Courtesy Northland College
Peter Annin
Peter Annin, a longtime environmental journalist and author, now co-directs the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College.
What does the Waukesha water diversion mean for Lake Superior?
Great Lakes watchers were abuzz last week with the news that Waukesha, Wisconsin, received approval from the eight Great Lakes governors to divert water from Lake Michigan. It was the first real test of the Great Lakes Compact, an agreement signed by the Great Lakes states in 2008 that prohibits diversions to counties outside the Great Lakes watershed. Waukesha County, west of Milwaukee, straddles the basin’s border, though the city proper is entirely outside the watershed.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Don Behm wrote an excellent piece on the decision and the ongoing controversy surrounding it.
But what does this decision mean for Lake Superior? Could it open the door to diversions of Big Lake water?
We asked Peter Annin, author of the seminal book Great Lakes Water Wars and co-director of Northland College’s Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation, to put it in context. For more, attend his presentation about the Great Lakes Compact on Tuesday, July 5, at the Town of Bell Community Center in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. It’s free and starts at 7 p.m.
LSM: Does the Waukesha diversion negate or weaken the Great Lakes Compact?
Peter: There are no signs at this early stage that the Waukesha diversion has weakened the Great Lakes Compact. In fact many of the environmental advocates that I interviewed after the Waukesha vote – while disappointed with the results – overall seemed to feel that the Compact process worked. There was a general feeling that the process was very transparent and functional, even if most environmentalists were unhappy with the outcome.
Most people don’t realize it, but all the deliberations were in a large meeting room and journalists, members of the public, and environmental advocates were allowed to watch as the Compact Council reviewed the Waukesha application and hammered out revisions and added the conditions that were ultimately imposed on Waukesha before approval.
Litigation challenging the Waukesha decision could be filed and I suppose it is possible that the Compact itself could somehow end up being collateral damage in any potential Waukesha lawsuit. The Compact has yet to be tested in court. That said, back when it was originally being drafted, the Compact was also screened by armies of lawyers before it went into effect, and those attorneys obviously feel as though it is on safe legal ground.
LSM: Does this put Lake Superior water in line for future diversions out of the watershed?
Peter: The Waukesha water diversion only sets a precedent for communities that are right near the Great Lakes watershed line – for communities in a county that straddles the Great Lakes Basin line. So the Waukesha diversion does not set a precedent for sending water to far-flung parched venues in places like Nevada or Arizona.
So the only way that Waukesha’s decision could relate to Lake Superior is if there is a community near the Lake Superior watershed line that has a public water supply crisis, with no other reasonable water supply alternative, that happens to be in a county that straddles the Lake Superior Basin line. That community could apply for a Great Lakes water diversion, but it would have to promise to return that water to Lake Superior after it was used (and cleaned to Clean Water Act standards), it would also have to prove that there would be no adverse environmental impacts from the diversion, and the community would also have to implement a robust water conservation program.
Once that was all laid out in the community’s water diversion application, it would still need to gain the approval from all eight Great Lakes governors, a process that took Waukesha five years and $5 million. All it would take is one governor to veto their application. That alone would likely be a deterrent to many communities in the Lake Superior region.
So while it is possible that such a Lake Superior water applicant might emerge, at this writing it seems a tad bit remote. But never say never.
Have fun this weekend – safely!
The tragic deaths of a 22-year-old woman and the 24-year-old man who tried to save her from a rip current off Presque Isle in Marquette mid-June are a reminder of how quickly conditions can change in the Big Lake. So before we go out to enjoy the good temperatures and clear waters this holiday weekend, there are a few websites that can show beach conditions, rip current alerts and health advisories. Also do watch for the condition flags and notices on the major beaches.
Emerald ash borer reaches Thunder Bay
Already established elsewhere in our region, the dreaded emerald ash borer has been discovered in Thunder Bay, the northernmost city it has reached here in North America.
“EAB is an invasive beetle native to Asia that is responsible for devastating millions of ash trees across North America,” according to the Chronicle Journal, which adds that about 25 percent of Thunder Bay’s municipal trees are ash.
+ To prevent the spread of the ash borer and other invasive species, don’t move firewood between cities! Pick up it from local sources instead.
Ashland mural depicting Apostle Islands is dedicated: “While in the past, the Mural Walk subjects have been historic people from the past, the Apostle Islands murals focus on the beauty of the ‘Crown Jewels of Lake Superior,’” writes Rick Olivo in the Ashland Daily Press. Painted as 14 postcard-like displays by Ashland artist Sue Martinsen, the newest artwork in the Ashland Mural Walk was unveiled and dedicated June 25.
Group helps monarchs in Marquette: Superior Watershed Partnership members cleared invasive species and planted native milkweed, which monarch caterpillars eat, reports Wil Hunter for WJMN-TV.
Landmark Two Harbors restaurant burns: “A fire destroyed the restaurant portion of the Dixie Bar, Grill and Bottle Shop north of Two Harbors early Monday morning, and caused damage to the rest of the structure,” reports Adelle Whitefoot for the Lake County News Chronicle.
Washburn schools earn national recognition: The district has won awards for academic excellence and its green programs, writes Amber Mullen for the Bayfield County Journal.
St. Marys River restoration project begins: “Although it has taken a little over two decades, a project is finally moving forward to restore the Little Rapids portion of the St. Marys River,” writes Michael Gordon of UpNorthLive.
The best place to grow up in the U.S.? For the second year in a row, it’s Minnesota, according to the 26th annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.