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 - 35 of 35.

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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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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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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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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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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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An environmental stressor is any factor whose presence adversely affects individuals, populations, or ecosystems. Often but not necessarily the result of human activities, examples include many different pollutants, excess nutrients, habitat loss and invasive species. Recognizing that interactions...
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2020 Report In June 2020, the International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) completed a report entitled Understanding Declining Productivity in the Offshore Regions of the Great Lakes. The report includes a number of findings and a recommendation aimed at improving coordination...
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The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (the Agreement) charges the International Joint Commission (IJC), supported by its Great Lakes advisory boards, with several responsibilities including identification of emerging issues facing the Great Lakes. To help fulfil this responsibility the IJC’s Great...
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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. The Parties’ initial Draft Priorities for Science and Action...
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The purpose of this document is to compile unbiased background information about nuclear energy production, the nuclear regulators, the decommissioning process, radioactive waste management, and status of the nuclear power facilities in the Great Lakes basin. The background report is also...
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In January 2017 the WQB produced a Climate Change and Adaption in the Great Lakes project summary that focused on the need for coordinated binational action in developing a climate adaption and resiliency strategy for the Great Lakes. The WQB undertook follow-up work to explore ways to advance...
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The International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) Science Priority Committee undertook a synthesis of the science related to observed and potential impacts of crude oil on Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem condition and identified additional research, monitoring and information...
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The purpose of this project was to assess the flow of information to decision makers in the Great Lakes, identify barriers to the flow of this information, and provide recommendations to the IJC and the Parties to address these barriers.
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This report presents the recommendations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board on the topic of how watershed management plans should be used to manage nutrient pollution in Lake Erie. The implementation of effective watershed management plans is an important tool in a holistic approach to reducing...
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This report provides the recommendations of the Water Quality Board to address the challenges in seeking alternatives to the use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as flame retardants, and avoiding the release of PBDEs during product use, recycling and disposal through the implementation of...
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This document summarizes the SAB’s advice to the Parties on their Draft 2017-2019 Binational Priorities for Science. This advice benefited from input provided by the IJC’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board. General comments that apply to all Agreement Annexes are presented first, followed by general...
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This report presents the recommendations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board's Legacy Issues Work Group on the topic of how watershed management plans should be used to manage nutrient pollution in Lake Erie.
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The IJC identified a suite of 16 ecosystem indicators composed of 41 metrics to assess progress towards achieving the objectives of the 2012 GLWQA. In April 2014, the IJC asked the SAB - Science Priority Committee (SPC) to identify a smaller set of indicators and metrics from this existing set that...
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Oraclepoll Research Limited was commissioned by the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) to conduct a telephone survey of residents living in the Great Lakes basin catchment area. The survey was intended to establish baseline data across an array of...
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This report provides the recommendations of the Water Quality Board's Legacy Issues Work Group, with regard to the development of a strategy by the governments of Canada and the United States to address polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the Great Lakes.
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The report provides advice and recommendations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board to the International Joint Commission on the implications and impacts of climate change on Great Lakes water quality and beneficial uses, and how address such changes.
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In late 1999, the International Joint Commission asked its Great Lakes Water Quality Board to assess progress made under the Strategy and the contribution of the Strategy toward achievement of the Agreement's virtual elimination goal. To carry out this charge, the Board convened a Progress Review...
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As part of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission charge to assess habitat alterations and recommend mitigative strategies to address concerns for aquaculture in the Great Lakes basin, a roundtable discussion of water quality impacts of Great lakes aquaculture was held on January 27-28, 1999 in...
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The International Joint Commission identified contaminated sediment as a program priority. The IJC assigned this priority to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board with the support of the Science Advisory Board and the Council of Research Managers. The Sediment Priority Action Committee was formed from...
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Summary of the importance of contaminated sediment management in the Great Lakes
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Based on a Workshop to Evaluate Data Interpretation Tools used to Make Sediment Management Decisions held at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor on December 1-2, 1998 Full report can be found at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article...
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Contaminated sediment remediation can be a catalyst in the turnaround of waterfronts, which is important in shaping the future of many cities within the 42 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes basin. The IJC and its Water Quality Board have worked diligently to spread the word about this important...
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Contaminated sediment is a major problem and well recognized in remedial action plans (RAPs) and lakewide management plans (LaMPs). In an effort to communicate information in a timely fashion, three case studies on environmental benefits of sediment remediation are presented by the WQB's Sediment...
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The International Joint Commission (IJC) identified "Remediation and management of sediments contaminated with persistent toxic substances" as one of its 1995-1997 program priorities. Initially, the IJC requested the Water Quality Board (WQB), with assistance from the Science Advisory Board (SAB)...
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In light of the fact that the Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) was the originator of RAPs, that the WQB is the principal advisor to the International Joint Commission (IJC) on water quality matters, that the WQB is charged with assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of Great Lakes programs...
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Linking Local Watershed Management Efforts across the Lake Ontario Basin was the title of the 5th annual conference of the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance (FLLOWPA) held October 18-19, 1996 in Rochester, New York. The conference also functioned as the first public meeting of...
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On May 3, 1996 a Practical and Cost-Effective Watershed Management Conference was held in Livonia, Michigan. The conference attempted to move beyond theory to practice by presenting practical and cost-effective methods for implementing watershed management.
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The Water Quality Board, as a participant in the development and execution of the 1993-95 Great Lakes Priorities of the International Joint Commission, had direct involvement in the pollution prevention, pulp and paper, groundwater and pesticides issues described in this chapter. In addition, the...
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The International Joint Commission approved the guidelines for listing and delisting Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. These guidelines are the result of months of work coordinated by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board and input from more than 200 interested citizens and...
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