Ohio moves to join Great Lakes agreement
June 2008
U.S. Water News Online
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After a two-year holdup, state lawmakers moved to make Ohio the sixth state to approve an agreement aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes Compact, a framework between eight states and two Canadian provinces, would prevent most diversions of water from the lakes' basin to arid states in the South and Southwest.
Ohio had been a major obstacle to the pact because of a disagreement over whether the plan would inadvertently violate property rights for groundwater on privately owned land. House Speaker Jon Husted, a Republican, and Democratic Minority Leader Joyce Beatty, reached a deal to affirm private property rights and set the stage for the vote.
The Senate passed the compact by a vote of 33-0 to join the House, which approved the compact last month. Gov. Ted Strickland said he will sign it.
"I think it's very important for Ohio that we join with our fellow states and provinces in Canada to protect these vital resources," Strickland said. "And I certainly will celebrate the ability to sign the compact."
Under the agreement between Husted and Beatty, the House and Senate also approved a constitutional amendment that says the Great Lakes Compact can't give the government control over privately owned ponds and aquifers. The amendment must be ratified by voters in the November election. Even if voters reject the amendment, the compact will still go into effect in Ohio December 8.
Two more states are considering the compact.
Minor differences need to be worked out between the Michigan House and Senate in how to implement the Great Lakes Compact in that state, while the Pennsylvania Senate is expected to follow House approval this year. The bill cleared a Senate committee.
"There's a real eagerness to get this done, especially given the progress in other states," said David Naftzger, executive director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.
Five states have already ratified the compact: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin.
Once the plan clears the remaining two states, Congress will need to approve it to take effect.
Current federal law does not allow for the diversion of Great Lakes water. But promoters of the compact believed it would become necessary as the scarcity of water in some parts of the country placed pressure on decision makers to look at the Great Lakes.
The pact was motivated largely by fears that states such as Arizona and Nevada in the booming but arid Southwest will try tapping into the lakes, which hold 90 percent of the nation's fresh surface water.
"This will prohibit long-distance, large-scale diversions once and for all," Naftzger said.
Ohio lawmakers said they wanted to send a message to people in booming states who have their eyes on Great Lakes water. As states in the South and Southwest have seen large population increases, Ohio's has remained virtually stagnant, with many northern Ohio communities along Lake Erie experiencing a decrease.
"If you want to wet your whistle with Lake Erie water, come home to Ohio and you can drink to your heart's content," said state Sen. Tim Grendell, a Republican from Chesterland.
The diversion of Great Lakes water would be harmful because of the lakes' inability to replenish themselves and the impact to wildlife, industry and tourism, according to the Ohio Environmental Council, a Columbus-based advocacy group.
Rainfall and snowmelt replenish only about 1 percent of Great Lakes water each year, while the remaining 99 percent is finite, the council said.