GLIN==> Wisconsin is First Test of Great Lakes Diversion Protections

Alliance for the Great Lakes - National Wildlife Federation - Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

For Immediate Release								
Thursday, May 20, 2010
		   								
Wisconsin is First Test of Great Lakes Diversion Protections

Today, Wisconsin begins reviewing the first application from a community beyond the Great Lakes Basin seeking to divert water from Lake Michigan and the world’s largest system of freshwater lakes. 

The city of Waukesha has filed an application for Lake Michigan water with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This represents the first test to an exception clause in the Great Lakes Compact’s and Sustainable Water Resources Agreement’s ban on diverting Great Lakes water to communities that lie entirely outside the basin.

"You don't pass a test simply by handing in your answers,” Alliance President and CEO Joel Brammeier said of the application. “A critical review by the entire region will ultimately determine if Waukesha makes the grade." 

Waukesha is eligible to apply for Great Lakes water because it lies within a county that straddles the Great Lakes and Mississippi River divide. That county, Waukesha County in southeastern Wisconsin, is located 18 miles west of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan.

The precedent-setting application must not only stand up to the DNR’s scrutiny, but to tough questioning by interests throughout the Great Lakes region.

“This is a precedent-setting case, and the jury is still out on how well Waukesha has fared,” said Marc Smith, policy manager with the National Wildlife Federation. “The strict standards in the compact and agreement are designed to protect our lakes—and the people, businesses and communities which rely on them—from unwise use. Diversion requests are to be vigorously scrutinized and not just rubber-stamped.”

The compact and agreement require that applications for exceptions to the diversion ban undergo regional review by the governors of the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Wisconsin, and the Canadian premiers of Ontario and Quebec. Applications for exceptions in “straddling counties,” such as Waukesha, must also be approved by all eight of the governors.

"The protections afforded by the Great Lakes Compact are only as good as the interpretation and implementation of it by the individual state agencies responsible for making the decisions on diversion applications," said George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. "The Waukesha application and the DNR decision making will be rightfully subject to close scrutiny by everyone in the Great Lakes Basin."

The water management pacts, signed by the Great Lakes states and provinces in 2005 and approved by Congress and the president in 2008, are first-of-their kind models for a consensus-driven, basin-wide approach to decisions about how much and how far away Great Lakes water can be used.

To tap Great Lakes waters, Waukesha must meet stringent requirements, including: demonstrating it has no reasonable alternative water supply; and committing to return all the water it withdraws, less a reasonable amount for consumption, to Lake Michigan.

The Wisconsin DNR, which has yet to promulgate rules and regulations outlining what’s needed in a complete withdrawal application, will follow its  Environmental Impact Statement process to review the application. The agency will take comments about what should be reviewed in the process for the next 30 days, with an as-yet unscheduled public hearing to follow.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes, National Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and other state and regional environmental groups will closely review the application and provide comments to DNR, the 10-member Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body, and the states’ Compact Council, which has the final say in approving the application. 

See Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.greatlakes.org/Document.Doc?id=840
More at: http://www.greatlakes.org/Waukesha/waterbid

Contacts: 
Joel Brammeier, president, CEO, Alliance for the Great Lakes: 773-590-6494; jbrammeier at greatlakes.org

Marc Smith, policy manager, National Wildlife Federation: 734-255-5413; MSmith at nwf.org

George Meyer, executive director, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation: 608-516-5545; georgemeyer at tds.net

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Formed in 1970, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is the oldest Great Lakes citizens’ organization in North America. Our mission is to: conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for generations of people and wildlife. www.greatlakes.org 

The National Wildlife Federation is America’s conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. http://www.nwf.org/greatlakes

The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation has a dual mission to engage in conservation education and to advocate for sound conservation policy. http://www.wiwf.org/index.php



Susan Campbell
Communications Manager
Alliance for the Great Lakes
414-540-0699
Visit http://www.greatlakes.org



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