Great Lakes In the News

New laws proposed by state House Democrats would protect the Great Lakes' water supply from the groundwater up to make it harder to divert beyond its own drainage basin.

At 10 news conferences across the state, legislators unveiled the proposed laws. Among other things, the bills would tighten standards for companies that bottle and sell Michigan water for profit, said Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor.

The package would also require large-scale organizations such as utilities and cities to start water conservation programs. It would allow formal citizen input when state agencies consider requests for water, which is not required now. Citizens could file complaints against violators.

In 2006, the legislature passed similar bills that were watered down along the way, said Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-Lyndon Township. The new package would strengthen those measures, eliminate exemptions for water bottlers and require permits for water diversion.

One major change would be a cut by half in the amount of water companies like Nestle, which bottles Ice Mountain water from groundwater in west Michigan, could pump out. The current standard is 2 million gallons per day. The new limit would be 1 million gallons per day, unless the company could prove through a permit process that the extra water it pumped would not harm the resource.

Under current law, the only harm considered is whether the pumping would hurt a stream's ability to support fish; the proposed law would consider other factors.

In 2006, Nestle pumped 226 million gallons of water at its Stanwood bottling plant. Under existing law, bottling water from groundwater or springs is not considered diversion. Some scientists say removing water from groundwater or springs for agricultural or commercial purposes won't have a significant impact on water supply or flow.

Others disagree.

The bills introduced Monday also would ratify a compact Great Lakes governors signed in 2005 that establish new legal protections against water diversion. So far, only Minnesota has ratified the compact. "Michigan needs to be the leader on this," said David Holtz of Clean Water Action. Water is Michigan's most precious resource, Warren said. "It belongs to all of us," she said.

As drought spreads in western states, some will look towards the Great Lakes for a new supply. "The country is getting thirstier," said Mike Shriberg of Environment Michigan. "We need to be proactive and protect our water before the speculators arrive."