Progress toward improving water quality in the Great Lakes: hearing before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, second session, January 23, 2008.

Progress toward improving water quality in the Great Lakes : hearing before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, second session, January 23, 2008.

The virtual elimination of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes is a goal shared by the U.S. & Canada. While some progress has been made, pollution levels remain unacceptably high. The Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) requires stringent water quality standards for many pollutants in discharges regulated by states administering the Nat. Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit programs. This report examines the: (1) GLI's focus & potential impact on water quality in the Great Lakes Basin; (2) status of GLI's adoption by the states & any challenges to achieving intended goals; & (3) steps taken by the EPA for ensuring full & consistent implementation of GLI & for assessing progress toward achieving its goals. Charts, tables & maps.