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rfmcdonaldThe Toronto Star's Michael Robinson reports about what might be the beginning of a severe environmental threat, to the water levels of the Great Lakes being drained by thirsty cities.
A small Wisconsin city has taken one step closer to gulping more than 30 million litres of freshwater a day from Lake Michigan, a move Ontario cottagers fear could signal the beginning of the end of the Great Lakes.
“We appreciate the scaling back of this proposal in part thanks to pressure from Ontario,” said Bob Duncanson, executive director of Georgian Bay Association, a group representing 20 cottage associations. “But we still feel that it sets a bad precedent for protection of the finite water resources in the Great Lakes.
“Despite the fact they look like large bodies of water, they don’t replenish easily.”
Since 2005, Canada and the U.S. have created joint and independent bodies to protect Great Lakes freshwater.
Waukesha, Wisc., is the first city to test the Great Lakes compact, a multi-state agreement adopted in 2008 that restricts water withdrawals to communities located within the Great Lakes Basin. Their proposal has triggered concerns that there will be similar requests down the road, potentially putting a strain on the Great Lakes water supply water supply.
