Clarkson gets $1.4 million to study Great Lakes water quality

Clarkson University has received a Great Lakes Program Grant for $1,407,003 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The funding will be used to monitor formerly untraceable contaminants to water supply by studying the effects on fish in each of the Great Lakes. This research will not only follow and research long-documented substances and contaminants, but unlock information regarding undiscovered, low-level contaminants.

"Funding the effort to protect the Great Lakes through research at Clarkson College is an invaluable investment,” said U.S. Sen.Charles Schumer. “I applaud the EPA for selecting Clarkson University to receive the Great Lakes Program grant and continue their work to protect New York’s natural resources.”

This project supports the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, pursuant to Public Law 111-88. Specifically, this project will assess trends and identify emerging and legacy contaminants (identified in the GLWQA) at levels previously impossible to detect by monitoring fish from each of the 5 Great Lakes. Additionally, in collaboration with other state, federal, and international agencies, the project will assess transfer of contaminants from the water column through the food chain, expand the existing Great Lakes Fish Monitoring Surveillance Program (GLFMSP) list to include important emerging contaminants, and provide better information for decision-makers regarding the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.