Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Midwest's Best Resource: I'm fiercely proud of the Midwest, and of the crown jewel, our Great Lakes. I'm hardly a eco-militant, and I tend to be skeptical of doomsday predictions about the environment. However, I thought I'd relate a conversation I had a week ago.
We were in Grand Beach talking about how magnificent Lake Michigan is. I never get tired of staring at it, while driving on Lake Shore Drive, sitting at Gillson Park, entertaining guests at my sister's pre-wedding party on Oak Street, or sitting at the beach in Grand Beach. It's our jewel.
Anyway, the subject had switched to Las Vegas, and how their unmitigated growth could soon cause water shortages out there. Lake Mead is ridiculously low, and the Colorado River can only provide so much to Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. Where will the Western states look for fresh water.
"As the problem gets bigger and bigger, Lake Superior will have a bigger and bigger bullseye on it," Derrick's friend Dan Stockman said.
Author Peter Annin suggests that Great Lakes water will be one of the most sought after resources worldwide in the next decade. His book, The Great Lakes Water Wars, came out last year, and will make it onto my reading list.
Water diversion has been a big issue, as the Great Lakes Compact between the governors of the eight U.S. states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York) and Ontario was a reaction to a plan to ship 168 million gallons of water to Asia. Now, it's illegal to divert any water out of the Great Lakes water basin. However...
... There are rumblings this violates the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution. It probably does, so I'd suggest these eight states push for a treaty between the U.S. and Canada regarding the diversion of water.
Why should this be a big issue? Annin cites the work the Soviets did on the Aral Sea, which has been nearly sucked dry over the past 50 years. That's all it took.
Now last week came news that Las Vegas is running through its water supply. Where are they going to look? The Detroit News suggests where it might already be looking.
For all you that fled our cold, snowy winters? Good riddance. We hope you enjoy not having to shovel your snow. We'll even take your ribbing at us in the winter ("Is it cold there?" "Oh, 15 degrees." "Ah, it was 68 here. I went golfing this morning."). But leave our water alone.
We were in Grand Beach talking about how magnificent Lake Michigan is. I never get tired of staring at it, while driving on Lake Shore Drive, sitting at Gillson Park, entertaining guests at my sister's pre-wedding party on Oak Street, or sitting at the beach in Grand Beach. It's our jewel.
Anyway, the subject had switched to Las Vegas, and how their unmitigated growth could soon cause water shortages out there. Lake Mead is ridiculously low, and the Colorado River can only provide so much to Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. Where will the Western states look for fresh water.
"As the problem gets bigger and bigger, Lake Superior will have a bigger and bigger bullseye on it," Derrick's friend Dan Stockman said.
Author Peter Annin suggests that Great Lakes water will be one of the most sought after resources worldwide in the next decade. His book, The Great Lakes Water Wars, came out last year, and will make it onto my reading list.
Water diversion has been a big issue, as the Great Lakes Compact between the governors of the eight U.S. states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York) and Ontario was a reaction to a plan to ship 168 million gallons of water to Asia. Now, it's illegal to divert any water out of the Great Lakes water basin. However...
... There are rumblings this violates the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution. It probably does, so I'd suggest these eight states push for a treaty between the U.S. and Canada regarding the diversion of water.
Why should this be a big issue? Annin cites the work the Soviets did on the Aral Sea, which has been nearly sucked dry over the past 50 years. That's all it took.
Now last week came news that Las Vegas is running through its water supply. Where are they going to look? The Detroit News suggests where it might already be looking.
For all you that fled our cold, snowy winters? Good riddance. We hope you enjoy not having to shovel your snow. We'll even take your ribbing at us in the winter ("Is it cold there?" "Oh, 15 degrees." "Ah, it was 68 here. I went golfing this morning."). But leave our water alone.
