EPA Press Office:

EPA Collecting Data to Assess Lake Ontario

Contact: Mike Basile, 646-369-0055, Basile.Michael@epa.gov

NEW YORK (June 20, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is collecting important data from April to September 2023 using its two largest research vessels, the Lake Guardian and the Lake Explorer II. EPA will collect data on water quality and the plant and animal life in the lake. The data is being collected in a joint effort by federal and university partners to assess the health and quality of Lake Ontario. It is part of an initiative called the 2023 Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI).

“Lake Ontario is a precious resource that we share with Canada, and it faces many threats that require our urgent attention and action,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “Our action to collect this data on Lake Ontario will help us identify the most pressing challenges and opportunities and further support our efforts to protect and restore this great lake for current and future generations.” 

The CSMI is a binational effort to coordinate enhanced monitoring and research activities across the Great Lakes to address specific science priorities for each lake that are established by the Lake Partnerships under the Lakewide Management Annex of the US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The monitoring and research activities will include more than 70 binational activities in Lake Ontario during 2023, implemented to address priority themes of nutrient pollution, chemical contaminants, habitat and species, and invasive species.

The Lake Guardian and Lake Explorer II are funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The GLRI was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the world’s largest system of fresh surface water. For more information about the GLRI visit, https://glri.us/.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

For more information about the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office long-term monitoring programs, visit https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring.

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