Focus Area 1: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern - Objective 1.3

Objective:

1.3. Increase knowledge about contaminants that have impacted or pose the potential to impact the ecological health of the Great Lakes and their natural resources and/or pose a public health risk.

Commitment:

1.3.a. Fill critical data gaps and communicate results for priority contaminants in the Great Lakes through discrete monitoring and assessment activities.

Measure of Progress:

1.3.1. Contaminant monitoring and assessment activities conducted to address data gaps.

Background

Chemical contaminants are important stressors to monitor and assess in the Great Lakes. Under Action Plan III, federal agencies and their partners supported and concluded a multiyear assessment of emerging contaminants (e.g., pharmaceuticals and personal care products) and their potential impacts on Great Lakes ecosystems. GLRI federal agencies and partners also began implementing discrete monitoring and assessment projects to assess the potential ecosystem impacts of priority contaminants, such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). For example, GLRI federal agencies and their partners have assessed pathways of PFAS into the Great Lakes and advanced the understanding of how PFAS accumulate in the aquatic food web.

Under Action Plan IV, GLRI federal agencies and their partners will continue monitoring priority contaminants and assessing their impacts on Great Lakes ecosystems. GLRI federal agencies and partners will use already identified knowledge and data gaps, including those identified by the Lake Partnerships for the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and in national plans such as EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap, to conduct discrete monitoring and assessment projects. The results of these projects will be communicated through understandable and accessible methods to appropriate Great Lakes stakeholders.

Assessing PFAS in Lake Michigan

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has begun assessing the concentrations of PFAS in Lake Michigan to establish a baseline of how these contaminants are distributed in the nearshore area of the lake and the aquatic food web. The goal of the project is to describe current concentrations of PFAS in water, sediment, mussels, fish and eagles along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan nearshore waters. The project will also enhance the understanding of how PFAS accumulate through the Lake Michigan food web.

Continue reading about the Action Plan IV:

Focus Area 2: Invasive Species