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Great Lakes

DEC Great Lakes Programs

Approximately 80 percent of New York's fresh surface water, over 700 miles of shoreline, and 40 percent of New York's lands expanding over 25 counties are contained in the drainage basins of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and the St. Lawrence River. Sustaining life, providing recreation, and supporting local and regional economies, the Great Lakes are a true natural legacy to the people of New York.

The New York DEC works with many organizations on cross-cutting programs to help protect, restore, conserve, and enhance the water quality and natural resources of the Great Lakes Basin. Some of these organizations can be found in the Great Lakes Directory (PDF 286 kb).

Great Lakes Program Areas

In June of 1992, New York State issued a 25 year plan for the New York Great Lakes Basin (PDF 1,423 kb). Guided by the Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council and public input from across New York's Great Lakes Basin, 12 State agencies worked cooperatively in the preparation of this 25 year plan. The plan presents a strategy that pulls together the diverse areas of importance to the future of New York's Great Lakes region.

Water Quantity Management

small map outlining New York State The Great Lakes Basin
Great Lakes Basin Map (View Larger Image)

Water quantity management affects key human activities, including drinking water supplies, flood protection, navigation, power generation, agriculture, and recreation as well as elements of the ecosystem, including wetlands and other habitats. New York is working with other Great Lakes States and Provinces to develop a water management system and decision-making process that will ensure sustainable quantities of Great Lakes Basin water for generations to come. This Great Lakes Basin water management system consists of regional agreements and information systems. New York has current procedures for registering and permitting water withdrawals.

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy

The Governors of the Great Lakes States identified priorities for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, supported by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, the Great Lakes Commission, and other groups committed to the preservation of the Great Lakes. President George W. Bush signed executive order 13340 on May 18, 2004, acknowledging the national significance of the Great Lakes and helping establish a "Great Lakes Regional Collaboration." The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration convened in Chicago, Illinois, on December 3, 2004 and included representatives of the federal government, the Great Lakes States, the Great Lakes Cities, the Tribes and the Region's Congressional delegation.

New York State Great Lakes Protection Fund

The New York State Great Lakes Protection Fund ("the Fund") provides a perpetual and dependable source of funding for regional and statewide research and field assessment projects aimed at protecting and conserving the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem in New York State. The Fund supports projects between government, academia, industry, and non-governmental groups to conduct research and exchange/apply information about remediating and sustaining the health of the plant, animal, and human elements of New York's Great Lakes ecosystem.

Lakewide Management Plans

In 1987, the governments of Canada and the United States made a commitment to develop and implement Lakewide Management Plans (LaMP) for the Great Lakes, which included both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The purpose of the LaMPs is to coordinate efforts between government agencies of both the United States and Canada to reduce the amounts of contaminants entering the lakes and to address causes of different lakewide problems. The DEC, in cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, and numerous regional and local governments, industry and public interest organizations work in partnership to implement the LaMPs.

Areas of Concern

Areas of Concern (AOC) were designated by the International Joint Commission to concentrate available resources to clean up the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes. The United States and Canada committed to cooperate with State and Provincial government to ensure that Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) are developed and implemented for each AOC. In New York State, there are six AOCs- Buffalo River, Eighteen Mile Creek, Rochester Embayment, Oswego River/Harbor, Niagara River, and St. Lawrence River at Massena, NY.




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