An Aerial View of the Detroit River

Public preoccupation about growing pollution in the waters of the Great Lakes led to the 1972 signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. The original Agreement was intended to diminish phosphorus levels that had caused problems in Lake Erie, which had become known as the "dead Lake".

The Agreement was amended in 1978 to deal with the more insidious problem of toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes. These contaminants were unlike the earlier phosphorus problems in that they could not be detected by sight, smell, or taste. The amended Agreement was an attempt by both countries to approach water quality issues, and the entire Great Lakes ecosystem, in a more comprehensive manner.

With insufficient efforts by both the U.S. and Canada to deal with the enormity of the environmental problems in the Great Lakes Basin, much work remains. The International Joint Commission (IJC) identified 43 Areas of Concern (AOC) throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The Detroit River is one of five binational Areas of Concern.

In 1985, the Great Lakes Water Quality Board of the IJC called for Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) to clean up the Areas of Concern. The Citizens Environment Alliance has participated in the Detroit River RAP since its inception in 1987. Our commitment to ensuring public participation in the RAP process through the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Committee means that we will continue to press for a comprehensive cleanup and protection plan for the Detroit River.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) and its subsequent protocols established ambitious goals for the clean up of the Great Lakes basin. The zero discharge of persistent toxic substances, the remediation of contaminated sediments and a bi-national toxic management strategy, cornerstones of the agreement, have seen little meaningful progress.

The Detroit River remains one of the most heavily polluted waterways in the Great Lakes basin. People on both sides of the river must continue to insist that all levels of government and industry work with the public towards the principles of the GLWQA.

Boat Tour

Detroit River Facts

• The Detroit Sewage Treatment Plant is the largest discharger in the Great Lakes basin, processing between 700 million and 1 billion gallons of municipal and industrial waste water every day.
• "It has taken several years of compilation and examination of these diverse studies to get an overall picture of the present status. The amount of mercury currently being discharged to the Detroit River is increasing, not decreasing," -USEPA, 1999
• Since 1850, approximately 96% of Essex region's original wetland area and 95% of the original forest area have been lost as the result of forest clearing and wetland drainage for agriculture and urban development. In the United States, 97% of the coastal wetlands on the U.S. mainland of the Detroit River have been lost to development since European colonization.
• "Many areas of the riverbed are so toxic one science technician burned his hands scooping up a handful of sediment in the area near the Great Lakes Steel plant, downstream from the Rouge River." -Windsor Star, September 2001
• "The Detroit River-Lake St. Clair ecosystem is one of a handful of areas in the Great Lakes with an exceptional variety of plants, fish, birds and the habitats to support them. At least 29 species of waterfowl and 65 kinds of fish make their home in and along the Detroit River. We must do everything possible to protect our unique biological features and our natural capital. Public support is needed for the remedial action plans for the Detroit and St. Clair rivers and for a Lake St. Clair watershed management process. Not only should we be proud of the international recognition for the wealth of biodiversity in the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, we must do more to demonstrate our stewardship for this wonderful place we call home." -John H. Hartig, River Navigator, Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative

Detroit River Reports and Documents

A Citizen's Guide to the Detroit River Remedial Action Plan (Spring 1991)

10 Actions that will Address the Environmental Problems in the Detroit River Area of Concern (November 1996)

Rehabilitating and Conserving Detroit River Habitats - A Binational Conference (1998)

Report to the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Committee on the Restoration of the Detroit River Area of Concern (June 2001)

A Citizen’s Guide to the International Joint Commission Draft Detroit River Area of Concern Status Assessment (November 2002 - Revised / June 1997)

Regulating Water Pollution at the Municipal Level - released 2004/revised 2006