Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, seated and surrounded by State Senators, gives the pen he used to sign into law a bill adopting a Great Lakes water compact to Kent Lokkesmoe, from the Department of Natural Resources. His state was the first state to approve the compact. (AP Photo/Duluth News Tribune, Clint Austin)

Laws Needed to Protect The Great Lakes Now

A new set of laws is desperately (extremely) needed to protect the Great Lakes, a report says. The region faces several major threats.

The current laws are not strong enough to protect the Great Lakes from future threats, the report says. Damage caused by climate change is one of the threats. Other major threats are diversions (change of direction) of water and overuse.

The National Wildlife Federation issued the report on November 27. The Federation is a conservation group. Its goal is encouraging Americans to protect wildlife for future generations.

The report examines the latest scientific findings about the Great Lakes region. The authors of the report used 277 pieces of information.

The Great Lakes are Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario. About 20 percent of all the fresh surface water in the world is in the Great Lakes.

Wisconsin borders Lakes Michigan and Superior
Wisconsin is one of eight states that border the Lakes. Two provinces in Canada are also considered part of the Great Lakes region.

The report recommends approving the Great Lakes Compact. The report says the Compact (agreement) would improve water resource policies.

The Compact is pending. It must be approved by the Legislatures of each of the eight Great Lakes states. Then the United States Congress must approve the agreement.

Only Minnesota and Illinois have approved the Compact. Once it takes effect, the Compact will govern how the Great Lakes are protected.

One of the authors of the report is Bret Stuntz. He says the report "is a wake-up call."

Stuntz says the threats to the Lakes are severe. He also says the solution is clear.

The Great Lakes Compact is perfect for managing 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water during a time of change, Stunts says. He is an attorney and a geologist in Michigan.

Noah Hall is another of the report's authors. Hall says the Great Lakes are facing a "one-two punch of global warming and water diversion."

Hall is law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

"Now we know that climate change is certain to put additional stress and pressure on the Great Lakes," Hall said.

The report finds that warmer temperatures all around the world will likely cause lake levels to drop. At the same time, parts of the United States that are far from the Great Lakes are likely to see their water supplies become scarcer. That is likely to lead to pressure to ship water outside of the region.

The Great Lakes region is said to be the basin area. That is also called the watershed. Another way to describe the watershed is the area where rainwater drains into the Great Lakes.

Parts of eastern and northern Wisconsin are inside the basin. Rainwater that falls in the western part of Wisconsin flows away from the Great Lakes. That water flows into the Mississippi River.

Source: National Wildlife Federation