 |
 About one-third of the
total population of the Great Lakes basin resides within the Lake Erie watershed. In
total, approximately twelve million people live in the watershed, including seventeen
metropolitan areas with more than 50,000 residents. The lake provides drinking water for
about eleven million of these inhabitants. The general trend over the past ten years has
been population growth in the urban areas, while the population in rural areas has been
decreasing.During the 1960s water quality issues in the Great Lakes first became a
concern to the general public. Lake Erie was perceived to be "dying" as
excessive phosphorus entering the lake resulting in eutrophic conditions. By the late
1960s, Canadian and American regulatory agencies were in agreement that limiting
phosphorus loads was the key to controlling excessive algal growth and that a coordinated
lakewide approach was necessary to deal with the phosphorus issue. Open lake phosphorus
concentrations declined due to the joint efforts made. These controls represented an
unprecedented success in producing environmental results through international
cooperation.
In 1987 the governments of Canada and the United States made a commitment, as part of
the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), to develop a
Lakewide Management Plan for
the Great Lakes. The Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) for Lake Erie is coordinated by
federal, state and provincial government agencies in the two countries. Under the guidance
of these agencies, the LaMP unites a network of stakeholders in actions to restore and
protect the Lake Erie ecosystem. The LaMP provides an opportunity to link their efforts -
working towards a common goal - restoring Lake Erie for future generations. |
