quote:Deal protects Great Lakes water By STEVE ERWIN
TORONTO (CP) - Dry southern U.S. states will be unable to take massive sips from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin under a deal reached Tuesday by Ontario, Quebec and other jurisdictions that border the waterways.
The Ontario government called the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement an "historic" deal that will essentially prohibit massive, bulk water exports from the fresh-water lakes.
Ontario signed the deal in Milwaukee alongside representatives from eight American states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Quebec also signed the deal since the St. Lawrence River is connected to the Great Lakes, which account for one-fifth of the world's fresh water supply.
The deal, which still requires endorsement by the U.S. Congress, is meant to prevent thirsty southern American states from diverting massive amounts of water to their own jurisdictions.
It's more of a theoretical risk, but Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said the deal was key to protecting Great Lakes water from drainage over decades to come.
"Primarily the pressures come from the southwest United States, the drier part of the continent," Ramsay told reporters at the Ontario legislature in Toronto.
"We hear musings from time to time (from) southern California, Arizona, New Mexico of their challenges to supply fresh, potable water to their populations," Ramsay said.
"They look north and they see the Great Lakes as the largest supply of fresh water in the world . . . and sometimes they get visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, to use a seasonal analogy."
Thank God. Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Phew.
I grew up on the shore of Lake Superior. I would hate to see that happen to that beautiful lake.
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
I am reminded of a certain Garrison Keillor monologue.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
It's about time.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Wow. I had no idea this was in the works at all. That's a relief! Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
That is great. Hope they settle/have settled the Lake of the Woods conflict, too.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Amen. I'm glad this was settled. I wouldn't want my state nickname changed to The Great Ponds State. And then eventually, The Great Ditches State.
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
Out west California gets more than their share of Colorado River water because Utah isn't using their share. Utah is talking about using more of their share by piping water from Lake Powell to the Saint George area. That's got downstream users Las Vegas and the California farmers up in arms.
A nice long drought in California is all we need to tip the scales toward all out war.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Maybe California and Utah should band together to perfect desalinization technology. You can solve your own problem and make billions in the process.
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
Phew. Lake Michigan is a big part of West Michigan culture, and the lake's been low the past few years as it is. I'm glad we won't be pumping yet more water out of it.
Ni!
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
The lowest point on the UnitedStates ContinentalDivide is near Deming, NewMexico: elevation ~4331feet/1320metres. The GreatLake's highest historical water level has been ~603feet/184metres on LakeSuperior in 1876. In order to get water from the GreatLakes in the East to California/etc in the West, one would have to pump water at least ~3728feet/1,136metres/0.7miles up over the GreatDivide.
Reverse osmosis desalination filters currently operate most efficiently at pressures of ~80atmospheres. A column of seawater a bit less than ~33feet/10metres high creates one atmosphere of pressure. And the energy needed to create the pressure equivalent of lifting water 2640feet/800metres/0.5miles would be more than enough to desalinate water.
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