Publications

IJC publications contain both board and corporate documents, including reports, fact sheets, infographics, and presentations. Contractor reports are created on behalf of or in coordination with the IJC or its boards by a separate entity, including individuals, companies, and governments. Government reports are documents developed by US or Canadian local/provincial/state/federal government that are of interest to the IJC or board.

IJC Content

Displaying 1 - 50 of 205.

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2023 Consultant Report and Summary Letter In 2021, the IJC’s Water Quality Board launched the Manure Nutrient Management Collaborative (Collaborative) with representatives from agriculture, conservation, business, environmental science and government leaders, working toward protection of water...
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The GLAM Committee is developing a Phase 2 strategy to guide the collection of critical information needed for the Board to evaluate the performance of Plan 2014 in response to extreme high and low water levels and the variability exacerbated by climate change and make a recommendation to the IJC on...
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Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (the Agreement), the International Joint Commission (the Commission) is responsible for providing the Canadian and US governments (the Parties) with a report that assesses progress toward achieving the Agreement’s objectives. This is the Commission’s...
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In 2023 the WQB, with a team of consultants, produced a report that collected and analyzed ecological, economic, social, political, demographic, technological and cultural data to identify key drivers and trends expected to influence the Great Lakes region over the next 30 years. From this, four...
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Semi-annual report of progress from March 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023.
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In the spring and summer of 2022, the Namakan Chain of Lakes1 and Rainy Lake reached the highest water levels on record. The flood was a natural disaster that lasted for many weeks. Rainy Lake reached record-breaking water levels, and Namakan Lake ranked as the third highest on record. Since 1949...
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This document serves as a high-level summary of the Water Levels Committee’s Post Flood Report. Read the full report.
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Following up on its 2019 report “ Use of Modeling Approaches to Affect Nutrient Management Through Adaptative Management”, this IJC Great Lakes Science Advisory Board-Research Coordination Committee report focuses on progress to date in implementing the Lake Erie Nutrient Adaptive Management...
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This white paper presents the results of a collaboration between the International Joint Commission’s Health Professionals Advisory Board and the Great Lakes Beach Association to assess the binational extent, experience and effects of Great Lakes Beach Sanitary Surveys in the United States and...
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This report looks at efforts to manage nutrients in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario by assessing federal, state and provincial Domestic Action Plans and their implementation, reviewing eight previous IJC reports on nutrient management, and assessing the extent to which key IJC recommendations have been...
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Tenth Annual Report from the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board. January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
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Semi-annual report of progress from September 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023.
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The 139th semi-annual progress report to the International Joint Commission from the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board, covering the period from 1 September 2022 through 28 February 2023.
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In the spring and summer of 2022, the Namakan Chain of Lakes and Rainy Lake reached the highest water levels on record. The flood was a natural disaster that lasted for many weeks. Rainy Lake reached record-breaking water levels, and Namakan Lake ranked as the third highest on record. Since 1949...
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To the Official Compilation Prescribing the Method of Regulating the Levels of Boundary Waters dated September 13, 2018.
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February 2023 slide deck from NOAA - Current Conditions and Outlook for Rainy River Basin
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Water Levels Committee: Pre-Spring Engagement - February 27, 2023 slide deck Base Flows Snowpack Temperature Overall Picture Long-Range forecasts and Climate
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This work plan identifies the priority activities to be carried out or initiated by the GLAM Committee in the period covering October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. Tasks are focused on supporting Phase 2 of the expedited review of Plan 2014, with additional tasks to related to the Plan 2012...
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The Great Lakes Science Strategy for the Next Decade (the Science Strategy) summarizes the science gaps and related resource needs identified by hundreds of knowledge-holders convened by the International Joint Commission (IJC). This Summary Report provides an overview of the project and integrates...
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This work plan identifies the priority activities to be carried out or initiated by the GLAM Committee in the period covering October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022. While these activities generally support the long-term adaptive management strategy (on-going review and evaluation) of regulation...
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The 138th semi-annual progress report to the International Joint Commission from the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board, covering the period from 1 March 2022 through 31 August 2022.
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Semi-annual report of progress from March 1, 2022 to August 31, 2022.
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As part of the International Rainy Lake of the Woods Watershed Board’s implementation of the IJC’s climate change guidance framework, the Adaptive Management Committee engaged water resources experts, IJC staff, and the public in a half-day, in-person workshop in Fort Frances, ON on the margins of...
