THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT: AN EXERCISE IN CO-OPERATION AND COMMITMENT

Abstract

The Agreement between Canada and the United States of America on Great Lakes Water Quality is one of the best examples of interjurisdictional issue resolution by two sovereign nations. The Great Lakes are a shared resource that forms the international boundary. This paper traces the development and evolution of the Agreement from the lakewide studies of the mid-sixties which originally identified the need for collective action.The international institutions employed to oversee the Agreement’s implementation are described and evaluated. These institutions bring together two national governments, eight States and two Provinces. They are built on the already existing International Joint Commission which was created under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.