About the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
- Kurt Thiede's Biography
- 312-886-3000
- Chris Korleski's Biography
- 312-353-8320
What We Do
The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) coordinates U.S. efforts with Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, which includes Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. GLNPO brings together federal, state, tribal, local, and industry partners under the strategic framework of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to accomplish the objectives of GLRI action plan which in turn fulfills the aims of the GLWQA. We:
- remediate contaminated sediments under the Great Lakes Legacy Act;
- prevent pollution and work to reduce persistent toxic chemicals, as well as to identify emerging contaminants;
- identify, protect, and restore important habitats;
- monitor and report on environmental status and trends;
- provide assistance for community-based Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern and for Lakewide Management Plans;
- use our funding to assist Great Lakes partners through grants, interagency agreements, and contracts, and
- coordinate and communicate with a wide variety of partners to achieve environmental progress.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. The GLRI Action Plan II covers fiscal years 2015-2019 and focuses on:
- Cleaning up Great Lakes Areas of Concern
- Preventing and controlling invasive species
- Reducing nutrient runoff that contributes to harmful/nuisance algal blooms
- Restoring habitat to protect native species
Other Programs and Projects Managed by GLNPO
- Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) areas in the Great Lakes Basin that have been identified as severely degraded
- Great Lakes Funding
- Great Lakes Legacy Act
- Great Lakes Monitoring and Indicators
- Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA)
- Lakewide Management Plans (LAMPs)