What does the Great Lakes Compact mean for water conservation?

Seven years in the making, the Great Lakes Compact went into effect last December after successfully passing through the legislatures of the eight Great Lakes states and Congress. This historic, multistate agreement outlines a regional approach for sustainably managing the waters of the Great Lakes.

A central component of the compact is its ban-with limited exceptions-on diversions of Great Lakes water to points outside the Great Lakes basin, an area defined by the lakes and land that drains into them. This piece of the compact has received considerable attention, particularly in Wisconsin, where the city of Waukesha is on track to become the region’s first out-of-basin community to apply for an exception to the diversion ban.

Perhaps equally significant but less discussed is a compact component that requires the Great Lakes states to implement water conservation programs in areas within the basin. In Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle wants to go even further: he has called for a conservation program for the entire state.

“Many communities that rely on groundwater are already reaching the limits of their water supply, and finding additional water sources will be expensive,” said Jeff Ripp, water conservation coordinator at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC). “Conservation is the cheapest source of new water.”

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Source: Bay View Compass