SPRINGFIELD, Illinois—In a victory for industrial and
residential Great Lakes water users
everywhere, the House Executive Committee unanimously passed House Bill 375, sponsored
by State Representative Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), to implement the Great
Lakes Water Resources Compact.
"Although 33 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, the law provides no
assurance of the long-term supply of this vital resource," said Max Muller
Environmental Advocate at Environment Illinois. "The Compact is a
no-brainer for Illinois.
It maintains Illinois's
long-standing authority over in-state use of lake water, while giving us a seat
at the table to review other states' large proposed new uses. Cumulatively,
those proposals threaten lake water levels."
Although vast, the Great Lakes
are vulnerable to the removal of water at rates faster than can be naturally
replenished. Each year, rainfall and snowmelt replenishes only about one
percent of Great Lakes water; the other 99
percent is non-renewable. Great Lakes basin waters
are interconnected, so falling water levels can drain ponds, dry wetlands, and
damage fragile ecosystems.
Lake Michigan currently provides for Illinois industry, shipping, and tourism, as well as drinking
water for Chicago
and 124 suburbs. But these demands on the finite Great Lakes water supply
compete with proposals for new in-basin uses as well as schemes to export Great
Lakes water—like the proposals to refill the western U.S.'s
Ogallala Aquifer or produce bottled water for sale in Asia.
The Great Lakes Compact, the product of 5 years'
negotiation and 15,000 public comments, is an agreement among the Great Lakes
states to ensure sustainable use of Great Lakes
water. The Compact prohibits new or increased out-of-basin diversions except
under special circumstances to provide public drinking water. It also establishes
uniform standards across the Great Lake states for evaluating new in-basin uses of Great Lakes water. The Compact exempts Illinois
from these provisions and confirms Illinois's
authority to manage its water use under a decades-old, superseding U.S. Supreme
Court Decree.
The Compact requires all Great
Lakes states to develop water resource inventories and efficiency
programs, and give public notice of large proposed new water uses.
The Compact now moves to a vote by the full Illinois
House of Representatives. A virtually identical Senate Bill, SB 50 sponsored by
Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), unanimously passed a Senate committee and awaits
a full Senate vote. To become law, the Compact must pass all eight Great Lakes state legislatures, as well as the U.S.
Congress. Minnesota
passed the Compact in February and Compact bills are pending or planned in the
other six states.
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