4. In August, the federal Bureau of Reclamation cut, by 9 percent, the amount of water people in the southwestern United States could draw from Lake Powell. He did not mention Michigan, but its governor and legislature have been squabbling over how to pay for billions of dollars in overdue road repairs. Catch up on more Great Lakes Now coverage of Nestle and water withdrawals in the Great Lakes: Nestle Prevails: Law judge sides with water bottler in water withdrawal case Bottled Water Wars: Legal setback for Nestle, Michigan legislators move to restrict shipments out of Great Lakes watershed NOAA last week forecast below-average precipitation for those regions this winter, meaning that after some relief during the past few months, the Southwests three-year drought is likely to redevelop and spread to the Southeast. Just recently, the Huffington Post ran an article entitled These 11 Cities May Completely Run Out Of Water Sooner Than You Think. Free shipping for many products! "On average, Lake Superior loses 29 billion gallons of water PER DAY through evaporation," he told me. Pricing is the best way to get people to think about the value of water, he said. $70B is still a *lot* of boats. I dare say very few" The US exports $70B/yr to China, compared to $300B/yr in imports. A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda. I have had it up to here with NAFTA, and China, there is NOTHING free trade about this agreement. Ruining their economy sending all the larger industrail manufacturing jobs back to America and Europe. For much more on this, please see this article. I suspect there would be a water level where sales could not proceed. It started in 2009 as a fun-loving site covering Michigan's Upper Thumb. 7. The task of looking after such a large area is daunting. The Great Lakes Water Authority has no jurisdiction in cases like this. Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Avita, and Nestle have been operating in Michigan and surrounding states for over 15 years. Sadly, most Americans are not aware of any of these things. The largest, longest-standing and most controversial diversion from the Great Lakes is at Chicago, where the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, finished in 1900, reverses the Chicago River and connects Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. Per the compact rules, Waukesha would have to return the same amount of water it takes from Lake Michigan back into the lake. If Illinois is in debt, selling Michigans and Wisconsins share of Great Lakes water is no solution at all. Helping people find their dream home since 1962. The average annual depletion rate between 2000 and 2007 was more than twice that during the previous fifty years. **screenshot**. Rather than throwing up our arms in defeat or spending comparable amounts of money on inadequate attempts at a solution, why not engineer a fix that kills two birds with one stone? Nipigon, Ontario mayor says Waukesha water decision sets worrying precedent 'We all hear about Arizona, we hear about Texas, we hear about California . We need to get this stopped now by writing our governor, Congressmen and senators. Illinois had an unfunded pension liability of $137 billion in December 2019, according to a Reuters report. So why are we allowing foreign corporations such as Nestle to make millions upon millions of dollars pumping water out of the Great Lakes and selling it overseas? See our affiliate disclosure for details. And when water levels drop and financial issues still abound, continue to sell this resource to pay the bills? Ask the Great Lakes Now Team Your PFAS Question, Beneath the Surface: The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes, Collection 1 An Exploration of the Great Lakes, Collection 2 Threats to the Great Lakes, Collection 3 Virtual Field Trips in the Great Lakes, Collection 4 Lesson Plans from Our Monthly PBS Program, Industries and public water supplies top list of main consumers of Great Lakes water, Question of Diversion: Great Lakes governors group silent on future water threats, Great Lakes Water Diversions Could Be More Numerous, Drinking Water News Roundup: Climate change and Illinois water withdrawals, clean water for Michigan students, Nestl Exit: North American bottled water brands sold to investment firm, Detroiters can get another 1,125 gallons of water under discount program, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, U.S. Judge: Flint has 5 months to finish long-overdue lead pipe replacement, Hope springs eternal for Michigan legislator who champions drinking water equity. Illinois had problems paying the lottery winners. Through GSGP, the Governors and Premiers work as equal partners to grow the regions $6 trillion economies and protect the worlds largest surface freshwater system. LOL! A company from Switzerland, Nestl, has been operating a water bottling plant in Michigan since 2000. Normally rising and falling on a 13-year cycle, the lakes are at historically-low levels. Hey, To the victor goes the spoils. Wildfires have burned millions of acres of vegetation in the central part of the United States in recent years. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for China Taiwan 1966 Sc#1483-85 Festivals Stamps. USACE forecasts Lakes Michigan and Huron to remain lower than normal for the next six months. The results were 75 in favor and 80,945 against. Another reason the water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron are lower than normal is the past dredging and erosion in the St. Clair River that resulted in a 10- to 15-inch (25- to 38-centimeter) lowering of water levels. This Public Law 110-342 was introduced in the Senate by Carl Levin (D Michigan) on July 23, 2008, passed the Senate on August 1, 2008, by unanimous consent, passed the House of Representatives on September 23, 2008, and finally signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2008. Also, its a cheap rhetorical ploy to defend a practice based on your assertion that its been going on for years, is only half as bad now, is partially mitigated by some prior and completely unrelated offset. Chao Lake is one of the 5 great freshwater lakes of China that located at the juncture of Chaohu and Hefei cities in Anhui Province. