Saving the great lakes: eight states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes watershed are working to protect this important resource.

We don't call them "great" for nothing. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario make up the largest body of fresh water on the planet and provide drinking water for 42 million Americans and Canadians. There's enough water in the Great Lakes to cover the contiguous states nine feet deep.

Some 162 million tons of dry bulk cargo--iron ore, coal, stone, grain, salt, cement and potash--are shipped through the lakes every year. Some 20 percent of U.S. manufacturing takes place in cities along their shores. The Great Lakes area generates $5 billion a year in shipping business and $4 billion in the sport, commercial and Native American fishing industry.

All that makes the infrastructure, health and environmental protection of the Great Lakes a priority not only for the governors and legislators of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but also for the president and members of Congress, the leaders of Quebec and Ontario and businesses in the United States and Canada.

The fragile ecology of the lakes has suffered from pollution, invasive species and water diversion projects. Restoration initiatives prompted President George W. Bush to call the Great Lakes a "national treasure," when signing an executive order three years ago that called for a regional collaboration. Governors, legislators, mayors of cities and towns and tribal leaders--l,500 in all--united to identify the most critical needs facing the Great Lakes. Canadian officials participated as observers. The result, the Great Lakes Strategy, outlines recommendations for actions to be taken over the next five years to restore and save the lakes.

MULTISTATE COMPACT

The Council of Great Lakes Governors worked on an additional priority--developing a multistate agreement to control who can use the water and how much of it. The main goal of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is to make sure that no Great Lakes water ends up in a swimming pool in Phoenix or on restaurant tables in some far away place like Asia. It has been signed by the governors of the eight states surrounding the Great Lakes and the two Canadian premiers. Next it must be approved by all eight legislatures and then by Congress.

This session, the compact is wending its way through the area's legislatures for approval.

"It is critical for the states to ratify the proposed compact to protect the Great Lakes from the thirsty states and thirsty nations who covet our water," says Michigan Senator Patricia Birkholz. "The compact provides a well-coordinated and uniformly supported plan to protect the Great Lakes from diversion."

Minnesota passed the first legislation in February. Senator Ann Rest, sponsor of the bill, says the compact gives the Great Lakes states the opportunity to set the standards for water withdrawals as a region and to prohibit use by those outside the basin. At the same time, the individual states can set their own conservation programs, Rest says, acknowledging that current Minnesota law is tougher on water-management than the agreement.

"We will have joint sovereignty in this initiative and joint responsibility, but we can individually have stronger state protections."

Senator Rest and other proponents believe the compact will help protect the delicate ecosystem of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is of special concern. Its level at the beginning of the year was the lowest in 81 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Lakes Michigan and Huron are also at historic lows. All the lakes have suffered from sewage contamination, invasive species of aquatic plants, fish and mussels, and the diversion of water to support large cities around their shores.

The governors of all eight states have thrown their support behind the agreement even though, in some cases, portions of their states could be hurt. Each one except Michigan has areas that fall outside the watershed. The northern city of Gary, Ind., for example, is within the basin and will be able to draw on the Great Lakes water. But Indianapolis, just a few hundred miles south, is outside the basin and cannot access these water resources. The compact does have exceptions for cities or counties that stradle the basin border like New Berlin, Wis., where half the town falls within the basin and the other half is outside.

SOME OPPOSITION

Illinois, Indiana and Michigan have bills under consideration this year, says Dave Naftzger, executive director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, that would enforce the compact. Legislation passed the Ohio and New York houses last year, but the senates have been slow to respond. Opposition comes from some businesses, property rights advocates and a few state legislators. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, which supports the agreement, does have misgivings about how it might affect new industry wanting to locate in the watershed. The chamber is asking the legislature to add separate language to its approval that interprets the agreement in a less restrictive way. Ohio Senator Tim Grendell says he intends to introduce legislation this session that will put off a vote on the compact agreement until at least 2008. He proposes a joint legislative task force that would spend time this year gathering information and talking with other states.

Despite these kinds of setbacks, Naftzger says the compact agreements will successfully move through the legislatures. "The process to get the compact agreement off the ground took five years--and was very inclusive, everyone had a voice at the table. Some of the bills are delayed right now because of issues unrelated to the agreement, but we have a tremendous amount of support and believe these bills will continue to move forward."

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST

Abipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation in Congress to fund a $20 billion clean-up plan for the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, sponsored by Ohio Senator Mike DeWine, Michigan Senator Carl Levin, Michigan Representative Vern Ehlers and Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel, will put money into protecting the lakes from invasive species including the Asian carp; restoring fish and wildlife habitat; preventing sewage contamination; cleaning up contaminated sediment and protecting the lakes from mercury pollution. Much of this would be done by reauthorizing current programs such as the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, the State Revolving Loan Fund and the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The act would establish a Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process. Last year Congress approved spending up to $16 million for grants to restore fish and wildlife habitat.

Melissa Savage manages the NCSL Environment and Natural Resources Program.

WHAT THE COMPACT WILL ACCOMPLISH

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact details how states land provinces will manage and protect the resources of the Great Lakes. It has been approved by the area's eight governors and is now wending its way through the eight legislatures.

Its major objectives include:

* A ban on new diversions of water from the basin, allowing only limited, and strictly regulated exceptions such as for public water supply for nearby communities.

* A consistent standard to review proposed uses of Great Lakes water.

* Encouragement of lasting economic development balanced with sustainable water use.

* Regional goals for water conservation and efficiency to be reviewed every five years. Each state and province will also establish a water conservation and efficiency program.

* Better technical data to be shared by states and provinces to improve decision making by the governments.

* Recognize the Great Lakes basin as a shared public treasure and commit to continued public involvement in the implementation of policies.

Source: Council of Great Lakes Governors