Data on policy development and implementation to address eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin, Canada

The proposed study uses document analysis, policy Delphi surveys, and interviews as data collection methods to qualitatively analyze water governance in the western Lake Erie basin and identify drivers of eutrophication.

Documents related to nutrient management in the western Lake Erie basin will be analyzed to understand the existing water governance system. Documents reviewed may include legislation, agreements, guidance documents, progress reports, assessments of progress, and action plans from the Canada, Ontario, U.S., and state governments. These documents will be collected using internet and library sources, and through requests to appropriate bodies when necessary. The document analysis will inform the development of questions for the policy Delphi surveys and the semi-structured interviews.

The policy Delphi survey will consist of two rounds of surveys with experts to identify and understand the drivers of eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin, and whether they are considered by the water governance system. Participants of the policy Delphi survey will be selected with purposive sampling, based on identifying experts on nutrient management and water governance in the western Lake Erie basin. The results of the policy Delphi surveys will inform the development of questions for the semi-structured interviews, as well as potential participants.

The interviews will be an in-depth investigation of selected external drivers of eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin, and how they are accounted for (or not) by the governance system, and to explore opportunities for innovation in the water governance system. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the individuals involved in or associated with water governance in the western Lake Erie basin, and individuals identified through the policy Delphi surveys as being, or associated with, an external driver of eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin. Participants may include representatives from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia.

The purpose of the research is to understand how the governance system for nutrient management in the western Lake Erie basin enables, or hinders, consideration of external drivers. Four interrelated objectives will be pursued to accomplish this purpose:
(i) Characterize the existing governance system for nutrient management in the western Lake Erie basin and the scales at which it is operating;
(ii) Identify external drivers of eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin, and evaluate the extent to which they are accounted for in the existing governance system;
(iii) Examine the extent to which the governance system affects consideration of external drivers; and
(iv) If the current governance system hinders consideration of external drivers, explore ways of modifying the governance system.

The research is motivated by a need for advancement in both water governance practice and theory. Practically, the causes and drivers of many water issues are partly, or wholly, external to those traditionally considered within the water sector, and assessing these external drivers will ensure that water officials can achieve their goals of addressing eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin. Theoretically, the water governance literature has focused on overcoming challenges “internal” to the water community, and it is necessary to also focus on addressing challenges “external” to the water community. This dataset will support the project titled "Linking Water Governance to Economic, Social and Political Drivers" which is a Pillar 1-2 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund

de Loë, R., and Mills, E. (2019). Data on policy development and implementation to address eutrophication in the western Lake Erie basin, Canada. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). Unpublished Data.