Coming soon: a new way to explore the story of the St. Marys River, one Beneficial Use at a time.

By late 2026 or early 2027, this webpage will host our BUIs Explained series: a clear, accessible guide to all 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) that can be listed for any Great Lakes Area of Concern (AOC).

Not every BUI was impaired in the St. Marys River, but each one helps tell the bigger story of how we measure river health, track progress, and celebrate recovery.

What are Beneficial Use Impairments?

Beneficial Uses are the ways people, wildlife, and communities rely on a healthy river, like safe swimming, clean drinking water, thriving fish and wildlife, and vibrant waterfronts.

A Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) is recorded when one of those uses is significantly degraded. BUIs help communities:

• Identify problems: Where and how the river isn’t meeting its potential.
• Guide action: What needs to be restored, cleaned up, or better managed.
• Measure progress: How far we’ve come, and what’s left to do.

About this BUIs Explained Series

This webpage will grow into a hub where you can:

• Learn about each of the 14 BUIs used across all Great Lakes AOCs.
• Explore the history of each BUI in the St. Marys River, if it was ever listed as impaired, why, and what that meant locally.
• See the current status of each BUI (for example: not impaired, impaired, in recovery, or removed).
• Understand the science and the stories behind the data, including community actions, restoration projects, and policy changes.

Even if a BUI never applied to the St. Marys River, we’ll still provide a short overview so you can see the full Great Lakes picture.

The 14 Possible BUIs

Each of the following BUIs will have its own dedicated page in the series, including:

• Plain-language explanation
• Why it matters for people and ecosystems
• St. Marys River history and status (where applicable)

1. Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption
2. Tainting of fish and wildlife flavour
3. Degraded fish and wildlife populations
4. Fish tumours or other deformities
5. Bird or animal deformities or reproductive problems
6. Degradation of benthos (bottom-dwelling organisms)
7. Restrictions on dredging activities
8. Eutrophication or undesirable algae
9. Restrictions on drinking water consumption, or taste and odour problems
10. Beach closings
11. Degradation of aesthetics
12. Added costs to agriculture or industry
13. Degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations
14. Loss of fish and wildlife habitat

What You’ll Be Able To Explore For Each BUI

For every BUI page, you can expect:

Overview:  

• What this BUI means in everyday language, and how it’s used across Great Lakes AOCs.

History in the St. Marys River:  

• Whether this BUI was ever listed as impaired here, what caused the concern, and how the community, partners, and agencies responded.

Current status:  

• A clear summary of where things stand now—such as whether the BUI was never impaired, remains impaired, is in recovery, or has been officially removed.

What changed on the ground:  

• Key projects, policy shifts, and community actions that helped improve conditions.

What this means for you:  

• How progress on this BUI affects recreation, local economies, cultural connections, and ecosystem health.

Timeline and Updates

This BUIs Explained series is expected to be completed by late 2026 or early 2027. Content will be added in phases as technical reviews, data, and status updates are finalized.

Why This Matters

Understanding BUIs is about more than checklists and technical reports, it’s about:

• Connecting community experience to science
• Recognizing decades of restoration work
• Celebrating milestones as BUIs are improved or removed
• Seeing what’s still needed to support a healthy, resilient St. Marys River

As this series grows, it will become a living record of how far the river has come and a guide for where we go next.