The Remedial Action Plan That Led to the Cleanup and Delisting of Collingwood Harbour as an Area of Concern

This paper traces the rehabilitation and restoration of Collingwood Harbour's ecosystem and establishes that the targets set to delist Collingwood Harbour as one of 43 North American Areas of Concern were met as of 1994. Numerous actions to ameliorate environmental problems and rehabilitate the harbor ecosystem have been implemented. In so doing, environmental conditions to support the uses and goals identified by the Public Advisory Committee and the community of Collingwood have been realized. The process of cleaning up and protecting Collingwood Harbour's ecosystem has been an extensive one, involving 8 years of legislative, organizational, and information-gathering efforts and a far-reaching program of public consultation and participation. Extensive consultation with agency scientists, government officials, the International Joint Commission, the community of Collingwood, and the public at large has resulted in unified consent that the environmental targets established for the community-driven cleanup have been met, and in fact, surpassed.