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That improving water quality and restoring the Great Lakes system is on the U.S. government's agenda is great news for people living around the lakes, says Mayor Vance Badawey. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration announced the development of a five-year plan that will see more than $2.2 billion spent for the Great Lakes. Among the plan's goals is a "zero tolerance policy" toward future invasions by foreign species, including the Asian carp, a huge, ravenous fish that has overrun portions of the Mississippi River system and is threatening to enter Lake Michigan. Others include cleanup of the region's most heavily polluted sites, restoring wetlands and other crucial habitat, and improving water quality in shallow areas, where runoff from cities and farms has led to unsightly algae blooms and beach closings. Also promised is a strategy for monitoring the ecosystem's health and holding U.S. federal agencies accountable for carrying out the plan. Badawey says the plan set out by the U.S. administration works well with what Great Lakes mayors have been talking about for years now. "We've been working with mayors along the lakes since the late '90s, early 2000s, through the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, to improve water quality throughout the system," says Badawey. The mayor of Port Colborne says Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago is the driving force behind the initiative and mayors from large centres such as Montreal and Toronto, to smaller cities such as Goderich, all work together. Through the initiative, the group developed a five-point plan that will tackle such things as promoting beaches and natural shorelines, attacking toxic and nuisance algae, and reducing the outflow of raw sewage and untreated stormwater into the lakes. Badawey says locally the challenge has been keeping untreated sewage and stormwater from the lake and Welland Canal. "It's key," he says. "A lot has been done to ensure our infrastructure is up to date so nothing gets into the lake." That includes a $22-million investment in the city's Seaway Wastewater Treatment plant to increase its capacity to treat sewage and stormwater runoff. "If we don't have the increased capacity, then during a big storm, things would be discharged into the lake," says Badawey. With proper infrastructure in place, water quality should start to improve, he says. Improving water quality is on the U.S. government's agenda through the new plan. American officials said the administration's plan -- combined with enforcement of existing environmental rules and the creation of new ones where needed -- would help make Great Lakes fish safe to eat, their waters suitable for drinking and swimming, and their native plants and animals thrive. The lakes provide drinking water to more than 30 million people and are the backbone of a regional economy dependent on tourism, outdoor recreation, shipping and manufacturing. Badawey says the marine industry has gotten behind keeping the Great Lakes clean through its Green Marine program. That program's goals are to strengthen environmental performance through a process of continuous improvement, build strong relations with Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Waterway stakeholders, and heighten understanding of the industry's activities and environmental benefits. "Everyone is doing their part and working together," says Badawey. The mayor also welcomes the plan's call to deal with invasive species, such as the Asian carp. Foreign species have a great impact on the natural species inhabiting the Great Lakes, says the mayor. "If we don't do something now, things will only get worse," says Badawey. djohnson@wellandtribune.ca

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