Great Lakes Compact

Right now there are no consistent rules across the region governing the use of Great Lakes water. Without rules protecting Great Lakes water that everyone must follow, the Lakes are vulnerable to tankers and pipelines that would pump water away from the region, depleting the Lakes and diminishing our quality of life. This "anything goes" status quo leaves our region open to water shortages and lowered lake levels, leading to drinking water contamination and higher water rates, more beach closings, fewer opportunities to boat and fish with our families, and job losses in shipping, tourism, commercial fishing and other industries that depend on the Great Lakes.

A 1998 proposal to ship Lake Superior water to Asia showed that the regions leaders must work together, and quickly, to establish binding agreements that meet international trade laws to protect these critical waters. More recently, 2007 record-low water levels and comments made by presidential candidates, that Great Lakes states should share water with the west, demonstrate the urgency for Michigan to ratify the Compact.

The Great Lakes-St Lawrence Basin Water Resources Compact establishes fair and consistent rules for responsible Great Lakes water use. The Compact will help us to sustain the Great Lakes - so they can continue to sustain us.

Compact Goals:

• Establish protections for Great Lakes waters within each state.
• Ensure authority over the lake waters remains in the Great Lakes Basin.
• Establish a process to return water to the Great Lakes in better condition than they were withdrawn.

Compact Process:

• Governors sign Final Agreements
• Individual states ratify the Compact
• Congress passes Great Lakes Compact, entering into a legal Great Lakes Basin-wide Agreement

For more information:

• Great Lakes, Great Michigan Website
• Council of Great Lakes Governors Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact Implementation Website