While the focus of the Committee’s study was on best practices, the ever-changing environment means that best practices are not static. Populations, agricultural and industrial practices as well as climate, all may change, and new threats to water quality arise. So perhaps the best practice of all for addressing water quality issues is that described by Conrad deBarros:

The final best management practice is eternal vigilance. We need to keep it up. … We need to keep the safeguards to ensure that we're not backsliding on the amount of investments that we've made over the years. We need to be aware that the lakes are changing. The climate is changing. There are new threats. We need to deal with them and adapt.[259]

The 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement forms the basis upon which the axiom of “eternal vigilance” must begin to be applied. Many people are investing much hope in the signing of this agreement, with the expectation that “robust funding”[260] for its implementation will be provided. Considering the billions of dollars that have been spent to remediate water quality to this point, and the valuable interests that this investment is protecting, we need to keep up the interest and the momentum. As one witness stated, “we can't just walk away.”[261]

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Committee recommends that all levels of government continue to work together to share information on best practices to ensure that we all have the best resources and research to address water quality in our Great Lakes.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to support remediation with the goal of delisting the Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to take action to prevent Asian carp from entering our Great Lakes.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to support scientific research to improve our understanding of Great Lakes water quality issues.

RECOMMENDATION 5

The Committee recommends that the federal government consider ways to conserve and remediate rural and urban wetlands in the Great Lakes watershed which will improve water quality, mitigate flooding, and conserve biodiversity.

RECOMMENDATION 6

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to actively participate in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the International Joint Commission and continue to support them in working toward their objectives.

RECOMMENDATION 7

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to encourage mitigation and adaptation measures to address Great Lakes water quality challenges by working with municipalities, provinces, territories, First Nations and other groups, to monitor and improve water quality in the Great Lakes.

RECOMMENDATION 8

The Committee recommends that the federal government consider ways to address non-point source pollution in the Great Lakes watershed in collaboration with all levels of government, industry, and stakeholders, especially the agricultural community.

RECOMMENDATION 9

The Committee recommends that the federal government manage the Great Lakes as an ecosystem in a more holistic way.