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Great Lakes
Article:
Doyle opposes
diverting water from Great Lakes to Western states
Duluth News Tribune
April 22, 2004
MILWAUKEE - Gov. Jim Doyle says he will consider allowing
Lake Michigan water to be shipped beyond the Great Lakes
basin to Waukesha County, but opposes diversion of Great
Lakes water to Western states.
"The key is replacement," Doyle, who will become
chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors in July,
said Wednesday at a pre-Earth Day news conference. "When
you take it to Phoenix or (Las) Vegas, it's hard to replace."
Diversion of water from Lake Michigan and its four sister
lakes has been governed by the Great Lakes Charter of
1985 and the Water Resources Development Act.
Those rules have given each of the eight governors on
the council veto authority over any diversion of water
outside the Great Lakes basin.
Akron, Ohio, and Pleasant Prairie, Wis., have thus far
been allowed to draw water outside the Great Lakes basin.
The council is expected to consider new rules covering
limited use of water outside the Great Lakes basin.
One of the provisions expected to be taken up would require
that municipalities drawing water from the Great Lakes
return cleaned waste water to limit any drawdown of the
fresh water supply.
Doyle said it was too early to put a figure on that replacement,
such as gallon-for-gallon or some lower ratio.
The Wisconsin governor said he planned to use his position
as council chairman to protect the Great Lakes from being
tapped to solve water problems in other states, and to
battle invasive species, including the sea lamprey and
the zebra mussel.
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