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1967 consent decree, limited the Lake Michigan water diversion through the Chicago canal to 3,200 cubic feet of water per second. But the driest year on record has left the reservoirs so depleted and the delta so fragile that state water officials say they may be able to provide just 5 percent of the water he and others were expecting for next year. John, your skepticism is warranted. and a purchased bottle costs maybe 1,50-3,00sfr. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the icon to the right of the comment, and report it as spam. Amazing analysis. The extreme low levels earlier this year left many asking, Where did the water go? The answer is that it simply evaporated. My purpose was to spark a conversation, said University of Chicago law professor Todd Henderson as he touched the third rail of Great Lakes issuesselling water to arid states outside the region. How about water? Further complicating matters is the fact that natural variation in the water levels is essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. China's current expenditure on its national eco-compensation programmes averaged $8 billion annually over the most recent five year period. He doesnt see the eight states revisiting the compact based on the current high water levels and thinks it would be foolish for the region to encourage outsiders to tap the Great Lakes. the following list of 15 facts about the coming water crisis is from one of my previous articles entitled Dust Bowl Conditions Are Literally Returning To The Western Half Of The United States. A conservationist first and foremost, I believe extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. But this year, the worst drought in a century has slowed the flow to a trickle. With her husband, she co-foundedLakeNet, a world lakes network, and co-wrote a sailing guide called The Black Sea based on their voyage around the sea in 2010. Right now, the Great Lakes hold approximately 21 percent of the total supply of fresh water in the entire world. Sarah is just a victim of the witch doctor not the other way around, Nads. Cameron Davis, who led the efforts of environmental groups to enact the compact, did not respond to a request for comment. In fact, conditions could get worse in the Southwest and Southeast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. The US Coast Guard plays a vital role for each of the Great Lakes States and the national economy. Get real. Lets give more funds to be mismanaged, while selling such a vital resource to bail out that behavior. And according to recent forecasts, it appears that drought conditions may soon get even worse in the Southeast and the Southwest. The record low water levels this past year provide a glimpse of what the future may hold for some of the greatest lakes on Earth. According to that piece, some of the cities that are heading for a massive water crisis are not cities that you would normally think of, -Salt Lake City, Utah -Lincoln, Nebraska -Cleveland, Ohio -Miami, Florida -Atlanta, Georgia -Washington, D.C. -El Paso, Texas -San Antonio, Texas -San Francisco Bay Area, California -Houston, Texas, But those cities are far from alone. More than 30 million people in seven states depend on the mighty Colorado for water to grow crops, fuel power plants and keep cities such as Las Vegas alive. Climate change may very well have forced us into a new normal and be irreversible. 9. Greed! As states and counties squabble over their allotment of water in the coming years, hydroelectric plants (including the one on the Hoover Dam) could idle, and farmers are bracing for reduced crop production. I tend to screen out the F*%K yous, and the death threats from the bat-shit crazy crowd. First, economic valuation of a region-specific, vital resource as a basis for negotiation generally ends very badly for the resource-holder. At a time when the United States is facing the greatest water crisis that it has ever known, Obama is allowing water from the Great Lakes to be drained, bottled and shipped to China and other countries around the globe. That about six quadrillions (6,000,000,000,000,000) gallons, enough to cover the entire lower 48 of the United States with over nine feet of water. Look at spending, priorities and needs. Obama Sells Great Lakes Water To China 9,411 views Dec 17, 2013 With the United States as well as the rest of the world suffering from water drought, President Obama is allowing Ch. We're giving you $10,000 to take the trip of a lifetime! We all hear about Arizona, we hear about Texas, we hear about California where everyone talks about the fact that they want our Great Lakes water., Well this opens up just a small crack in the door, and theyll be able to get that crowbar into that crack and start wedging that crack further and further open.. ..well said Stephan. 12. Ongoing winter storms wont be doing much to relieve some drought-stricken areas of the U.S. Half Lie #5 The Great Lakes are Diverted Out West, Lie #6 The Waukesha & Foxconn Flip Flop, How Many Gallons of Water is In the Great Lakes? When John Engler was governor of Michigan in 2001, he made an agreement with bottle water giant Nestle, allowing them to open a plant in Mecosta County. By Becky Oskin, LiveScience on February 3, 2014. The difference between evaporation from the largest of the five lakes and pumping rates in Northern Michigan is roughly a factor of 1,000 or more he says. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The lakes respond rapidly to changes in weather, with the contrast between this year and last serving as an excellent example. We are not hopeful that Lansings current leadership will prevent the stealing of Great Lakes water by foreign companies. Required fields are marked *. Images on this page may contain affiliate links in which we may receive a commission. Check out her link at the bottom for comments and questions on the topic and the original article. Since 2000, Nestle Waters North America sell bottled Spring Water marketed with the Ice Mountain label. education. Close LOGIN FOR DONATION. However, Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey said he believes the request should not have been granted. Michigans Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 mi, more coastline than any state but Alaska.