Contaminated sediment management in the Great Lakes basin ecosystem

Contaminated sediment remains a pervasive problem to the restoration and de listing in all of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Like many other problem s, both identification and implementation of ecologically and economically acceptable solutions is complex. Recognizing the scope of this issue and pe rceiving that limited progress had been achieved, the International Joint C ommission (IJC) asked its Great Lakes Water Quality Board to review the mag nitude of the problem and what progress had been made in managing contamina ted sediment by Canada and the United States. In addition, the Commission a lso asked for an identification of obstacles to remediation and recommendat ions for solutions. This paper provides a synopsis of this work and a summary of an IJC worksho p held in June of 1997, in Collingwood, Ontario. Six categories of obstacle s to sediment remediation are discussed, potential solutions are identified , and a series of recommendations are proposed. A plan of action to further develop approaches to sediment management and to stimulate additional reme diation throughout the basin is also presented.