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

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