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Senate Passes Historic Water Management Plan

Great Lakes Compact sent to governor for signature

DUBLIN, OHIO — June 10, 2008 — Ohio senators took historic action today to protect one of the state’s greatest resources – Lake Erie. The Senate passed the Great Lakes Compact 33-0.

The legislation, when signed by Gov. Strickland, makes Ohio the sixth state to ratify the compact that ensures that control of lake water remains within the Great Lakes Basin and that water use protections are in place within each of the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces.

“Today’s Senate action provides the most comprehensive water management plans ever passed in Ohio,” said Denise King, Government Relations Director for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “Half of northern Ohio is in the Lake Erie watershed and depends on its resources for commerce, agriculture and drinking water. The compact establishes principles for determining how much water could be extracted for business and other uses while empowering individual states to establish rules to stay within the guidelines."

King added, the Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water, provide drinking water for over 40 million people and support over 350 species of fish, which attract millions in annual commercial and recreational fishing. This historic agreement will help protect Lake Erie basin water from mass export to water-thirsty states in the Southwest as well as foreign nations around the globe.  It also will keep Lake Erie basin water from overuse by industry.

According to The Nature Conservancy, Lake Erie, which spans 312 miles along the coast of Ohio, is a globally significant migratory bird stopover site and generates nearly $9 billion annually in tourism and fishing. The Conservancy has been working in Ohio to improve the health of major tributaries to the lake and in land management policies across the Great Lakes Basin protect the long-term health the lakes.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.