The Bay of Quinte was designated an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1985 by the International Joint Commission under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States. 

AOCs are communities, bays, and rivers on the Great Lakes system where human activities have severely damaged the quality of the environment. Ten of these areas are on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, 26 in the United States, and five are shared by both countries. The environmental concerns for the Bay of Quinte include excess nutrients, persistent toxic contamination, bacterial contamination, and the loss of fish and wildlife habitat.

A Remedial Action Plan (RAP) is an important scientific endeavour and is the government, industry, and local community's response to environmental concerns. The concerns are called Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) and are believed to affect the use of various resources such as drinking water, fish, and recreation.

There are 14 possible BUIs that can be assigned to an AOC, 11 of which have been identified for the Bay of Quinte:

BUITitleStatus

1

Fish and Wildlife Consumption

Impaired – in specific areas of the Bay

2

Tainting of Fish and Wildlife Flavor

Not applicable

3

Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations

Restored

4

Fish Tumors and Other Deformities

Restored

5

Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproduction Problems

Not applicable

6

Degradation of Benthos

Restored

7

Restrictions of Dredging Activities

Restored

8

Eutrophication and Undesirable Algae

Impaired

9

Restrictions on Drinking Water or Taste and Odour Problems

Restored

10

Beach Closures

Restored

11

Degradation of Aesthetics

Final report under review

12

Added Costs to Agriculture or Industry

Not applicable

13

Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton

Impaired

14

Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Restored

Be Part of the Solution

Are you a resident of the Bay of Quinte looking to get involved in Community Programs?

We offer a variety of opportunities including wildlife monitoring and landowner stewardship initiatives.

Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan Partners

The Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan (BQRAP) and its partners are successfully undertaking actions to rehabilitate the Bay. Environment and Climate Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks coordinate implementation of the Remedial Action Plans for all AOCs on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. In each AOC, government, community and industry partners are undertaking a coordinated effort to address the environmental challenges through a Remedial Action Plan. The Bay of Quinte Restoration Council facilitates the BQRAP. Quinte Conservation and Lower Trent Conservation co-chair the Restoration Council.
Other Council members include:

Learn more about the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan programs, and funding opportunities.