The Bay of Quinte was designated an Area of Concern in 1985 by the International Joint Commission (a Canadian-American Great Lakes watch dog), under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States. Areas of Concern are communities, bays and rivers on the Great Lakes system where human activities have severely damaged the quality of the environment. Currently, there are 10 such designated areas on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, 26 in the United States, and five that are shared by both countries. In each Area of Concern, government, community and industry partners are undertaking a coordinated effort to address the environmental challenges through a Remedial Action Plan.
Environmental concerns in the Bay of Quinte were due to excess nutrients, persistent toxic contamination, bacterial contamination and the loss or destruction of fish and wildlife habitat.
View our brochure which outlines the environmental concerns and lists the targets we must meet to change the Bay’s status.