Office of the Great Lakes

Area of Concern

Area of Concern (AOC) Restoration/Sediments

Council of Great Lakes Governor´s Priority:
"Restore to environmental health the Areas of Concern identified by the International Joint Commission as needing remediation."

Wisconsin Areas of Concern Map

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S. committed the governments to develop and implement remedial action plans (RAPs) in Areas of Concern (AOCs) around the Great Lakes. AOCs are geographic areas that are severely degraded, often due to water contamination from chemicals such as PCB´s and heavy metals or excessive nutrient contributions.

Wisconsin is responsible for implementing five RAPs, including Lower Fox River/Green Bay, Milwaukee Estuary, Sheboygan River and Harbor, St. Louis River system and Menominee River at Marinette. Actions are being implemented at each of the AOCs that are aimed at restoring and protecting their designated uses.

The International Joint Commission puts estimates for cleanup of U.S. Areas of Concern at nearly $8 billion. Funding to address AOCs comes from a variety of sources, including federal, State, local government and private foundation programs, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, NOAA, and State bond funds and Great Lakes Protection Fund projects.

See the following links for more information about AOCs:

Wisconsin´s Stage 2 Remedial Action Plans

The 1987 Protocol amending the Revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 calls for the preparation of Stage 2 RAPs and defines them as plans that evaluate and describe remedial measures needed to restore beneficial uses in Areas of Concern.

Wisconsin prepared (or updated existing) Stage 2 RAPs for each AOC in 2011. They reiterate (and in some cases refine) the 2008–2009 delisting targets; concisely summarize beneficial use impairment status; and, identify specific next actions that will be important for achieving success as defined by the delisting targets. "Actions" may include on–the–ground restoration projects, monitoring and assessment projects, and stakeholder engagement processes.

The Stage 2 RAPs provide a means of documenting progress and communicating AOC priorities to partners and stakeholders. They will be updated as needed to incorporate new information that may become available.

Last Revised: Monday January 30 2012