The Cuyahoga Remedial Action Plan, or RAP, has helped make significant
progress throughout the past two years on the Cuyahoga River, and the communities
surrounding it. The Cuyahoga RAP was developed and enacted in 1987
to help out the recently identified Cuyahoga Area of Concern (AOC).
There are three stages, which the Remedial Action Plan must accomplish
before it is released from the International Joint Committee’s (IJC) list
of forty-three Areas of Concern. The Stage one RAP was completed
in 1992. They are now in Stage two of the RAP.
Despite how far it has gotten in the last few years, the Cuyahoga
River has many things ahead of them. They are not only hoping for
the improvement of the river, but also for greater public involvement with
the activities surrounding it and an increase in the awareness of the effects
of pollution.
Works Cited:
1. Rives, Lisa. “Cuyahoga River AOC” http://epa.gov/glnpo/aoc/cuyahoga.html
(Updated October 21, 1997)
2. “AOC.” http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/publications
3. “Cuyahoga River.” http://epaserver.ciesin.org
GREEN is an international organization that was first started
in 1989, by professors and students from the University of Michigan’s School
of Natural Resources and Environment.
There are three main goals that GREEN has established for itself.
First, to inform students of environmental problems in their own local
area, and give them “hands-on” experience in chemical, biological, and
sociological research. Second, to teach students problem-solving
strategies to enable them to see the relevance of school subjects to the
real world. Finally, to promote intercultural communication to enhance
the awareness of local environmental issues and their affect in global
context.
In 1989, William B. Stapp, along with 26 university students
organized and established 22 workshops in 18 different nations. The
instant popularity of GREEN led to the publication of their own newsletter,
more training workshops, and other national and international river education
projects.
GREEN runs nine basic tests when determining the quality of a
river. They test for dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, pH, biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), temperature, total phosphate, nitrates, turbidity,
and total solids. They also use aerial and satellite imaging to determine
the current land uses around the river. Then, the data is collected
by special graphing computers, and distributed around the world through
the Internet.
Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) are management strategies being
written and carried out for each of the Great Lakes. They were initiated
with the amendment of the Great Lakes Water Quality Act, between Canada
and the United States, in 1987. A concept paper was drawn up
in 1995 to outline a structure which would promote coordination among government
agencies and the public.
The goal of the Lake Erie LaMP is to restore and protect the uses of
Lake Erie, specifically the 14 beneficial use impairments listed in the
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. To accomplish this the LaMP
will use an ecosystem approach by integrating water quality and natural
resource management. The setup of the group includes an agency framework,
comprised of government representatives, which will help define the problems,
sources, and plan of action. A public framework will coincide with
them to provide input which will be vital to the process of creating realistic
and desirable objectives.
The official websites of the Lake Erie LaMP:
http://chagrin.epa.ohio.gov/ohiolamp/index.html
http://chagrin.epa.ohio.gov/lamp/index.html
To obtain more information contact:
Lauren Lambert
Lake Erie LaMP Coordinator
Ohio EPA-DSW-LEU P.O. Box 1049
Columbus, OH 43216-1049
Phone: 1-614-644-2865
Fax: 1-614-644-2329
e-mail: lauren.lambert@epa.state.oh.us
To learn how you can become involved contact:
Jennifer Day
LaMP Public Involvement Coordinator
Phone: 1-614-644-3027
e-mail: jennifer_day@central.epa.ohio.gov