Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle speaks to the Council of Great Lakes Governors’ Leadership Summit in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tom Lynn)
	A map showing the Great Lakes States and Provinces.

Midwest Governors Agree to a Plan to Save the Great Lakes 

A plan to protect Lake Michigan is one step closer to going into effect. The governors of eight states in the Midwest agreed to sign the plan December 13.

The agreement would protect the five lakes that make up the Great Lakes. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle says the most important thing in the agreement is protecting the five Great Lakes from pollution and depletion.

Doyle also said it is very clear that the states affected by the agreement want to be sure it does not hurt their economies. But he says they want it done in a way that protects the lakes for the future. 

Will stop shipping water to other nations

One of the main parts of the agreement is a ban on shipping large amounts of water to other parts of the world. The agreement would keep a pipeline from sending water to Arizona or California. It also would ban loading water into ships that could go thousands of miles to other countries.

Ohio Governor Bob Taft was in Milwaukee to sign the agreement for his state. Taft said a lot of work was needed to figure out what to put into the agreement. Each of the eight governors must sign the agreement. That is expected to take place shortly.

The agreement also must be approved by the Legislatures of each of the eight states. After that, the agreement must be approved by the Congress of the United States.

The last step in the process could take years. The agreement also calls for two provinces in Canada to work with the United States in protecting the Lakes. A province is similar to a state.

Parts of the Great Lakes border the Canadian province of Ontario. The province of  Quebec is involved because water from the Great Lakes drains through the St. Lawrence River. The river runs through Quebec. The water eventually ends up in the Atlantic Ocean.

Great Lakes have 20% of world’s fresh water

The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of all the fresh water in the world. The Lakes are the largest single area of fresh water anywhere.

Fresh water does not contain salt. Fresh water is safe for humans to drink. The oceans of the world contain salt water. Salt water is not safe for human consumption.

Lake Michigan forms the eastern border of the state of Wisconsin.  Lake Superior forms part of the border of northern Wisconsin. The other Great Lakes are Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

The city of Milwaukee uses water from Lake Michigan for drinking water for people who live in the area. Milwaukee is the largest city in the state. That means Lake Michigan is the largest source of drinking water in Wisconsin.

The agreement also calls for working harder to make sure water is not wasted. It also calls for reducing pollution.

Lakes were created from melted ice

The Great Lakes were created thousands of years ago. Temperatures were much colder at that time. The water now in the Lakes was originally ice. The Lakes were created when the ice melted.

Scientists say only about one percent of the water in the Lakes is from rain and snow that falls near the Lakes each year. The other 99 percent is left over from when the Lakes were created.

The agreement that was signed in Milwaukee bans sending water to communities that are not inside the basin. A basin is also called the watershed. Water that flows into the Lake is considered to be inside the basin or watershed. Water that flows away from the Lakes never gets to the Lakes.

Rules must be written to protect lakes

The eight states in the agreement will have to set rules for protecting the Lakes. But the rules must be the same or stronger than those in the main agreement.

Some members of the Wisconsin Legislature say they support the deal. They promise to work quickly to get the plan approved.

State Representative Jon Richards of Milwaukee says the agreement is the best and maybe last hope for protecting the Lakes for future generations.

State Senator Ted Kanavas of Brookfield says the state Legislature needs to act to make sure the Lakes survive as a resource and a natural wonder.