Muskegon Lake Restoration Targets
The Development of Delisting Criteria for the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern
by Richard R. Rediske, GVSU-AWRI
In the early 1970s, concerns about the increasing pollution of the Great Lakes prompted the United States and Canada to establish the International Joint Commission (IJC) to oversee the protection and restoration of these important resources. Working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) the IJC identified 42 areas in the Great Lakes basin that were severely degraded and posed a threat to the integrity of the entire system. These locations were called Areas of Concern (AOCs). Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) were established that identified the nature of the environmental degradation.
In the fall of 2004, AWRI obtained grant funding to develop delisting targets for five BUIs in the Muskegon Lake AOC. The MLPAC obtained additional funding to facilitate the target setting process and support the scientific peer review.
For the complete article and description of the targets for delisting the five BUIs in the Muskegon Lake AOC, click on the following link:
The Development of Delisting Criteria for the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern (pdf file)
Four Focus areas of Muskegon Lake
