A Glimpse at EPA's Great Lakes Wetlands Programs

Within the Environmental Protection Agency, §181 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act established the Great Lakes National Program Office with responsibility for coordinating and reporting U.S. activity in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This agreement was revised in 1987, committing the United States and Canada to restore the "chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem." This ecosystem approach to management and the formal commitment to "zero discharge" of persistent toxic substances are key elements of EPA's current management framework.