Title: Assessing the Conservation Presumption of Michigan’s Enactment of the Great lakes Compact: A Physical Policy and Legal Analysis

In 2008, the State of Michigan passed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Compact into law. This introduced a series of new regulations over the control of water withdrawals in the state in addition to a new, science-based water withdrawal assessment process (WWAP). The creation of the WWAP illustrates a means by which science, policy, and law were able to enter into a dialogue with the end result of a robust, science-based regulatory framework. This dissertation investigates the changes in the legal framework in Michigan caused by the WWAP. The dissertation also conducts a scientific assessment of an early water withdrawal standard. In addition, the dissertation explores the development of the WWAP, the dialogue between science and policy, and the perception of the success of WWAP by key actors in its creation. Finally, the dissertation conducts a stress-test of the water conservation presumption that lies at the heart of the WWAP.

Chair: Prof. Mike Wiley