Advocates for public involvement in environmental planning often herald the use of consensus building among diverse interests to improve decision making. The 42 Great Lakes “Areas of Concern”; use broadly representative citizen advisory committees that work toward consensus about appropriate cleanup actions for affected communities. In 1990, the contributions of these committees and the quality of the public involvement experience were evaluated through four in‐depth case studies using site visits, personal and telephone interviews, document review, and mail questionnaires. Although consensus on planning decisions was rarely reached, the committees generally supported the decisions and perceived the decision‐making process as fair and open. There was a high level of satisfaction with the planning process, and most committee members felt their individual goals were being at least partially met. Participation on a committee proved to be a valuable educational experience for most involved, which may have beneficial implications for future problem‐solving. Local contextual factors such as type of pollution problem and local economic objectives influenced overall committee success. Committees were more successful in community settings where economic and environmental goals were compatible.