SR-173, As Adopted by Senate, May 25, 2016

            Senators Proos, Horn, Shirkey, Schuitmaker, Pavlov, Marleau, Rocca, Brandenburg, Knollenberg, O'Brien, Jones and Schmidt offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 173.

            A resolution to oppose the requested diversion of water from Lake Michigan by the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

            Whereas, The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement establish a high bar for determining when diversions from the Great Lakes can occur. Only communities bordering the Great Lakes basin boundary are eligible to divert water out of the basin. Furthermore, the Great Lakes states and provinces agreed to a strict standard for determining if these communities should be allowed to divert water. Under the compact, all the states must agree that those standards have been met; and

            Whereas, The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, is the first community to seek approval for a diversion from the Great Lakes basin under the compact and agreement. The city of Waukesha seeks to divert water from Lake Michigan to replace its current radium-contaminated drinking water supply. The city has requested approval to divert enough water to meet its current and future needs as well as supply water to surrounding areas that are not currently served by the city; and

            Whereas, The city of Waukesha’s request includes areas that may not need Great Lakes water. Under the compact, the city must demonstrate that a diversion is needed for areas within the community without adequate supplies of potable water. The city has included neighboring communities in its request that are not currently served by the city’s water system and may not share similar contamination issues; and

            Whereas, The city of Waukesha’s request overestimates its future water needs. Under the compact, a diversion request must be limited to reasonable quantities. In addition to including potential demand from an expanded service area, the city has not properly accounted for decreasing water use in the city over the last decade and the effect of water conservation efforts. Thus, the amount of water that the city has requested is not reasonable; and

            Whereas, The state of Michigan holds a fundamental interest in ensuring the protection of the Great Lakes. Michigan is literally defined by the four Great Lakes it borders, and the Great Lakes are critical to Michigan’s prosperity. Consequently, we cannot support any proposal to divert Great Lakes water that does not meet the strictest interpretation of the standards agreed upon by the Great Lakes states and provinces; and

            Whereas, At this time, the city of Waukesha has failed to meet the standards agreed upon by the Great Lakes states and provinces; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we oppose the requested diversion of water from Lake Michigan by the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Michigan; the governors of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; the premiers of Ontario and Québec; and the Executive Director of the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers.