THE US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally come up with a full-fledged plan to combat pollution at the Great Lakes on the US-Canadian border. The basin-of the 5 lakes, which Iretches across over 1,200 kilometres covering 8 states of the US and a Canadian province, provides drinking water to 23 million people. The lakes are infected by toxic chemicals WW Browner emanating from adjacent factory chimnneys, municipal incinerators, kemical spills as well as industrial and wicipal wastewaters. But now all ist will change, assures the EPA. bder the plan, in 2 years, the states id the tribes settled around the basin 0 set water quality standards and lentify the most cost-effective way of Wding pollution. "Through a consen sus-buildling process, we have arrived at this programme," says EPA adminis trator Carol Browner. According to pre liminary estimates, the government and industry are expected to spend arround US $100 million a year if the plan materialises.
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