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This infographic outlines the roles and responsibilities for the management of water levels in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods basin.
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Annex 10 (Science) of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement assigns the International Joint Commission (IJC) and its Science Advisory Board (SAB) a role in providing input to the Parties on priority science issues on a three year basis. This document summarizes the SAB’s advice to the Parties on...
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Welcome to the first edition of the Tri-Board Tribune, a quarterly newsletter designed by the Great Lakes Water Levels Boards of the International Joint Commission (IJC) to share information and articles related to the entire Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River basin and provide regional updates...
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Welcome to the first edition of the Tri-Board Tribune, a quarterly newsletter designed by the Great Lakes Water Levels Boards of the International Joint Commission to share information and articles related to the entire Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River basin and provide regional updates presented by...
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Welcome to the first edition of the Tri-Board Tribune, a quarterly newsletter designed by the Great Lakes Water Levels Boards of the International Joint Commission to share information and articles related to the entire Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River basin and provide regional updates presented by...
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About Water Quality Board Watching Briefs The Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) develops watching briefs for the purpose of summarizing significant developments, events and information in a factual manner on specific, defined topic areas. They are periodically updated and serve to keep the WQB...
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To the Official Compilation Order Prescribing the Method of Regulating the Levels of Boundary Waters dated September 13, 2018
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In January 2019, the Committee published its 2018 phase one report that recommended the development of a Great Lakes groundwater and surface water conceptual framework. The latest report from the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board-Research Coordination Committee describes the scientific, technical...
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In 2021 the WQB produced a report (updated August 2023) on the topic of decommissioning nuclear power plants in the Great Lakes basin, which identified potential opportunities in the decommissioning process to reduce threats to the Great Lakes environment. The WQB recommends binational alignment of...
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The 137th semi-annual progress report to the International Joint Commission from the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board, covering the period from 1 September 2021 through 28 February, 2022.
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Semi-annual report of progress from 1 September, 2021 through February 28, 2022.
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The International Joint Commission (IJC) established the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Adaptive Management (GLAM) Committee through an IJC directive on January 16, 2015, to provide monitoring and evaluation of regulation plans as a sub-committee in support of the International Lake Superior Board of...
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The report outlines changes that have occurred since the last report in 2014, focusing on the primary areas of concern in the watershed of nutrients and algae, contaminants, climate change, aquatic invasive species, and erosion/water levels. The report also highlights concerns about the health of...
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Reports The Great Lakes Water Quality Board completed its third Great Lakes Regional Poll in 2021. The 2021 Great Lakes Regional Poll results provide a snapshot of Great Lakes residents' views on topics including: the importance to protect the Great Lakes environmental health and water quality, and...
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The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee (GLAM Committee) of the International Joint Commission (IJC) began Phase 1 of the expedited review of Plan 2014 in February 2020. The objective of Phase 1 was to assess flow releases under the International Lake Ontario – St...
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View related Phase 1 content, or open the PDF version below.
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This document provides the collective wisdom of the 18 member Public Advisory Group in terms of summarizing their contribution to the Phase 1 effort of the Expedited Review of Plan 2014, the challenges and limitations of the process and their recommendations for future public engagement.
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The Lake Erie–Niagara River Ice Boom reduces the amount of ice passing from Lake Erie to the Niagara River. This prevents ice blockages from interfering with hydropower production and reduces the potential of ice damage to shoreline property. The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Ontario Power...
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The 136th semi-annual progress report to the International Joint Commission from the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board, covering the period from 1 March 2021 through 31 August, 2021.
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The connecting waters are vital links in the economic and ecological network of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system, but they are threatened by multiple stressors. Present monitoring activities are insufficient to adequately inform the management of these connecting waters. The Great Lakes...
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The Health Professionals Advisory Board conducted a proof-of-concept pilot study to assess whether it is feasible to collect comparable, binational water quality and population health data for locations around the Great Lakes, and whether such data could be used to generate conclusions and examine...
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