Withdrawals and Diversions from the Great Lakes
The scale of the water resources of the Great Lakes is staggering. With about 23,000 km3 of surface water, the Great Lakes represent the largest system of fresh surface water on earth, containing roughly 18 percent of the world supply. The Basin also contains an additional 4,168 km3 of groundwater, roughly equal to the amount of water contained in Lake Michigan. But vast as they are, the Great Lakes are finite, and need protection from human activities that have reduced the ecological integrity and the water quality and quantity of the Basin.
Since 2004, the Gordon Foundation has been supporting work to address the issue of withdrawals and diversions as part of the Great Lakes Annex 2001 process. This was the process whereby the eight Great Lakes States and two Canadian Great Lakes provinces agreed to develop a management system to protect the Great Lakes against excessive withdrawals and diversions.
The ultimate Annex Compact and Agreement, signed in December 2005, was influenced by work carried out by the Program on Water Issues (POWI) at the Munk Centre, University of Toronto and the Sierra Club of Canada. This work included the development of critical research material on the Annex, the hosting of workshops, and the development of a Citizens' Primer to Protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. These tools led to increased collaboration on the issue among NGOs, and involvement of citizens in both Canada and the US in the issue. The outcome was an Agreement that better protects the ecological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin and better reflects Canadian issues and priorities. The final Agreement must be ratified by each jurisdiction, but provides for:
- a virtual prohibition against diversions;
- basin-wide environmental standards; and
- better conservation measures.
POWI resources on the Great Lakes Annex are available at www.powi.ca/waterdiversion/index.php
Sierra Club resources on the Great Lakes Annex can be found at www.sierraclub.ca/national/publications.shtml
The Foundation also funded the preparation of Bridge over Troubled Waters: Canadian Law on Aboriginal and Treaty "Water" Rights and the Great Lakes Annex. This legal analysis, prepared by Kate Kempton on behalf of the Chiefs of Ontario, provides an overview of aboriginal and treaty rights relating to water and Canadian water law, and analyses the potential effect of the Annex on those rights.
The report is available at www.thewaterhole.ca/publications/aboriginal_water_rights_and_annex_paper_final.pdf
The Great Lakes Charter Annex Agreements can be viewed at www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/water/greatlakes/index.html
One important workshop was a meeting of ENGOs from around the basin in the spring of 2005 at the Wingspread Conference Centre in Racine, Wisconsin. The Gordon Foundation co-hosted the workshop with the Joyce and C.S. Mott Foundations. Participants agreed on many key principles, articulated in the Final Proceedings prepared by Hajo Versteeg and Joanna Kidd.
Another excellent resource for those interested in the Great Lakes Annex is the Clean Water Primer #1 released in 2006 by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. This report provides a comprehensive source for information related to the water taking process in Ontario, including the Annex Agreements.
The report is available at www.waterkeeper.ca/primer
Implementing the Annex
With the Great Lakes Annex Agreement in place, work by the Sierra Club of Canada is now focused on implementation. This includes the development of a model set of Basin-Wide Water Conservation and Efficiency Objectives. They will continue to work with others on the Minister's Annex Advisory Panel as Ontario takes over as the Chair of the Regional Body established to oversee Annex implementation.
See the Sierra Club of Canada highlight to learn more about their activities.