Tougher limits sought on water

TORONTO (AP) -- Ontario will not sign an international agreement to place strict restrictions on how much water can be diverted from the Great Lakes unless changes are made to better protect the resource, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said recently.
"Ontarians, and the [Ontario Premier Dalton] McGuinty government, clearly want a 'no diversions' agreement," Ramsay said in a release.
Ontario, Quebec and eight Great Lakes states reached draft agreements in July to place restrictions on how much water could be diverted from the lakes to other regions and now are undertaking a 90-day period of public consultation.
"We have listened to feedback from stakeholders, First Nations [Canadian Indians] and the general public," Ramsay said.
"The agreements are not as strong as Ontario's laws, which prohibit water transfers out of the province's three major water basins."
Not prepared
Ramsay said Ontario is not prepared to ratify the Great Lakes Charter agreement in its current form, adding the province "will be considering our position carefully before resuming negotiations in January."
Farmers and business owners in Michigan say they are worried the agreements will hurt that state's economy by restricting new or increased water withdrawals from the Great Lakes.
The Michigan Manufacturers Association said it feared the deal with Ontario and Quebec would be a "jobs diversion plan," while the Michigan Farm Bureau said it's concerned farmers will need a permit for many things they're doing now.
The Charter Annex agreement gives all 10 jurisdictions a say on any water diversion proposals and establishes more stringent requirements on conservation and water treatment in the Great Lakes basin.
States involved
The agreement among Ontario, Quebec, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin is nonbinding until all jurisdictions go through the public consultations, come up with a final deal and put their own laws in place.
In 2001, the premiers of Ontario and Quebec and the governors of the eight Great Lakes states agreed to create a binding agreement for lake diversion and conservation by 2004.
Under the agreement, any major water diversions would require unanimous consent from all 10 jurisdictions.
The proposed Charter Annex, which still needs Canadian and U.S. approval, would only allow new or increased withdrawals from any of the five Great Lakes if water was immediately cleaned and returned to the system and the condition of the lakes was improved.
The measure would leave the door open for Great Lakes water to be shipped to areas in the region that are outside the basin, but prevent it from heading to other areas, such as the U.S. Southwest.
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