The International Joint Commission released the First Triennial Assessment of Progress on Great Lakes Water Quality late November 2017. This report is a culmination of extensive research conducted by the IJC's Great Lakes advisory boards, staff and public consultation with the public to determine if Canada and the United States are meeting their obligations under the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

In summary, the IJC recognizes the progress and cleanup efforts of contaminated Areas of Concern, setting new phosphorus loading targets for Lake Erie to reduce Harmful Algal Blooms, stopping and preventing new aquatic invasive species entering the Great Lakes and establishing and continuing the work groups and processes in place to implement the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Despite the above successes, the IJC points out gaps in achieving human health objectives of the Great Lakes within the Agreement which include swimmable, fishable and drinkable waters. Human health issues within the Great Lakes stem from discharge of inadequately treated or untreated sewage into the Great Lakes, unsafe drinking water incidents and fish consumption advisories.Further, the IJC also would like both governments to address the poor water quality of western and central Lake Erie, accelerate the work being done to address pollutants and invasive species from entering the Great lakes, address climate change (a new annex within the 2012 Agreement) and strengthen public engagement, accountability and funding to achieve the Agreement's objectives.

The First Triennial Assessment of Progress on Great Lakes Water Quality is available online: