Great Lakes Week 2013 is the first gathering of the organizations governing the Great Lakes since the new Great Lakes Water Quality agreement was signed between the United States and Canada. The agencies involved will be taking stock of the overall health of the Great Lakes, celebrating the cleanup of several environmental areas of concern, and setting priorities for action and scientific research on the lakes for the next three years.
The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin’s request to divert water from Lake Michigan will be another major topic of discussion since Waukesha is located outside of the Great Lakes watershed. Government representatives and interested parties will be discussing the precedent setting request that is the first test of the Great Lakes Compact.
Other discussions will focus on record low lake water levels, the algae bloom that threatens fish in Lake Erie, and concerns about safeguarding the lakes from invasive species that could arrive in the ballast water of commercial shipping.
Twin Cities Public Television in coordination with Detroit Public TV is closing the gap by working with the International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Commission, U.S. EPA, and Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, to provide unprecedented access to the largest gathering of scientists, political voices, educators, environmentalists, and interested groups ever assembled to discuss the status and the future of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now is taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from September 9th - 12th, and includes simultaneous conferences from the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Great Lakes Commission, Healing Our Waters/Great Lakes Coalition, and the EPA’s Areas of Concern annual meeting.
Watch live coverage here or catch a daily recap at 7:30pm on the Minnesota Channel.
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