The magnitude, timing, duration, frequency and rates of water movements
within a watershed make up its flow regime. These factors control how materials, energy and biota interact in stream, river and lake environments. Physical modifications such as dams and levies and changes in land use have significantly altered the natural flow regimes of the Great Lakes waterways: Water, biota and materials enter and move through the
waterways at different times, at different rates, and in different amounts than they have historically. The end result has been biological degradation of the Great Lakes ecosystem.
While it may be impossible and undesirable to return the Great Lakes basin to pre-settlement condition, restoring the natural flow regime to rivers and coastal environments - the biological "engines" of the Great Lakes ecosystem - can achieve significant ecological gains. More promising, those incremental gains made in key places could be truly synergistic, collectively yielding results greater than the sum of individual actions.
The magnitude, timing, duration, frequency and rates of water movements
within a watershed make up its flow regime. These factors control how materials, energy and biota interact in stream, river and lake environments. Physical modifications such as dams and levies and changes in land use have significantly altered the natural flow regimes of the Great Lakes waterways: Water, biota and materials enter and move through the
waterways at different times, at different rates, and in different amounts than they have historically. The end result has been biological degradation of the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Based on the results of an experts' roundtable on the topic, the Fund has launched a significant initiative to restore natural flow regimes to the waters of the Great Lakes basin. This initiative has three objectives: