Urbanization and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Basin

John Gladki was the project director for this study to investigate the implications of urbanization on the Great Lakes. The study involved a comparison and contrast of of demographic change and urban land development in six cities along the Great Lakes: three in the US and three in Canada. The cities were chosen to represent different sizes and growth trajectories. The objective was to explore how different growth patterns affect storm water run off and sewage disposal and how this impacts the aquatic environment in the Great Lakes. The project findings were presented to a conference organized by the International Joint Commission on Great Lakes Water Quality in Chicago in 2003.