This report (.pdf format), from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), describes recent findings indicating high mercury levels in rain falling over Chicago and other Midwestern sites. The report includes Actions Needed to Clean Up Mercury Emissions as well as a Campaign to Clean the Rain.

Released on June 8 2000, this report is the third in a series from the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) "to Congress on atmospheric deposition of pollution to the Great Waters, which include the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and several other major U.S. water bodies." This report focuses on fifteen "pollutants of concern," offering updated scientific information about these pollutants and the...

The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy was organized in 1997 to work to eliminate persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes. This draft report from the program is available online or for download in .pdf format. It presents for evaluation the potential actions for achieving the Binational Toxics Strategy challenge.

On Friday, September 24, 1999, Carol Browner of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to limit the dumping of bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs). BCCs are known to accumulate within living organisms and can move up the food chain, eventually affecting humans. Common BCCs include mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, DDT, dioxin, and mirex. The proposed...

This online atlas, produced by Environment Canada and the EPA, offers a wealth of information on numerous aspects of the Great Lakes environment. Students and educators can learn about its geology, climate, and groundwater as well as the management strategies and its human history. The abundance of effective diagrams and maps will help users understand the region's processes and characteristics....

The Great Lakes Information Network developed this website to "broadcast critical information about beach closings and educational content on human health concerns." The website provides the latest news on erosion control projects, contamination and cleanup efforts, beach testing efforts, and other environmental news. Users can explore monitoring data and maps by location. The website also...

The International Joint Commission was created by Canada and the United States "because they recognized that each country is affected by the other's actions in lake and river systems along the border. The two countries cooperate to manage these waters wisely and to protect them for the benefit of today's citizens and future generations." Visitors to the site can read about great lakes water...

The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy was organized in 1997 to work to eliminate persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes. This draft report from the program is available online or for download in .pdf format. It presents for evaluation the potential actions for achieving the Binational Toxics Strategy challenge.

As Americans head for the beach, the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) issues its twelfth annual report on the status of beach and recreational water quality. Entitled Testing the Waters, the report offers readers a fifty-fifty appraisal of the nation's lake and ocean recreational beach sites. That is, while water quality overall is indeed improving in the United States, beach water quality...