The reduction of causes and the management of effects of eutrophication

Abstract

Extensive attempts to manage the adverse effects of eutrophication have been implemented in developed countries of the world for the past three decades. These vary between countries and between lakes depending upon the strength of public opinion, political will to enact legislative countermeasures, and of course the scale of the perceived eutrophication problem in the first place. Thus in Great Britain, eutrophication was not initially perceived as a serious problem (Lund, 1972) because most water supply treatment works were able to cope with the algal problems of eutrophic lowland waters, and no formal legislation exists to control nutrients. In the unusually hot summer of 1989 however, the widespread occurrence of toxic floating scums of cyanobacteria galvanised the general public, press, Parliament and the newly re-organised water industry into a frenzy of concern resulting in the closure of many water bodies to public recreation such as fishing and boating. In contrast, European countries such as Sweden and Switzerland have legislated to restrict both detergent phosphorus content and effluent phosphorus concentration; similar legislation exists in America and South Africa.