2019 State of the Great Lakes Report Released

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) have released the 2019 State of the Great Lakes (SOGL) report, which provides an overview of the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The SOGL report is developed in accordance with the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and provides a summary of the health of the Great Lakes. The assessment is made based on indicators of ecosystem health, such as drinking water, fish consumption and beach closures. Over 180 government and non-government Great Lakes scientists and other experts worked to assemble available data and prepare the report.

Overall, Great Lakes water quality is assessed as “fair and unchanging.” While progress to restore and protect the Great Lakes has occurred, including the reduction of toxic chemicals, challenges cited in the report include invasive species and excess nutrients that contribute to toxic and nuisance algae.

For more information about state of the Great Lakes reporting and to access the State of the Great Lakes 2019 Report, visit the following websites: www.binational.net, www.epa.gov/greatlakes, and Canada.ca/great-lakes-protection.