Discuss Draft Agreements for Implementation of the Great Lakes Water Management Initiative

The Great Lakes are a
bi-national public treasure and are held in trust by the Great Lakes
states and provinces. For the last twenty years, the Great Lakes
Governors and Premiers have followed a set of principles included in
the Great Lakes Charter to guide them in developing, maintaining and
strengthening the regional management regime for the Waters of the
Great Lakes Basin.

There has been
significant progress in restoring and improving the health of the
ecosystem of the Great Lakes Basin. However, the Waters and
Water-Dependent Natural Resources of the Basin remain at risk of damage
from pollution, environmental disruptions and unsustainable water
resource management practices that may individually and cumulatively
alter the hydrology of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

To
address these concerns, on June 18, 2001, the Great Lakes Governors of
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Wisconsin joined with the Premiers of Ontario and Québec in signing
the Great Lakes Charter Annex 2001 in Niagara Falls, New York. Annex
2001 is an amendment to the Great Lakes Charter of 1985, both
good-faith agreements signed by all the Great Lakes Governors and
Premiers. Annex 2001 was developed to update the Great Lakes regional
water management system and ensure that the Great Lakes are protected,
conserved, restored and improved for future generations.

Public Comment Period

The public comment period on the draft proposal begins on June 30 and
will last for 60 days. The states, Ontario and Québec will hold public
meetings during the public comment period.

Comments are requested in the form of recommendations. Because of the
number of comments expected, we are unable to send individual responses.

Written comments on the proposal can be sent to:
Annex Comments
Division of Water
Ohio Department of Natural Resource
2045 Morse Rd., Bldg. E-3
Columbus, Ohio 43229-6693

Location