Clean Wisconsin Vision for The Great Lakes Basin

Enhancing and maintaining Great Lakes water supplies and ecosystems is vital to the health of the people and economies of the Great Lakes states. The Great Lakes are one of the natural wonders of the world and it is our responsibility to protect them. They are a resource for us to use and protect – they connect the ecosystems that we rely on for life and are a gift of beauty and bounty that enrich our lives and identify our region. Healthy and abundant water-based ecosystems in Wisconsin give the state a competitive economic advantage and define the region’s quality of life. Clean Wisconsin envisions Great Lakes communities that include:

Wisconsin Department of Tourism

A clean, fresh and abundant water supply for daily needs Clean beaches A robust tourist economy Prosperous business opportunities Maintaining Wisconsin’s agricultural heritage Diverse and healthy wildlife Thriving habitats in and along rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands Varied outdoor recreational opportunities like fishing and swimming

Waters, or water resources, of the Great Lakes Basin is defined as “the Great Lakes and all streams, rivers, lakes, connecting channels, and other bodies of water, including tributary groundwater, within the Great Lakes Basin.”

Clean Wisconsin is in direct support of The Great Lakes Charter Annex, signed by the Council of Great Lakes Governors and Canadian Premiers. Their solution to preventing the Great Lakes from abuse, is instituting a regional plan which provides “an enhanced water management system that is simple, durable, efficient, retains and respects authority within the basin, and most importantly protects, conserves, restores and improves the waters and water-dependent natural resources of the Great Lakes basin.” (source: The Great Lakes Charter Annex.)

Under this Annex agreement:

• “State and Provincial authorities should be permanent, enforceable, and consistent with their respective state, provincial, federal, and international laws and treaties.

• The Governors and Premiers commit to develop and implement a new common, resource-based conservation standard and apply it to new water withdrawal proposals from the Waters of the Great Lakes Basin.

• Address proposed increases to existing water withdrawals and existing water withdrawal capacity from the Waters of the Great Lakes Basin.”

Clean Wisconsin fully supports the Council’s following six Charter directives:

1. New Binding Agreements: Develop a new set of Basin-wide, interstate, binding agreement(s) or protocols within three years of the date of the approved Annex, in order to further the Council’s objective to “protect, conserve, restore, improve and manage use of the Waters and Water-Dependent Natural Resources” of the Great Lakes Basin.

2. Public Participation Program: Continue ongoing public input in the implementation and preparation of the Annex agreement, which would include “periodic progress reports to the public.”

3. New Decision Making Standard: Create a standard that reviews water withdrawals from the Great Lakes Basin, both on new withdrawal proposals and changes to existing withdrawals.

4. Project Review: In accordance with binding agreements derived under directive #1, the Great Lakes Governors “will notify and consult with the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec on all proposals subject to the U.S. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986” which was established in the Charter.

5. Information System to Aid Decision Making: Ensure the best available information is gathered in order to implement the Charter, Annex and any new agreements. “This design will include an assessment of available information and existing systems, a complete update of data on existing water uses, an identification of needs, provisions for a better understanding of the role of groundwater, and a plan to implement the ongoing support system”.

6. Implementation, Monitoring and Further Commitments:

   • To implement and monitor, as well as implement legislation, to establish “programs to manage and regulate new or increased withdrawals of Waters of the Great Lakes Basin.”
   • To coordinate a “planning process for protecting, conserving, restoring, and improving the [GLB].”
   • To develop “effective mechanisms for decision making and dispute resolution.”
   • To develop conservation and efficient use guidelines.
   • To better understand and use scientific information surrounding the impacts of withdrawals from Great Lakes Basin ecosystems and the role of groundwater in the Basin.
   • To develop water withdrawal rates by taking into account regional effects on the basin, which will help determine limits.

Stanley Solheim Wisconsin Department of Tourism

All quotes are attributed to The Great Lakes Charter Annex: www.cglg.org/1pdfs/Annex2001.pdf. Additional information about The Great Lakes Charter Annex, a draft of the upcoming proposal, public hearing dates and locations will be posted online at www.cleanwisconsin.org. or call 608.251.7020. # # # Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and corporations accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone: 608.251.7020, Fax: 608.251.1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.