TARGETING ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION IN THE SAGINAW RIVER/BAY AREA OF CONCERN (AOC) 2001 Remedial Action Plan Update July 2002 Prepared for The Great Lakes Commission On behalf of The Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed Prepared by Public Sector Consultants, Inc. Lansing, Michigan www.pscinc.com TARGETING ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION IN THE SAGINAW RIVER/BAY AREA OF CONCERN (AOC) 2001 Remedial Action Plan Update July 2002 Prepared for The Great Lakes Commission On behalf of The Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed Prepared by Public Sector Consultants, Inc. Lansing, Michigan www.pscinc.com Project Director Mark Coscarelli Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 The Saginaw Bay Watershed .......................................................................................... 3 Overview of Existing Conditions .................................................................................... 5 Measures of Success........................................................................................................ 6 Bay Ecosystem................................................................................................................. 15 Impairments................................................................................................................... 15 Evidence of Recovery................................................................................................... 17 Current Status ................................................................................................................ 18 Management Objectives................................................................................................ 21 Targeted Restored Conditions ....................................................................................... 21 Sediment Contamination................................................................................................ 25 Impairments................................................................................................................... 25 Evidence of Recovery................................................................................................... 26 Current Status ................................................................................................................ 26 Management Objective ................................................................................................. 30 Targeted Restored Conditions ....................................................................................... 31 Bacterial Contamination and Beach Closings .............................................................. 33 Impairments................................................................................................................... 33 Evidence of Recovery................................................................................................... 33 Current Status ................................................................................................................ 35 Management Objectives................................................................................................ 38 Targeted Restored Conditions ....................................................................................... 39 Fisheries............................................................................................................................ 41 Impairments................................................................................................................... 41 Evidence Of Recovery.................................................................................................. 42 Current Status ................................................................................................................ 43 Management Objectives................................................................................................ 44 Other Fisheries Impairments Cited in the 1988 RAP.................................................... 45 Targeted Restored Conditions ....................................................................................... 49 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................. 55 Impairments................................................................................................................... 55 Evidence of Recovery................................................................................................... 56 Current Status ............................................................................................................... 59 Management Objectives................................................................................................ 61 Targeted Restored Conditions ....................................................................................... 62 Conclusion........................................................................................................................ 65 Delisting ........................................................................................................................ 65 Public Meeting .............................................................................................................. 71 Summary....................................................................................................................... 72 Literature Cited............................................................................................................... 73 Technical Appendix......................................................................................................... 79 Introduction The Saginaw River and Bay was designated by the International Joint Commission (IJC) as one of the major pollution areas in the Great Lakes in 1973, a year after the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada was signed—a commitment by both countries to cooperatively manage their shared water resources and recommend actions for protection. Objectives were specified that would reduce nuisance conditions and the discharge of substances toxic to human, animal, and aquatic life (IJC 1987). The Agreement, as amended by Protocol in 1987, resulted in the designation of Saginaw River/Bay as one of 43 Areas of Concern (AOCs) because degraded water quality conditions impaired certain beneficial uses as defined by the Agreement. Contaminated sediments, excessive nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen runoff, soil erosion, fish consumption advisories, degraded fisheries, and the loss of significant recreational opportunities were the primary causes for the AOC designation (MDNR SWQD 1994). Fourteen of the AOCs are located within Michigan, including three that are shared with Canada. The IJC was established as part of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, a formal acknowledgement between the U.S. and Canada that actions by either country can affect the lakes and river systems that cross both sides of the border. The focus of the IJC—and that of the cooperating federal, state, and provincial agencies for the past 25 years—has been to develop and implement remedial action plans (RAPs), a process to identify and implement pollution abatement measures for each AOC that will restore designated water uses that are presently impaired. The goal of the RAP is to restore and maintain beneficial uses. Subsequent actions carried out to meet the goal will eventually result in the removal of the AOC designation through a “delisting” process. Until recently, however, the delisting process has been ambiguous, with many questions of how and when to formally delist. The goal for delisting revolves around the implementation of remedial actions that target beneficial use impairments and lead to restored and maintained conditions. In addition, the AOC may pursue an interim “recovery stage” designation. The critical test for any such process and associated criteria is to insure that it is rigorous, scientifically defensible, and allows for full review and comment from interested and affected stakeholders (EPA 2001, December 6). In November 1994, Collingwood Harbour, located in Canada, became the first AOC in North America to be delisted, primarily due to its limited, narrowly defined impairments. No large AOC with complex and numerous impairments such as those cited in the Saginaw River/Bay area has been delisted. Completed in September 1988, the Saginaw River/Bay Remedial Action Plan, a nearly 600-page document, was submitted by the State of Michigan to the IJC. The RAP summarized water quality data on the Saginaw Bay drainage basin and outlined remedial actions that should be taken to further address the pollution problems in the 1 Saginaw River and Bay (PSC 2000). The 1988 Saginaw River/Bay RAP cited 12 impairments of the 14 categories specifically listed by the IJC for the Saginaw River/Bay AOC: n Restrictions on fish or wildlife consumption n Tainting of fish or wildlife flavor (taste and odor concerns) n Degradation of fish and wildlife populations n Degradation of fish and wildlife habitat n Bird or animal deformities or reproductive problems n Degradation of benthos (bottom-dwelling organisms) n Restrictions on dredging n Eutrophication (nuisance algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and nutrient loadings) n Restrictions on drinking water (taste, odor, or other problems) n Beach closings (exposure to waterborne