The pollutants do not recognize the boundries of restricted vs prohibited zones, and are able to migrate throughout the basin. Steve Eisenreich, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, has worked on research to provide a better understanding of pollutants in water bodies, specifically the transport of airborne chemicals in aquatic systems. One of his main goals was to develop a spatial and temporal record of deposition, leading to improved models and perhaps regulatory action. In 1991, the governments surrounding Lake Superior agreed that Lake Superior would be the subject of a Zero Discharge Demonstration project as part of the Binational Program to Restore and Protect the Lake Superior Basin. The project applies only to facilities in the Lake Superior basin, and addresses local sources of air deposition, but not regional and global sources impacting the basin.
Many environmental problems are a problem of perception, and water quality is no exception.
Scientists, public policy makers, and economists perceive and analyze environmental issues in different ways. There are no simple answers to complex problems, and when it comes to our environment this is especially true. It is my opinion that the special designations proposed by the MPCA not only fail to act as a strategy for achieving zero discharge, but also fail to protect the lake, the 750,000 people that live in the watershed and the 35 million people downstream. I do believe the designation and water quality changes serve to protect economic growth and development, by passing along the environmental costs to future generations. It is a classic example of political conflict between economic activities and the biophysical limits that nature imposes.