Great Lakes Plan ready to be presented to Congress

A five year environmental plan for rescuing the Great Lakes and making them healthier for future generations was unveiled and ready to be presented to Congress.   The plan envisions spending more than $2.2 billion for repairs after a century of damage and inattention to the lakes.  

Among the goals is a "zero tolerance policy" toward future invasions by foreign species, including the Asian carp, a huge, ravenous fish that has overrun portions of the Mississippi River system and is threatening to enter Lake Michigan.

Other proposals include cleanup of the region's most heavily polluted sites, restoring wetlands and improving water quality in shallow areas where unsightly algae blooms have been a problem.

Among the goals the Great Lakes plan hopes to achieve by 2014: finishing work at five toxic hot spots that have languished on cleanup lists for two decades, cutting phosphorus runoff and protection of nearly 100,000 acres of wetland. 

The Great Lakes provide drinking water to more than 30 million people and are the backbone of a regional economy dependent on tourism, outdoor recreation, shipping and manufacturing as well as holding 20% of the world's fresh water.