Pollution control of the North American Great Lakes

The paper discusses the history of collaboration of the USA and Canada on the control and reduction of pollution of the North American Great Lakes, which began in the early 1900s. The more than 70-year period of joint investigations is divided into three phases: initial, related to a study of bacterial pollution; intermediate, related to a study of eutrophication problems; and current, when main attention is being devoted to investigations of toxic substances of anthropogenic origin. The significance of the problems and the complex system of government departments predetermined the joint efforts of the two countries to find solutions for conservation of the Great Lakes waters. The united efforts on pollution control led to many positive results in reducing phosphorus concentrations and in problems of management related to toxic genobiotic substances.