News Releases from Region 02

Proposed Lakewide Action and Management Plan Addresses Threats to Lake Ontario’s Water Quality

Public comments being taken through June 13

Buffalo, N.Y.  – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Great Lakes National Program Office, and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) are seeking public feedback on a draft five-year plan for improving Lake Ontario water quality.

The Lake Ontario Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) is a binational ecosystem-based strategy for protecting and restoring the water quality of Lake Ontario, including the connecting Niagara River and St. Lawrence River. The LAMP is developed and implemented by the Lake Ontario Partnership, which is led by EPA and ECCC.

“The Lakewide Action and Management Plan tackles real threats to the health of Lake Ontario’s water quality,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “The binational environmental protection and restoration activities in this plan are guided by a shared vision of a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable Great Lakes region in which the waters of Lake Ontario are used and enjoyed by present and future generations.”

The draft plan looks at current threats to the lake and the 26 actions to address those threats, such as:

• nutrient reduction efforts;
• improving the health of aquatic and wetland habitat and native species;
• controlling aquatic invasive species; and
• reducing chemical contaminants while improving water quality.

Lakewide Action and Management Plans are plans of action to assess, restore, protect and monitor the ecosystem health of each Great Lake and its connecting river system. They coordinate the work of all the government and non-government partners working to improve the lake's ecosystem. The public consultation process, such as the process announced today, ensures that the LAMP is addressing the public's concerns.

Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the governments of Canada and the United States have committed to restore and maintain the physical, biological and chemical integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes. The LAMPs are binational action plans for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem.

This is the first Lake Ontario LAMP since the new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed in 2012. EPA is encouraging the public to comment on the LAMP through June 13, 2019.

To review the draft 2018-2022 Lake Ontario LAMP, visit https://binational.net/2019/04/15/lolamp-paaplo/. To comment on the proposed LAMP, visit https://www.placespeak.com/en/topic/5731-lets-talk-lake-ontario/, or email comments to Michael Basile at basile.michael@epa.gov.

For more information about Lakewide Action and Management Plans for the Great Lakes, visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/greatlakes/lakewide-action-and-management-plans-great-lakes  

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://facebook.com/eparegion2

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