I firmly believe in the power of the long view. Great Lakes problems often result from years of accumulated neglect and bad decisions. Righting the ship requires years of patience and steady work until — one day — the breakthrough happens.
Thanks to your support, 2024 has been a year of breakthroughs for the Great Lakes and the people who rely on them. Some of the year’s most important achievements include:
Blocking Invasive Species. As a result of more than a decade of advocacy, construction will begin in 2025 on barriers to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes as they advance from the Mississippi River watershed. This project at the Brandon Road Lock & Dam in Illinois will be the most effective deterrent to keep the invasive carp from wreaking havoc on the ecosystem and economic health of the Great Lakes.
Keeping Plastic Out of Our Waters. Adopt-a-Beach volunteers collected a milestone 10 millionth piece of litter this year. This amazing accomplishment spanned more than 200,000 volunteers who cleaned up their shorelines over 20+ years. In April, we released a groundbreaking report based on the data these volunteers collected. The report, which found that the vast majority of litter we collect is plastic, gained national media attention and has strengthened national and state-level efforts to reduce the scourge of Great Lakes plastic pollution.
Getting Lead Out of Drinking Water. In October, the EPA finalized new standards that require most water utilities in the Great Lakes to replace harmful lead pipes within 10 years. The agency significantly tightened longer timelines for Cleveland and Chicago, two Great Lakes cities with hundreds of thousands of lead lines to replace. EPA also reduced the allowable levels of lead in drinking water, above which water systems need to take additional protective steps.
Fighting Toxic Algae Blooms. In October, we finished deploying the most significant agriculture pollution monitoring network in the region in southeast Michigan’s Lake Erie watershed. Measuring and studying the agricultural runoff that causes toxic Lake Erie algal blooms will improve targeting of conservation practices in Michigan to address the issue.
Expanding the Clean Water Circle. We’re working to ensure state and federal infrastructure funding doesn’t bypass communities that bear an unfair burden of failing water systems. 200+ members have joined our forum, which provides information and training to bring funds to communities in critical need of safe drinking water and protection from flooding and sewage overflows.
None of these breakthroughs would have been possible without our supporters. Whether you were one of the volunteers who removed more than 573,000 pieces of litter from Great Lakes shorelines; one of the advocates who sent more than 16,000 messages to federal, state, and local decision-makers; or one of the donors who gave generously to protect our waters, your contribution made a real difference for the lakes this year.
Thank you for making 2024 a year of breakthroughs for the Great Lakes and clean water. Your support is invaluable in ensuring that our Great Lakes remain a thriving, vital resource for all. We’re ready to keep up the momentum in 2025.