Great Lakes Areas of Concern Map

Muskegon Lake in the 1940s

Tannery Bay Remediation -- White Lake

Areas of Concern

Great Lake’s Areas of Concern (AOCs) are locations with significant environmental degradation that need to be restored.  White Lake and Muskegon Lake are two AOCs that we have been conducting research on since 1996.  Our research program is focused on the identification of sources that contribute to beneficial use impairments, environmental restoration, and monitoring.  2014 was an important year for our research on Areas of Concern as White Lake was removed from the AOC listing.  The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory’s work on the beneficial use impairments related to; contaminated sediments, restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, eutrophication and undesirable algae, and degradation of benthos. The collected data on these study areas was used to support the removal of White Lake from the AOC listing, and AWRI’s contributions were recognized at the de-listing ceremony.  Work on Muskegon Lake continues with the funding by NOAA of a second grant to examine the effect of lumber mill debris on benthic invertebrates.  We also obtained a grant to review the benthic invertebrate data for Muskegon Lake, and develop a monitoring program to address the remaining sites where impairment is suspected.  

Projects:

• Fish Contaminant Assessment of White, Muskegon, and Pentwater Lakes.
• Muskegon Lake Area of Concern.
• White Lake Area of Concern.
• Development of Numerical Targets for the De-listing of Beneficial Use Impairments in the Muskegon and White Lake Areas of Concern.
• Assessment of Contaminated Sediments in the Mona Lake Watershed.

Sediment Sampling--Muskegon Lake

Muskegon Lake Sunset 2012