What’s Wrong with Our Rivers? Beneficial Use Impairments

“The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909….The purpose of the Commission is to help prevent and resolve disputes about the use and quality of boundary waters and to advise Canada and the United States on questions about water resources.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Joint_Commission

IJC has labeled bodies of water and their surroundings in the Great Lakes region which exhibit extreme environmental degradation as Areas of Concern (AOCs) in need of remediation.

[The following italicized text has been reduced by approximately 40% through editing.  The unedited text is at: http://ijc.org/en_/aoc/Desc_Impairments#sthash.swp26Pc0.dpuf ]

The 43 AOCs around the Great Lakes are the most polluted areas in the basin.  Many of the  qualities and activities which people enjoy in these waters are impaired.  The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement focuses on 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) described below.  At least one applies to each AOC.

1. Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption as a result of public health advisories about contaminants like mercury or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in the fish or wildlife.
2. Tainting of fish and wildlife flavor because water quality is poor, for example, by reason of excessive algae in the water.
3. Degradation of fish and wildlife populations caused by enough toxicity in the water or sediments to interfere with reproduction and growth.
4. Fish tumors or other deformities exceeding rates at comparable (but unpolluted) sites.
5. Bird or animal deformities or reproductive problems, such as cross-bill syndrome or egg-shell thinning, revealed by wildlife surveys.
6. Degradation of benthos as occurs when the community structure of sediment-dwelling aquatic insects significantly diverges from unpolluted sites of similar physical and chemical characteristics.  In benthos degraded by pollution, community structure is skewed towards insects that are  tolerant of poor water quality, and away from insects that require good water quality.
7. Restrictions on dredging activities, i. e. when contaminants in sediments exceed standards for the least restrictive disposal method, often open water disposal.
8. Eutrophication or excessive algae attributed to excessive nutrient discharges from point (end-of-pipe) or nonpoint (diffuse land uses) sources.  Typically, the impairment manifests itself as nuisance or harmful algal blooms, dissolved oxygen depletion in bottom waters, and decreased water clarity.
9. Restrictions on treated drinking water, as when contaminants still exceed human health standards, taste and odor problems are present, or additional treatment is necessary  beyond the standard in comparable locations free of offensive characteristics.
10. Beach closings required when bacterial concentrations in water commonly used for recreation, such as swimming and other water activities, exceed applicable standards.  
11. Degradation of aesthetics, as when a substance in the water produces an objectionable deposit, unnatural color or odor.  Examples include an oil slick or surface scum.
12. Added costs to agriculture or industry, such as additional treatment for livestock watering, crop irrigation, and noncontact food processing.
13. Degradation of phytoplankton (microscopic plant) and zooplankton (microscopic animal) populations reflected by community structure significantly diverging from the physical and chemical characteristics of similar but unpolluted sites.
14. Loss of fish and wildlife habitat, most commonly diminished riparian (shoreline) vegetation, coastal wetlands, or underwater fish habitat.

There are criteria to measure remediation of individual BUIs in each AOC, known as delisting criteria (sometimes numeric, sometimes narrative).  A template of delisting criteria was developed by the IJC for individual AOC committees to adapt for their own specific use, which can be found here. Several U.S. States have developed delisting criteria guidance for AOCs in their jurisdictions – see Additional Information for links to those documents.

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Beneficial Use Impairments in the Clinton River AOC:

• Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
• Eutrophication or undesirable algae
• Degradation of fish and wildlife populations
• Beach closings
• Degradation of aesthetics
• Degradation of benthos
• Restriction on dredging activities
• Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

https://wiki.epa.gov/watershed2/index.php/Clinton_River_Area_of_Concern

Beneficial Use Impairments in the River Rouge AOC:

• Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
• Eutrophication or undesirable algae
• Degradation of fish and wildlife populations
• Beach closings
• Fish tumors or other deformities
• Degradation of aesthetics
• Degradation of benthos
• Restriction on dredging activities
• Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

http://www2.epa.gov/rouge-river-aoc/about-rouge-river-aoc