Make water conservation a goal for all

Getting the Great Lakes Compact through Congress represents a huge achievement for the eight states that, along with two Canadian provinces, share this stunning basin formed by five massive bodies of freshwater. The pact, designed to fend off wholesale export of water, greatly improves the defense of the lakes.

The compact should signal, as well, greater communication and ongoing efforts among the states to monitor and conserve their assets. Because every state legislature had to approve the compact before its passage last month in the U.S. Senate and Tuesday in the U.S. House, lawmakers in all the states should be invested in making sure that water is not only preserved but restored and maintained to the highest possible quality.

That surely is the goal of the many people who led the effort, and deserve thanks, starting with the Great Lakes Council of Governors. The state executives were helped by the coordinated effort of congressional delegations from Michigan and the other Great Lakes states, and supported by numerous groups and coalitions that love and depend on the lakes.

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Source: FREEP

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Officials concerned about future water supply

JOLIET, IL– Potentially serious water shortages are possible in northeastern Illinois’ future, depending on whether the region plans effectively, a new report says.

Under one scenario, demand for water in an 11-county area including Chicago could rise 64 percent by 2050, according to the report, commissioned by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. “To ensure an adequate supply for residential, commercial and recreational needs, we must start now to plan better — and conserve more,” said Randy Blankenhorn, director of the agency.

The report also would seem to give added importance to local water studies, such as the one being conducted in Lockport. In July, the regional planning agency released the report, which describes three possible scenarios for water demand in the 11 counties in the year 2050.

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Source: The Herald News

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Senate passes bill to protect Great Lakes

CHICAGO — Efforts to protect the Great Lakes from those who may covet their vast quantities of water for an increasingly thirsty world took a major step forward Friday as the Senate passed legislation endorsing the Great Lakes Basin Compact.

The broad multi-state agreement would ban most diversion of Great Lakes water to any place outside the basin and would mandate conservation efforts inside it. Despite what some criticized as significant loopholes in the measure, House leaders said the bill would be a priority after the five-week congressional recess, and President Bush has said he would sign it.

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Source: The Chicago Tribune

For more information on water conservation, visit www.nuprana.com