$7.4 billion needed to clean U.S. contaminated sites of Great L

WASHINGTON -- The United States needs to spend at least $7.4 billion to completely clean some of the most contaminated sites on the Great Lakes, according to a report released Thursday by the commission monitoring the work.

Canada and the United States have agreed to clean up 43 contaminated sites -- 26 in the United States, 12 in Canada and five in channels shared by both countries.

In its first progress report since 1994, the International Joint Commission said Canada's Collingwood Harbour and Severn Sound have been completely cleaned and Spanish Harbor in Canada and Presque Isle Bay in Pennsylvania are close to being cleaned.

"Clearly, not enough progress is being made in the Great Lakes areas of concern," said Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio.

DeWine said he will continue working to secure funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which was passed last year and provides $50 million annually for five years for cleanup.

The report said it's difficult to determine the cost of the remaining work because of gaps in the commission's information. However, costs could top $7.4 billion in the United States and $1.3 billion in Canada, the report said.

According to the report, the U.S. government has spent $3.4 billion to upgrade wastewater infrastructure at two contaminated sites and $130 million to clean more than 1.6 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from several waterways, including the Maumee River in Ohio. Canada has spent about $190 million on wastewater infrastructure.

"We have mixed feelings. We're glad to note the progress that has been made," said commissioner Herb Gray. "But the information we have gathered, however incomplete, indicates that ... there is still a lot more to be done."

The progress report said "significant challenges" remain in determining what work has been done, setting priorities, getting more funding and coordinating cleanup efforts between local, state and federal governments.

The commission was created in 1972, and Wooster said those details are long overdue.

"For the IJC to be making these recommendations now as if it's something new and not something that should have been done a long time ago is disappointing," she said.

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On the Net:

International Joint Commission: http://www.ijc.org/