Lawmakers amend compact to save Great Lakes water from diversion

U.S. Congress members from the Great Lakes states took one step closer to making the Great Lakes Compact a law Wednesday when they introduced legislation to ratify the eight-state agreement to protect Great Lakes waters from external diversions.

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., introduced legislation in the Senate and Michigan Reps. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., were among those to introduce the House legislation.

The Great Lakes Compact is a regional agreement between all states within the Great Lakes Basin to manage and conserve the lakes’ resources.

“The Great Lakes Compact will provide an effective means for Great Lakes states jointly to safeguard water for future generations,” Levin said in a Senate floor statement.

As the nation’s largest freshwater ecosystem, the Great Lakes have been discussed as a possible source of irrigation and drinking water for states that lack water, such as Arizona and Texas.

The compact bans nearly all diversions of water to areas outside the basin. The only exceptions are nearby communities that rely on the lakes’ water. Those communities may apply for water use, but any dissenting member state can veto the proposal.

“The governor is pleased that Congress has acted quickly to introduce bills in the House and Senate,” said Megan Brown, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “This is very important legislation that will protect our natural resources for future generations.”

Michigan was the final state to sign the compact July 9, making it eligible for review by the federal legislature.

Leaders of the eight states bordering the Great Lakes Basin — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — had been working on it since 2005, when the original document was created.

Geological sciences graduate student Chandra Palmer said she thinks the legislation will be important to stabilize water levels in the Great Lakes, which have recently faced unusually low levels.

“If there’s more going out than going in, you’re going to have a problem sooner or later,” she said. “That’s not going to have a chance to rebound if you have water pumping to other states.”

Joan Rose, MSU’s Homer Nowlin Chair for Water Research, said if the compact is ratified, its benefits will span far beyond water conservation.

“(Because of their water resources) Michigan and the Great Lake states are going to be places to be in the future,” she said. “The next step is to protect … because as we draw new people and industries, we will have a good plan in place and it will be a good economic driver for the region.”

Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said he expects the Senate bill to be read by the Judiciary Committee by the end of the month, with a hearing in the House soon after.

“The window for action in Congress in 2008 is rapidly closing, but we’re moving forward as if we can get this done this year,” Skelding said.

In signing the compact, Granholm also signed into law several bills to regulate water use within Michigan. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bob McCann said those laws are currently in the process of being implemented, and are likely to be fully operational sometime next year.