531
19.2.3 Watershed Governance
Given the multiple units of government with interests in the North American Great
Lakes Basin, numerous treaties, laws, conventions, compacts, and other agreements
have implemented over more than a century of watershed management.
Early efforts for regional collaboration between the USA of America and Canada
resulted in the International Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This treaty which was
ratified by the USA and Great Britain (which had dominion over Canada at the
time), and established the International Joint Commission (IJC) consisting of
Americans and Canadians to oversee any issue related to shared waters on the border between the USA and Canada.
The IJC works to prevent and resolve disputes between the USA and Canada,
particularly those related to transboundary waters and pursues the common good of
both countries as an independent and objective advisor to the two governments. The
IJC has jurisdiction over issues related to fishing rights, water diversion, shipping,
and other transportation rights, the building of dams and bridges, other shared water
uses, and concerns over water pollution.
The IJC is a science-based, binational organization that works through consensus
and relies on the impartial judgment of three appointed commissioners. Experts
from both countries serve on technical boards for the Commission and carry out
studies and fieldwork in response to requests from the countries. In 1912, the IJC
conducted the largest spatial water quality assessment ever undertaken to investigate sources of bacterial threats to drinking water. While recommendations to prevent pollution and infrastructure alterations were implemented, after 100 years
point and non-point sources of contamination remain a concern.
Water quality in the Great Lakes is governed by the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement (GLWQA), which is a commitment between the USA and Canada to
restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes (EPA 2017). The Agreement provides a framework for identifying binational priorities and implementing actions
that improve water quality. The USA and Canada first signed the Agreement in
1972, and it has been amended in 1983, 1987, and 2012 to enhance water quality
programs that ensure the “chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Waters
of the Great Lakes” (GLWQP 2012, p. 5).
The 2012 agreement will facilitate the USA and Canadian action on threats to
Great Lakes water quality and includes strengthened measures to anticipate and
prevent ecological harm. New provisions address aquatic invasive species, habitat
degradation and the effects of climate change, and support continued work on existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as
harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.
Efforts continue at all levels of government to address water quality problems
driven by multiple factors including the transformation of the landscape and critical
cumulative impacts due to climate change.
Finally, the North American Great Lakes are also governed by the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact of 2008, which protects the lakes
19 Watersheds at the Nexus
19.2.3 Watershed Governance
Given the multiple units of government with interests in the North American Great
Lakes Basin, numerous treaties, laws, conventions, compacts, and other agreements
have implemented over more than a century of watershed management.
Early efforts for regional collaboration between the USA of America and Canada
resulted in the International Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This treaty which was
ratified by the USA and Great Britain (which had dominion over Canada at the
time), and established the International Joint Commission (IJC) consisting of
Americans and Canadians to oversee any issue related to shared waters on the border between the USA and Canada.
The IJC works to prevent and resolve disputes between the USA and Canada,
particularly those related to transboundary waters and pursues the common good of
both countries as an independent and objective advisor to the two governments. The
IJC has jurisdiction over issues related to fishing rights, water diversion, shipping,
and other transportation rights, the building of dams and bridges, other shared water
uses, and concerns over water pollution.
The IJC is a science-based, binational organization that works through consensus
and relies on the impartial judgment of three appointed commissioners. Experts
from both countries serve on technical boards for the Commission and carry out
studies and fieldwork in response to requests from the countries. In 1912, the IJC
conducted the largest spatial water quality assessment ever undertaken to investigate sources of bacterial threats to drinking water. While recommendations to prevent pollution and infrastructure alterations were implemented, after 100 years
point and non-point sources of contamination remain a concern.
Water quality in the Great Lakes is governed by the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement (GLWQA), which is a commitment between the USA and Canada to
restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes (EPA 2017). The Agreement provides a framework for identifying binational priorities and implementing actions
that improve water quality. The USA and Canada first signed the Agreement in
1972, and it has been amended in 1983, 1987, and 2012 to enhance water quality
programs that ensure the “chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Waters
of the Great Lakes” (GLWQP 2012, p. 5).
The 2012 agreement will facilitate the USA and Canadian action on threats to
Great Lakes water quality and includes strengthened measures to anticipate and
prevent ecological harm. New provisions address aquatic invasive species, habitat
degradation and the effects of climate change, and support continued work on existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as
harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.
Efforts continue at all levels of government to address water quality problems
driven by multiple factors including the transformation of the landscape and critical
cumulative impacts due to climate change.
Finally, the North American Great Lakes are also governed by the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact of 2008, which protects the lakes
19 Watersheds at the Nexus