Great Lakes

The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario - form the largest surface freshwater system on the Earth. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes basin, and the daily activities of these people, from the water consumed to the waste returned, directly affects the Great Lakes environment.

• Great Lakes: Environmental Atlas and Resource Book
• Great Lakes Image Collection

In May 2004, a Presidential Executive Order was signed recognizing the Great Lakes as a national treasure, calling for the creation of a "Regional Collaboration of National Significance ," and a cabinet-level federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force.

The U.S.- Canadian Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy marked its 10th anniversary with its annual report. To date, 12 of the 17 goals for source- and emissions-reductions set in 1997 have been met, and the rest are well advanced. News release. Read the report.

The Great Lakes Legacy Act provides funding to take the necessary steps to clean up contaminated sediment in "Areas of Concern" (AOCs) located wholly or partially in the United States. Forty-three AOCs have been identified: 26 located entirely within the United States; 12 located wholly within Canada; and five that are shared by both countries.

The United States and Canada together assess the ecological health of the Great Lakes ecosystem and follow the trends of Great Lakes ecosystem conditions. /State of the Lakes Ecosystem/

This site provides information about efforts to keep the lakes clean for the people, animals, and plants that depend on them.

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    and Indicators
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