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Remediation to restoration to revitalization: A path forward for AOCs progress report
Citation:
Williams, K. AND J. Hoffman. Remediation to restoration to revitalization: A path forward for AOCs progress report. 2017 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, March 29 - 30, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This poster shares a report-out from the Remediation-Restoration-Revitalization session at the 2016 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Conference in Dearborn, Michigan. The session was meant to provide AOC leaders, stakeholders, and technical advisors an opportunity to make connections between community development and AOC remediation and restoration projects.
Description:
At the 2016 Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC) Conference, researchers from the USEPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) sparked conversation about community revitalization and the different states of progress throughout the basin. The conversation was meant to provide AOC leaders, stakeholders, and technical advisors an opportunity to make connections between community development and AOC remediation and restoration projects. Remediation and restoration goals for AOCs are defined by the status of the Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI), or the uses of the Great Lakes ecosystem that have been compromised owing to historical industrial or urban activities. Historically, rivers were receptacles for waste materials, but are now a focal point for redevelopment in many of AOCs. Conceptually, “beneficial uses” are analogous to ecosystem services, or the benefits people derive from nature. What participants in the 2016 session reported is that the relationship between communities and the water is changing. Participants recognized recent improvement in a variety of water-related ecosystem services. Among the AOCs present, increased recreational use was ubiquitous and the two most observed recreational uses were kayaking and new waterfront trails. Recreational users of the land and water are becoming an important social indicator of the health and value of these formerly degraded resources. Further, we found that local leadership and planning is the most significant factor affecting changes on land including brownfield reclamation, park and trail development, and community planning. We conclude that to enhance the public benefits from AOC projects, it is important for the AOC community to discuss these waterways both in terms of established water quality targets and as a valued resource that people benefit from in a variety of ways.