lakes States to further address the environmental
concerns identified in the Great Lakes Toxic Substances Control
Agreement. The GLWQI was intended to provide a forum for the Great Lakes States
and the EPA to develop uniform water quality criteria
and implementation procedures for the Great Lakes Basin
so as to create an even playing field for all industries in the region. This was
proposed in 1993 as the Water Quality Guidance for the Great
Lakes System. Related Programs - Great Lakes Toxic Reduction
Initiative, Great Lakes Initiative
Great Waters Study
See Great Waters Program.
Great Waters Program
This program was mandated
by Title III of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments to
assess the extent of atmospheric deposition of hazardous
air pollutants to the Great Lakes and other designated
waters. It includes setting up the Great Lakes Atmospheric
Deposition Network and reporting the monitoring results from the network to
investigate sources and deposition rates of air toxics,
to find out what proportion of pollutants come from the
atmosphere, and to evaluate any harmful effects to public health or the environment.
Related Programs - 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
Groundwater
Water that occurs beneath the ground surface in soils
and geologic formations. | 
