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Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan 2004 Status Report
Introduction
The purpose of this Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) 2004
status report is to provide:
- An executive summary of the status of theLake Michigan
ecosystem;
- A report on the progress in achieving the Lake Michigan
goals described in LaMP 2000 and examples of significant
activities completed in the past two years since LaMP 2002;
- A summary of the current Lake Michigan mass balance data
and findings;
- Links to more detailed information in LaMP 2000, 2002,
or other sources;
- An opportunity to comment on targets and plans for
pollution reduction and ecosystem restoration;
- A proposal to identify additional pollutants to be
addressed by the LaMP in the future; and
- An overview of the 33 major sub-watersheds that flow
into Lake Michigan, and their status.
What is the Status of the Lake?
“Lake Michigan is an outstanding natural resource of
global significance, under stress and in need of special
attention.” LaMP 2000
Since the release of LaMP 2002, several key indicators
point to the continuing concern for the health of the
ecosystem.
- Beach season data exhibited a continued number of
beach closings.
- Data reveal that a critical layer of the Lake
Michigan aquatic food web continues to disappear, and
with the discovery of new aquatic nuisance species–there
are now a total of 170 in the Great Lakes ecosystem–the
integrity of the food web of Lake Michigan is in
question.
- Mercury in fish is such a prevalent problem that 44
states now have mercury fish advisories, and a national
advisory has been issued for certain ocean fish pointing
to a problem of global proportions.
- Climatic pattern changes, whether temporary or
permanent, are lowering lake levels as well as raising
concerns about groundwater levels and lake/groundwater
interaction and
diversion.
- The interaction between ground water and surface
water is becoming better understood in the Lake Michigan
basin as declines in water levels from overpumping are
resulting in regional declines in baseflow levels in
streams that affect habitat.
- Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
the issue of protecting the lake’s vast supply of fresh
drinking water has become a higher priority.
Despite these concerns, Lake Michigan supports many
beneficial uses. For example, it provides drinking water
for 10 million people; has internationally significant
habitat and natural features; supports food production
and processing; supplies fish for food, sport, and
culture; has valuable commercial and recreational uses;
and is the home of the nation’s
third-largest population center. Furthermore,
significant progress is being made to remediate the
legacy of contamination in the basin. Specifically,
ongoing actions to restore the Areas of Concern (AOC)
have been successful and have received new resources
from the passage of the 2002 Great Lakes Legacy Act.
Their status is outlined in Chapter 8. The Lake Michigan
Watershed Academy was launched from four states and has
brought together the regional planning agencies for the
first time.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Lake Michigan Management Plan 2004 was developed
by the Lake Michigan Technical Committee with assistance
from the Lake Michigan Forum and various other agencies
and organizations. The LaMP benefited from the publicly
and privately funded research of many institutions,
results of pilot projects and generous critiques
throughout the process. Our goal is to restore and
protect the integrity of the Lake Michigan ecosystem
through collaborative, place-based partnerships. The
following is a list of some of the major contributors to
the LaMP.
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