The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is a legal agreement between the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. It explains how these states will manage the water supply in the Great Lakes Basin. The agreement follows the rules from the 1985 Great Lakes Charter and its 2001 Annex. It also helps the states carry out the promises made by governors in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, which includes the leaders of Ontario and Quebec.
The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (formerly called the Council of Great Lakes Governors) helped negotiate the compact. Now, this group acts as the official helper for the Governors' Compact Council, which was created by the compact.
Ratification
After each of the eight states approved the compact, the following governors signed it on these dates: Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on February 20, 2007; Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on August 17, 2007; Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on February 20, 2008; New York Governor Eliot Spitzer on March 4, 2008; Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle on May 27, 2008; Ohio Governor Ted Strickland on June 27, 2008; Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell on July 4, 2008; and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm on July 9, 2008. The U.S. Senate approved the compact on August 1, 2008, and the U.S. House of Representatives approved it on September 23, 2008. President George W. Bush signed the compact on October 3, 2008. The compact became state and federal law on December 8, 2008.
Wisconsin v. IllinoisUnited States Supreme Court case
Because of a decision by the United States Supreme Court in the case Wisconsin v. Illinois, the state of Illinois does not have to follow certain rules in the agreement about taking more water from the Great Lakes.
Waukesha Proposal
In 2013, the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, asked the State of Wisconsin for permission to take water from Lake Michigan. Water from the city’s aquifer had radium levels higher than allowed by federal rules. After protests and discussions with state officials, Waukesha was required to find a new water source by 2018. The city’s boundaries are 1.5 miles outside the Lake Michigan drainage area. However, the county where Waukesha is located covers the watersheds of both the Mississippi River (through the Fox River, which flows through Waukesha) and the Great Lakes.
In 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) first decided the proposal could be approved in its Draft Technical Review and also released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period for these documents ended on August 28, 2015.
On January 7, 2016, the DNR sent the application to the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Water Resources Regional Body and the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Water Resources Council for review. Some environmental groups said the proposal did not meet requirements of the Compact and asked for a full review. The application was approved with conditions by the Compact Council on June 21, 2016.