Editor’s note — See FLOW’s additional coverage of the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement here:
- Considering Michigan’s Overlooked Resource—Inland Lakes—on the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act — October 18, 2022
- The State of Water Quality in Michigan — October 13, 2022
- Where Do We Stand on the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act? — October 5, 2022
- Will the Supreme Court Shrink the Clean Water Act? — October 4, 2022
- Liz Kirkwood Reflects on the Importance of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement After 50 Years — April 14, 2022
- Evaluating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement on its 50th Birthday — April 11, 2022
By Lana Pollack
As the Clean Water Act turns 50 years old today—on October 18, 2022—I’m reminded that this notable birthday is shared with another milestone environmental achievement, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). This U.S.–Canada accord, which started out as a limited commitment to address excessive phosphorus in just two of the Great Lakes, grew into scores of ambitious binational programs that today encompass the entire Great Lakes Basin.
Lana Pollack is former chair of U.S. Section of the IJC and a former three-term state senator.
Driven by the visionary goals of the Clean Water Act and Canadian laws, the GLWQA has morphed into the driver of a long overdue, costly cleanup of the Great Lakes’ 44 most highly contaminated sites, along with recognition of both countries’ obligation to prevent further degradation of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.
This dual semi-centennial celebration begs for honest assessments of Clean Water Act and Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement achievements and failures.
The successes of the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws and programs it inspired, are legion. But stubborn problems persist.
I’m old enough to recall remarkable “before and after” achievements gifted to us by Clean Water Act prohibitions and accountability measures. Rivers and lakes that were previously untouchable, are now favorite sites for swimming and kayaking. The successes of the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws and programs it inspired, are legion. But stubborn problems persist—many of them from non-point source agricultural pollution and others from mining, plating, and military operations.
I know the power of polluting interests, and recognize that further protection of Great Lakes Basin waters will be achieved only when voters hold their elected officials accountable for the pollution that persists in defiling those waters.
Having worked in the world of politics, I know the power of polluting interests, and recognize that further protection of Great Lakes Basin waters will be achieved only when voters hold their elected officials accountable for the pollution that persists in defiling those waters.
About the author: Lana Pollack is former chair of U.S. Section of the International Joint Commission and a former three-term state senator who sponsored Michigan’s “polluter pay” law.
