By MARGIE TRAX PAGE

Staff Writer

mtrax@starbeacon.com



Much like beavers, Ohio legislators are working to dam up waters from the Great Lakes Basin and prevent water diversion to other states.

The Ohio House of Representatives is expected to approve today The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, known as House Bill 574.

The legislation would give the eight Great Lakes states unprecedented power over the lakes, and could bring billions of dollars to the region, sponsoring State Rep. Matthew Dolan, R-Russell Township, said.

The plan won't take effect unless it is endorsed by the region's seven other states and then ratified by Congress, which could take years. Ohio and New York are behind the proposed compact, and similar bills have been introduced in Michigan and Illinois.

Canada remains resistant to the compact, though a recent revision of the legislation includes Canada's two Great Lakes provinces, Ontario and Quebec.

"(The legislation) continues to threaten the health of the Great Lakes and significantly weakens Canadian sovereignty over these shared waters," states the Council of Canadians website www.canadians.org.

"The annex agreements were originally intended to stop to water diversions from the Great Lakes, and while the second draft of the agreements is substantially improved, it still leaves the Great Lakes unprotected," according to www.canadians.org.

The controversial measure both provides opportunities for Ohio businesses to better utilize Lake Erie's water and offers some conservation measures to preserve the resource, Dolan said.

"This legislation has been in the making for seven years. It has taken eight governors and two provinces to get together to preserve the Great Lakes region, regulate withdrawals and diversions from the Great Lakes area, and promote the area for development," Dolan said.

Great Lakes waters are in danger of being diverted to dry southern states and even other countries, a problem Dolan said is leaving Ohio high and dry.

"Why do other countries and states want our water? They take the water and get the new industry. We want to bring these industries here," Dolan said.

With some care and nurturing, the compact will have a positive effect on Ashtabula County and other northeastern Ohio areas, Dolan said.

"Industry leaders will know they can withdraw from the water resource. This compact provides certainly that the water will always be there," Dolan said. "There has to be a balance between the conservation and the development. Conservation can't negate industry," he said.

Southern Ohio also will benefit from the waters of the northern counties, Dolan said.

"This compact is for the whole Great Lakes Basin. Counties midway through the state will see the positive effects, not just those along the lake," he said.

The compact also protects the Great Lakes from depletion, requiring a percentage of the water be returned to the natural system, Dolan said.

With a permit, anyone can take up to 2 million gallons of water from the basin.

"This compact doesn't necessarily make it easier to get the water, but it does make the regulations more consistent," Dolan said.

But while the compact protects from depletion, the looser regulations required to open the water system to more users has some consequences, said State Rep. Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township.

Grendell isn't as eager to tap into Lake Erie for any reason and fears the compact's open policies on water use will convert private wells and estuaries to public trust.

"We have done the research and there is no reason to do this and tell everybody - - private citizens - - what they can do with their private water," Grendell said.

Grendell sits on the Ohio environment and natural resources committee. Dolan sits on the agriculture and natural resources committee. The bill is supported by the Ohio Environmental Council and the National Wildlife Federation.

Dolan said Grendell's concern over private water is valid, but the compact preserves the individual property rights of property owners.

"One year or 40 years from now, it will still be clear that no property rights will be violated because of this compact," he said.

Star Beacon Print Edition: 12/8/2006

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