IMPORTANT PUBLIC MEETING ON GREAT LAKES WATER!
Minnesota DNR to host listening session about Lake Michigan water diversion proposal
Thursday, March 3
Duluth Holiday Inn and Suites
Why is this Listening Session of Concern to LWV Duluth???
What does a proposal to divert water from Lake Michigan to the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin have to do with us in the Duluth area? A lot, it turns out!
WHAT is the issue?
The city of Waukesha is seeking an exception from the prohibition on diversions of Great Lakes water outside the water basin. Minnesota is a signatory to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, which governs Great Lakes water use among the eight Great Lakes states. The city of Waukesha is asking to divert an annual average of 10.1 million gallons per day from Lake Michigan. Most of this water would be returned to the basin following treatment. Waukesha now relies on a well system, and is proposing to shift to water from Lake Michigan. The area’s groundwater is high in naturally occurring radium.
WHO will make the decision about whether to grant the exception?
Staff from the Minnesota DNR and other state agencies are currently reviewing specific parts of the technical review document and the project application as it pertains to their areas of expertise.
HOW does diversion relate to us as a community on Lake Superior?
Waukesha’s request is the first one since the Compact has been in place, and thus it will set a precedent for future diversion requests and it is critical that the request be held to the high standard in the Compact. There is considerable concern about whether or not Waukesha’s request meets that standard, so it’s important that we all be paying close attention. This is especially pertinent in a time of climate change and increased demand on potable water resources (including the Great Lakes).
WHAT is the role of LWV Duluth?
In the past, LWV- Duluth members were engaged with the passage of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact in 2008. The Great Lakes Compact doesn’t forbid any diversions, but it puts stringent criteria in place for who can request them and how the diversion is to be handled. One of the criteria is approval by all the other Great Lakes states governors and the Canadian premieres who are also signatories to the agreement. This is our opportunity to communicate with both our governor and state agencies about concerns related to this proposal.
WHEN is the listening session about this issue?
The session will be held Thursday, March 3, at the Duluth Holiday Inn and Suites Downtown, located at 200 W. First St. Input gathered will help the state formulate its position on the proposed project. The March 3 DNR listening session in Duluth will include an open house from 5 to 6 p.m., with the opportunity to review related documents and talk with DNR staff. At 6 p.m., there will be a brief presentation describing the project, followed by a two-hour listening session. During the listening session, attendees will have an opportunity to share their perspectives on the proposal
If you can’t attend the March 3, 2016 listening session, you can review information and submit public comments on the application through March 14 on the Compact Council’s Waukesha Diversion Web page :www.waukeshadiversion.org/. Comments must be submitted to the Compact Council to be part of the official record on which the Council will ultimately be basing its decision on the Waukesha proposal.
Minnesota DNR to host listening session about Lake Michigan water diversion proposal
Thursday, March 3
Duluth Holiday Inn and Suites
Why is this Listening Session of Concern to LWV Duluth???
What does a proposal to divert water from Lake Michigan to the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin have to do with us in the Duluth area? A lot, it turns out!
WHAT is the issue?
The city of Waukesha is seeking an exception from the prohibition on diversions of Great Lakes water outside the water basin. Minnesota is a signatory to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, which governs Great Lakes water use among the eight Great Lakes states. The city of Waukesha is asking to divert an annual average of 10.1 million gallons per day from Lake Michigan. Most of this water would be returned to the basin following treatment. Waukesha now relies on a well system, and is proposing to shift to water from Lake Michigan. The area’s groundwater is high in naturally occurring radium.
WHO will make the decision about whether to grant the exception?
Staff from the Minnesota DNR and other state agencies are currently reviewing specific parts of the technical review document and the project application as it pertains to their areas of expertise.
HOW does diversion relate to us as a community on Lake Superior?
Waukesha’s request is the first one since the Compact has been in place, and thus it will set a precedent for future diversion requests and it is critical that the request be held to the high standard in the Compact. There is considerable concern about whether or not Waukesha’s request meets that standard, so it’s important that we all be paying close attention. This is especially pertinent in a time of climate change and increased demand on potable water resources (including the Great Lakes).
WHAT is the role of LWV Duluth?
In the past, LWV- Duluth members were engaged with the passage of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact in 2008. The Great Lakes Compact doesn’t forbid any diversions, but it puts stringent criteria in place for who can request them and how the diversion is to be handled. One of the criteria is approval by all the other Great Lakes states governors and the Canadian premieres who are also signatories to the agreement. This is our opportunity to communicate with both our governor and state agencies about concerns related to this proposal.
WHEN is the listening session about this issue?
The session will be held Thursday, March 3, at the Duluth Holiday Inn and Suites Downtown, located at 200 W. First St. Input gathered will help the state formulate its position on the proposed project. The March 3 DNR listening session in Duluth will include an open house from 5 to 6 p.m., with the opportunity to review related documents and talk with DNR staff. At 6 p.m., there will be a brief presentation describing the project, followed by a two-hour listening session. During the listening session, attendees will have an opportunity to share their perspectives on the proposal
If you can’t attend the March 3, 2016 listening session, you can review information and submit public comments on the application through March 14 on the Compact Council’s Waukesha Diversion Web page :www.waukeshadiversion.org/. Comments must be submitted to the Compact Council to be part of the official record on which the Council will ultimately be basing its decision on the Waukesha proposal.