Victory for Lake Michigan, Great Lakes

Two bills protect long-term health of lakes

Environment Illinois helped win two major victories for Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes with the passage of the Great Lakes Compact and the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Legacy Act. Both bills were signed into law by President Bush in early October.

“The Great Lakes account for over 90 percent of fresh surface water in the United States,” said Max Muller, program director at Environment Illinois. “By passing the Great Lakes Compact and the Great Lakes Legacy Act, we have taken steps toward ensuring the long-term health of this vital natural resource for generations to come.”  

The Great Lakes Compact

Although vast, the Great Lakes are vulnerable to the removal of water at rates faster than can be naturally replenished. Growing water demand from industry, housing and farming—not to mention proposals to export Great Lakes water elsewhere —place the Great Lakes in jeopardy.   

The Great Lakes Compact is an agreement among the Great Lakes states to ensure sustainable use of Great Lakes water. The compact prohibits most new or increased out-of-basin water diversions, establishes uniform standards for new in-basin water uses, and requires Great Lakes states to develop water resource inventories and efficiency programs.  

The Great Lakes Legacy Act

The Great Lakes are threatened by a legacy of toxic pollution. Since 2004, more than 1.5 million pounds of contaminated sediment have been removed at a cost of almost $97 million.

The Great Lakes Legacy Act authorizes $54 million a year for two years to continue the cleanup of toxic chemicals and toxic sediment all across the Great Lakes region.  

More to be done

Despite their important role as feeders of Lake Michigan, Illinois’s few remaining wetlands and many miles of streams have lost protection and are threatened by development, pollution and destruction. Environment Illinois is calling on Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act, which restores protections to source streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act.