|
More about the
Great Lakes Compact
The major water issue our local Great Waters
Group is focusing on
is passing implementing legislation to approve the Great Lakes Compact. The
Sierra Club is part of an organization of environmental groups called the Water
Table, that is working hard to get Wisconsin to sign on to the Compact. Below is
the Water Table’s (and GWG’s) position on the Compact. Our message to the State
legislature is: “Pass a strong Compact for a strong Wisconsin.”
The Great Lakes are a unique resource, containing 20 percent of the earth’s
fresh surface water and supporting a $15 billion economy. However, the
increasing demands of industry, a growing population, and water-hungry
southwestern states and countries like China are making them increasingly
vulnerable. Permanent changes in water levels will threaten the ability of the Great Lakes to support us in the future.
Passage of the Great Lakes Compact is critical. We ask that you use the unique
opportunity provided by the Compact legislation to support not only the Compact,
but clarifying measures that will better protect the Great Lakes and the
Wisconsin residents whose lives and livelihoods depend upon them. We ask that
you support The Strong Compact for a Strong Wisconsin.
In addition to the baseline Compact, The Strong Compact for a Strong Wisconsin
includes the following elements:
-
Requires measurable, meaningful water conservation practices.
-
Requires environmentally responsible return of all diverted waters.
-
Closes the bottled water loophole that would let multinational corporations
profit from public water resources by allowing diversions one bottle at a time.
-
Sets permit and monitoring standards for large water users within the Great
Lakes basin.
-
Maintains the integrity of the Great Lakes watershed by establishing fixed
community boundaries.
-
Assures an open, public approval process for diversion requests and provides
public enforcement options.
The case for The Strong Compact for a Strong Wisconsin is clear!
There are currently no consistent laws governing Great Lakes water use. This
“anything goes” status quo leaves Wisconsin open to water shortages and lowered
lake levels, threatening our state with job losses in shipping, tourism,
commercial fishing and other industries that depend on our Great Lakes.
The Strong Compact establishes consistent, ecosystem-based standards for
assessing diversion requests, ensuring the fair management of Great Lakes water.
The Strong Compact is fair because it sets up consistent, equitable rules for
managing Great Lakes water. Communities both inside and outside the basin would
understand what they need to do in order to apply for a new or increased
diversion.
Wisconsin is in an historic place and time to continue our great conservation
traditions, while protecting the Great Lakes for future generations of people.
We support these necessary additions to the Great Lakes Compact to strengthen
protection of the incredible resource that has been entrusted to our stewardship. We ask you to support the
Great Lakes so they can continue to support us. Please champion The Strong
Compact for a Strong Wisconsin.
Additional Resources:
Wisconsin Natural Resource Magazine Article
"The lakes, tributaries and more than 200,000 square miles of land that drain
into these waters create one of the world’s largest ecosystems. They are home to
40 million Americans and Canadians. They anchor the world’s third largest
economy and they serve as the nation’s playground. Fully one-third of the boats
registered in the United States are in Great Lakes states and recreation such as
fishing, boating, hunting and wildlife watching generates $50 billion annually
in the region."
Great Lakes Basin
Compact
Article II: "This compact shall enter into
force and become effective and binding when it has been enacted by the
legislature of any four of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and thereafter shall
enter into force and become effective and binding as to any other of said
states when enacted by the legislature thereof."
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Water Information
Groundwater, Wisconsin's
Buried Treasure
Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine published by
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has published a special insert in
their April -May edition called Groundwater: Wisconsin's Buried Treasure.
Check it out at the following link:
http://www.wnrmag.com/supps/2006/apr06/intro.htm. |
