BINATIONAL PROGRAM
Lake Superior is unique, a vast resource of fresh water that has not experienced the same levels of development, urbanization and pollution as the other Great Lakes. Because of this uniqueness, the International Joint Commission recommended that Lake Superior be designated as a demonstration area where discharges and emissions of toxic substances that are long-lived in the environment and build up in the bodies of humans and wildlife, would not be permitted. In response, Canada and the United States developed the Binational Program to Restore and Protect the Lake Superior Basin. This program has focused on the entire ecosystem of Lake Superior, its air, land, water and human and wildlife. Government and tribal agencies and interested groups from Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin, along with both federal governments, have taken steps that will restore degraded areas and protect this unique headwater lake through activities such as pollution prevention, enhanced regulatory measures and cleanup programs. The Superior Watershed Partnership has been an active partner in the Binational Program for over a decade and has assisted in developing the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) and helping to achieve many of the goals of the program including pollution prevention, habitat restoration and public education. With citizen and stakeholder partners, most notably the Lake Superior Binational Forum, objectives have been identified and a vision established for the cleanup and protection of the lake. The governments have funded pollution prevention activities, research to characterize the lake ecosystem and identify the sources of pollutants and their effect on life, and projects to clean up, restore and protect habitat.
Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) 2008
A Lakewide Management Plan, or "LaMP", is a plan of action to assess, restore, protect and monitor the ecosystem health of a Great Lake. It is used to coordinate the work of all the government, tribal, and non-government partners working to improve the Lake ecosystem. A public consultation process is used to ensure that the LaMP is addressing the public's concerns.
Visit the EPA's website to view all of the Great Lakes Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs).
