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Parched areas beginning to eye Great Lakes water supply (says the headline); As sources of fresh water dry up and demand rises, pressure to siphon off water increases

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 3, 2008 at 6:11 am

billboard.jpgFrom the Buffalo News:

In the Southwest, everything from towing icebergs to seeding clouds is under consideration as the massive area served by the Colorado River basin struggles with a historic drought. In the Southeast, persistent water shortages have led to the banning of most outdoor uses of water in northern Georgia. And California is considering mandatory water rationing as soon as this summer. A growing population and a warmer world are pressuring the country’s water supply.

And that pressure raises a question: In the eyes of arid Las Vegas, Atlanta and Los Angeles, are the Great Lakes less a distant mirage on the map and more a miracle salvation?

It’s a question the 40 million people who live around the lakes have reason to ask as their representatives work to ratify a landmark agreement — called the Great Lakes Compact — aimed largely at insuring the water isn’t siphoned off by an increasingly parched world.

The Great Lakes hold about 20% of the world’s fresh water, and as the world becomes hotter and drier due to climate change, some analysts believe demand will become more urgent, and the water more coveted. So far, Western officials say they aren’t interested, but others aren’t so sure:

While Western officials insist they aren’t eyeing Great Lakes water, some say that inevitably there will be pressure to transport the water elsewhere.

“There is a long-term threat to the Great Lakes with respect to large-scale diversion,” said Kevin Martin, assistant deputy minister for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. “We are fearful that at some point in the future, someone is going to look at the lakes and think that they are an opportunity to foster irrigation projects . . . or urban growth in the Southwestern U. S.,” he said.

Read the full text of this story from the Buffalo News by clicking here.

June 3, 2008 · Filed Under National water news

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