Lake Superior and Other High Quality Waters

April 1, 1992 Resolutions

Number: 1992-10

 

WHEREAS, Lake Superior is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and remains relatively pristine and unpolluted; and

WHEREAS, Lake Superior contains a wide variety of unique and sensitive wildlife habitats and also provides important recreational opportunities such as sport fishing and pleasure boating; and

WHEREAS, Lake Superior represents a significant pollution prevention challenge to implement protective measures before it becomes significantly degraded; and

WHEREAS, as part of their Fifth Biennial Report, the International Joint Commission (IJC) recommended that Lake Superior be designated a zero discharge demonstration zone for persistent toxic pollutants; and

WHEREAS, the governments of the United States, Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario, at the sixth IJC Biennial Meeting, announced a binational program to protect Lake Superior, which includes a zero discharge demonstration; and

WHEREAS, there are many high quality waters and ecosystems around the country deserving of special attention and protection from pollution;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1992 in Portland, Oregon, calls on the governments to protect Lake Superior by:

  1. Designating Lake Superior and its entire watershed as “Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) for persistent toxic pollutants,” which is the highest protective status given to water bodies under the U.S. Clean Water Act, to prohibit new or increased discharge of persistent toxic pollutants, and simultaneously making a similar designation in Canadian waters;
  2. Expanding the governments’ list of pollutants of concern to include those chemicals that have been identified as the most persistent and bioaccumulative pollutants in the Great Lakes basin;
  3. Phasing out the use, generation and discharge of persistent toxic pollutants from existing facilities according to a specified timetable;
  4. Strictly enforcing all existing laws, regulations and permits against pollution sources in or affecting Lake Superior; and
  5. Coordinating management of the forest and shoreline ecosystems around Lake Superior by different ownerships and agencies to protect entire ecosystems and to assure that the “working lands” of the basin–those used for natural resource development–are managed on an ecologically sustainable basis.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges Congress to amend the Clean Water Act to require aggressive action to identify other high quality waters and to also protect them from being degraded by new or increased pollution sources.