Two public meetings to discuss proposed agreements to manage and protect waters of the Great Lakes basin will be held in Brecksville on Tuesday, September 21. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will host sessions at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Brecksville Community Center, One Community Drive. ODNR officials will explain the draft agreements, take questions and offer opportunities for public comment.
On July 19, the eight Great Lakes governors and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec announced a 90-day public review period for agreements created to update the way the Great Lakes and the waters of the Great Lakes basin are managed and protected. The agreements will implement Annex 2001, a supplementary agreement to the Great Lakes Charter that was adopted by the governors and premiers in June 2001.
The draft Annex implementing agreements are the result of three years of effort by a state/provincial working group to address Great Lakes Basin protection issues ranging from water consumption to diversion. During the review period that extends until October 18, the draft agreements are available for the public and all interested groups to read and make comments. The draft documents are available at www.ohiodnr.com.
Specific protective measures in the draft implementing agreements include:
- A commitment that conservation and information programs will be put in place and maintained in all the Great Lakes states, Ontario and Quebec;
- A commitment to use a uniform, resource-based decision making standard in evaluating future proposals for new or increased water uses;
- A commitment to a collective decision making process for future proposals for regionally significant new or increased water uses; and
- A requirement that all future new or increased diversions and regionally significant water uses in the Great Lakes Basin result in an improvement to the basin's ecosystem.