Earlier today, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Regional Body met and voted on the final Declaration of Findings on the City of Waukesha’s Lake Michigan water diversion proposal. The Declaration of Findings includes conditions added by the Great Lakes governors and premiers that will modify the diversion. After today’s vote, the Declaration of Findings will be forwarded to the Compact Council for a final vote in June 2016. While all states and provinces voting supported the Declaration, Minnesota abstained from voting in order to further review the Declaration and consult with stakeholders.
We applaud Governor Dayton and the Department of Natural Resources for their leadership and insisting for more time to evaluate the precedent-setting Waukesha proposal and allow for stakeholder input on the Regional Body’s Declaration.
Minnesotans hold their lakes near and dear, including Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 40 million people, create habitat for thousands of plants and animals and support a $4 billion sports fishing industry. It is critical that we protect these great resources by keeping water from the lakes within the Great Lakes basin.
A number of concerns remain, despite conditions recommended in the Regional Body’s Declaration, including that the city has not adequately explored the availability of reasonable alternatives to meet the downsized diversion amount of 8.2 million gallons of water per day. We urge Governor Dayton and the DNR to continue their clear-eyed assessment of the proposal and to ultimately reject the diversion for failing to meet the clear standards of the Great Lakes Compact.
Executive Director Steve Morse
Minnesota Environmental
Partnership
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