Objective, Commitments & Measures
Objective:
1.1. Remediate, restore and delist Areas of Concern.
Commitments:
1.1.a. Implement management actions necessary to remove Beneficial Use Impairments and delist Areas of Concern.
1.1.b. With input from community partners on the benefits they would like to see included in GLRI projects, investigate opportunities for enhancing planned projects that focus on environmental justice, equity and access in underserved communities.
1.1.c. In Areas of Concern that have management actions yet to be completed, ensure that agencies and local Public Advisory Committees have meaningful involvement with communities to ensure fair treatment.
Measures:
| Measures of Progress With Annual Targets | Baseline/ Universe | FY2025 Target | FY2026 Target | FY2027 Target | FY2028 Target | FY2029 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1. Areas of Concern where all management actions necessary for delisting have been implemented. | 17/31 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 |
| 1.1.2. Beneficial Use Impairments removed in Areas of Concern. | 128/255 | 136 | 144 | 151 | 158 | 165 |
| 1.1.3. Areas of Concern delisted. | 6/31 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 1.1.4. Meaningfully involve communities within Areas of Concern in all phases of Management Actions to ensure equitable distribution of benefits. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
"Baseline" identifies results through the end of FY2024. "Targets" are cumulative. "Universe" represents the total number possible for applicable measures.
Background
Since the start of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners have accelerated cleanup of Areas of Concern — areas designated as the most contaminated sites on the Great Lakes under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Cleanup of Areas of Concern (AOCs) has led to community and economic revitalization.
The cleanup of AOCs is achieved through remediation and restoration work, which then leads to removing Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) — such as Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat. AOCs are delisted when all the BUIs have been removed. Since the start of the GLRI, GLRI federal agencies and their partners have removed 118 BUIs — over 11 times the number removed in the 22 years preceding the establishment of the GLRI, which greatly accelerated progress in restoring the U.S. AOCs. Two additional AOCs have also been delisted since the start of GLRI Action Plan III: Lower Menominee River in Wisconsin and Michigan, and Ashtabula River in Ohio. Additionally, GLRI federal agencies and their partners completed all the management actions at 11 more AOCs that will ultimately lead to delisting. Management actions are on-the-ground actions, including remediating contaminated sediment through public/private partnerships and restoring habitat (e.g., improving fish passage, restoring wetlands and removing dams), that will ultimately lead to the removal of Beneficial Use Impairments. When management actions are completed in an AOC, the ecosystem can begin to recover — set on the path to removing all BUIs and, ultimately, delisting.
Under GLRI Action Plan IV, GLRI federal agencies and their state, Tribal, local and private partners will continue to remediate and restore Areas of Concern (AOCs). GLRI agencies will leverage additional resources from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to significantly accelerate the implementation of management actions in all remaining AOCs. These remediation and restoration efforts will contribute to meeting the lofty goal laid out by President Biden of completing management actions necessary to ultimately delist all AOCs. Following input from states and Tribes, the following AOCs have been identified where completion of management actions could be achieved by FY2029: Clinton River, Cuyahoga River, Grand Calumet River, Maumee, Rouge River, St. Louis River and Torch Lake.
Under GLRI Action Plan IV, GLRI federal agencies and their state, Tribal and local partners will remove 40 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), with a cumulative total of 168 BUIs removed by the end of FY2029. These removals will leave fewer than 100 BUIs remaining — a huge milestone for the GLRI. Given the progress achieved under the GLRI and maturity of the AOC program, we will begin to use the number of delisted AOCs as a new measure of progress. We anticipate delisting eight more AOCs under Action Plan IV.
Most of the AOCs contain or are adjacent to disadvantaged and other communities with environmental justice concerns. Under GLRI Action Plan IV, GLRI federal agencies and their State, Tribal and local partners will have meaningful involvement with communities impacted by AOCs, especially disadvantaged and other communities with environmental justice concerns, to explore opportunities to enhance existing and planned AOC projects with increased access, recreation and cultural uses so that all share in the distribution of GLRI benefits. Examples of meaningful involvement with communities include public outreach during management action development through implementation, increased membership to local public advisory groups, development of state guidance for Public Advisory Committee (PAC) community engagement, efforts to increase or maintain diversity in PAC leadership and supporting workforce development opportunities.
Continue reading about the Action Plan IV: