"The American conversation about protecting the environment began in the 1960s. Rachel Carson had published her attack on the indiscriminate use of pesticides, Silent Spring, in 1962. Concern about air and water pollution had spread in the wake of disasters" -EPA, 2017
In the 1970s, public concern grew following IJC documentation of contaminated lake water, further strengthening the environmental movement. Protests multiplied and Dr. Seuss published the book The Lorax as a tale of environmental responsibility. Motivated by public outcry, the two countries came together seeking a compromise to address the issue, requesting an IJC report.
"I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie" -The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, 1971 |
Protests for Clean Water, 1970's. Courtesy of Cleveland Foundation
“The report shows the urgent need for the governments to take action.” -Lyman Welch, Alliance for the Great Lakes Director, 1971 The IJC’s report stated that there was excessive and pervasive phosphorus in all five Great Lakes on both sides of the border.
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"It is almost futile to discuss “progress” in the fight against pollution—we have not even been able to keep up with it. As a nation, we still are spending more time and money polluting the Great Lakes than we are spending to revitalize them. It is simply a losing battle. -U.S. Representative Abner Joseph Mikva, 1972
However, the two countries disagreed about how much pollution they each were allowed to contribute to the Great Lakes. Canada believed that both nations should be able to contribute up to 50% of the pollution that the lakes could withstand, leaving the US with a greater burden of new pollution control measures as they possess more shoreline. Despite this, the two countries prioritized environmental health over national desires, and agreed on the phosphorus loading they were allowed.
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"The GLWQA was negotiated pursuant to the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty that had created the IJC to help resolve problems including pollution crossing the binational border. The IJC and the institutions added to it ... were based on the principle of bi-nationalism, two countries collaborating on achieving a set of shared goals, rather than bi-lateralism, two countries negotiating with each other in an attempt to balance interests and protect each others' rights." - Gail Krantzberg,Professor and Director of the Centre for Engineering, 2008
On April 15, 1972, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the GLWQA, creating a binational compromise.
This agreement suggested specific objectives, acknowledged the Great Lakes waters as raw public sources, and provided a means for clear, safe water. The EPA and Environment Canada were to manage the agreement.
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"Nixon, Trudeau sign water quality agreement", April 15,1972. Courtesy of the U.S. Government
Binational Accountability"This agreement represents an important beginning, one which has been made possible by the cooperation of our two national governments and of State and Provincial governments as well. And now we must all follow through on the beginning." - President Richard Nixon, 1972 "In 1972, suddenly industries and cities were being held accountable for what they were putting in our water bodies," Dan Egan told MPR News host Tom Weber, 2013 |
"Throughout human history, water has defined our sense of place. International water law reflects the connections between water and local people, communities, and the environment. " -Noah D. Hall, environmental and water law, 2010
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