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Great Lakes Compact
Going Green
Going Green: Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes Compact, governing the use and protection of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior, has been ratified by the eight states and two Canadian Provinces bordering the lakes, plus both federal governments. The next step is implementing the agreement.
"We now have to regulate any large out-of-basin transfer of water and there needs to be a permit program set up for consumptive use. A water conservation plan is needed for the half of New York State that's in the Great Lakes Basin," said Dr. Richard Smardon, Chair of the Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council. "The Great Lakes Compact said, okay, you can regulate out-of-basin transfers or stop it in some cases, but you have to develop water conservation practices for your internal (consumptive) use as well."
Smardon chairs the Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council, which is drafting a report for the Governor and State Legislature. Holding workshops in Plattsburgh, Troy/Albany, Cortland, Rochester, Buffalo and Watertown, the council found some very divergent opinions.
"Because you're dealing with a real range of stakeholders. You're dealing with groups that want to protect the environment and push regulation to the nth degree. You're dealing with industrial users who are quite concerned because it will impact their usage. You're dealing with farmers and irrigation practices, you're dealing with municipal water supplies and commercial water usage as well," Smardon said.
"The big problem for municipalities and their water supply systems is that most are very old and have a huge amount of leakage, up to ten percent in some cases, so you are losing a lot of water and in some cases, they're not metered, so you don't know how much water you're actually using, so we need to pay attention to this as a part of the compact," said Smardon.
Time is running out for public input. The Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council Report will be filed by the end of September.
