On 2 August 2014 the city of Toledo, in Ohio USA issued a “do not drink” water advisory and declared a state of emergency. This was as a result of elevated levels of the toxin microcystin in the final treated water, a dangerous toxin produced by the algae cyanobacteria. The Toledo water crisis is a key focusing event that can advance dialogue on eutrophication governance in the context of public health. This paper examines the Toledo water ban with the aim of determining whether this crisis could have been averted. Further, we explore how this event can be used to stimulate action on eutrophication governance, to motivate action to protect water at its source. We use the World Health Organization’s Water Safety Planning Methodology to show that the crisis could have been averted with some simple risk management actions. We also show that a water safety planning approach could lead to well developed operational and maintenance planning resulting in a higher probability of safe drinking water.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater body in the world, holding 20% of the worlds freshwater. Together, Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, are home to over 35million Americans and Canadians, a factor that lead to severe human related stress to the lakes’ ecosystem. The eutrophication of Lake Erie is one manifestation of this anthropogenic stress from nutrient enrichment from farming, sewage treatment plant discharges, airborne emissions and nutrient flows from paved surfaces. This paper examines the eutrophication of Lake Erie and shows that it is a wicked problem that can benefit from an adaptive governance approach. More specifically, it proposes a framework for assessing adaptive capacity and tests this framework through key informant interviews in the case where adaptive capacity was displayed; a Lake Erie that went from severe eutrophication the 1960s to significant nutrient reduction and restoration of the Lake Erie ecosystem in the 1990s. This research also aims to identify gaps in adaptive capacity for current eutrophication governance of Lake Erie.

Since the signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol by Canada and the United States on September 7, 2012, there has been no review of it in the literature. This paper aims to fill that gap by conducting a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats (SWOT) analysis that will aid in deducing strategies to maximize the strengths and opportunities and minimize the weaknesses and threats to achieving the purpose of the Protocol. The review found that the Protocol has maintained the basic visionary infrastructure retaining the purpose and main objectives while broadening the scope to include three new Annexes; Aquatic Invasive Species, Habitat and Species and Climate change. Weaknesses include instances of ambiguous language, the separate treatment of groundwater, lack of Annex on Indigenous engagement and discrepancies between the principles and the Annexes. A key threat remains the lack of resources for the implementation of the Protocol.