Additionally, current monitoring efforts of federal and state  organizations do not, by design, provide comprehensive information on  the overall conditions of the Great Lakes. Most of the information  collected under these monitoring activities is designed to meet specific  program objectives or is limited to specific geographic areas as opposed to  providing an overall assessment of the Great Lakes Basin. This program,  however, has not been fully developed. 2). Multiple Goals Exist for Monitoring Restoration Progress

Multiple restoration goals have been proposed by EPA and other  organizations that could be a basis for monitoring restoration progress. EPA developed basin-wide goals in its Great Lakes Strategy 2002 and  goals for individual lakes in LaMPs. Other organizations concerned with  Great Lakes restoration, such as the Council of Great Lakes Governors,  have also identified basin-wide restoration goals and priorities. Monitoring  progress toward achieving goals is generally limited to tracking specific  action items contained in the Great Lakes Strategy 2002; other proposed  goals do not have associated monitoring activities or monitoring plans to  determine progress. Significant Challenges Exist for Setting Basin-Wide Goals and Developing a Monitoring System for the Great Lakes

Coordinating the establishment of measurable goals and developing a  monitoring system for tracking progress in the Great Lakes are difficult  tasks that face significant challenges. Second, the restoration goal setting and  monitoring efforts ongoing by numerous governmental and  nongovernmental organizations in the United States and Canada will  create a challenge for coordinating within and between the two countries. The lack of a centralized repository of  monitoring information makes it difficult to assess restoration progress. The leadership to coordinate goal setting efforts has not yet materialized. 3.) Matter for Congressional Consideration

In light of the uncertainty regarding how GLNPO’s responsibilities fit with  the newly created Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and to help ensure  the coordination of U.S. efforts in developing basin-wide measurable  restoration goals for the Great Lakes, as well as the development of a joint  monitoring system based on those goals, the Congress may want to  consider    clarifying whether GLNPO or the task force should lead the U.S. efforts in  restoring the Great Lakes and requiring this entity, in consultation with  Canada, the governors of the Great Lakes states, federal agencies, and  other organizations, to develop and prioritize specific measurable  restoration goals for the Great Lakes Basin within a certain time frame;  and  requiring the entity to develop and implement monitoring activities to  measure progress toward attaining goals and identify actions that could  assist in achieving these goals. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To determine the extent to which information derived from monitoring is  useful for assessing overall conditions in the Great Lakes Basin, we  gathered and analyzed information on efforts to develop indicators  through the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC), which is  a jointly sponsored effort by EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office  (GLNPO) and Environment Canada (EC).
Why GAO Did This Study

The Great Lakes remain environmentally vulnerable, prompting the United States and Canada to agree on actions to preserve and protect them. As requested, this report (1) determines the extent to which current EPA monitoring efforts provide information for assessing overall conditions in the Great Lakes Basin, (2) identifies existing restoration goals and whether monitoring is done to track goal progress, and (3) identifies the major challenges to setting restoration goals and developing a monitoring system.

What GAO Found

Current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitoring does not provide the comprehensive information needed to assess overall conditions in the Great Lakes Basin because the required coordinated joint U.S./Canadian monitoring program has not been fully developed. Information collected from monitoring by other federal and state agencies does not, by design, provide an overall assessment of the Great Lakes because it is collected to meet specific program objectives or limited to specific geographic areas. Multiple restoration goals have been proposed through efforts by EPA and other organizations. EPA developed basin-wide goals through its Great Lakes Strategy 2002 and goals for plans addressing individual lakes. Other organizations have also identified basin-wide restoration goals and priorities. Monitoring of progress toward goals is generally limited to tracking specific action items proposed in the Great Lakes Strategy 2002; other proposed goals are generally not monitored to determine progress. Efforts to coordinate basin-wide goals and a monitoring system face several challenges. The lack of clearly defined organizational leadership poses a major obstacle. Both EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) and a newly created interagency task force have coordination roles raising uncertainty as to how leadership and coordination efforts will be exercised in the future. Second, coordinating existing restoration goals and monitoring activities among the many participating organizations within the United States, and between the United States and Canada is a significant challenge. Third, centralized information from monitoring activities is not yet available, making it difficult to assess restoration progress. In addition, an inventory system developed by EPA and Canada may not have adequate controls on voluntarily provided information.