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Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Water

Sunbelt lusts for Great Lakes' water, but eight states vow to keep it

By NewsDude ,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2007 3:39 PM CDT
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(Newser) – You'd think the warm weather and easy living would make the West and South leave Frostbelters alone. But no, they want what that frost is made from: water. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua—and eight Great Lakes states are teaming up with two Canadian provinces to stop them.

The plan is to get a compact limiting water diversion through Congress before the census, when the eight states are expected to lose seats. If the feds were to take over the Great Lakes, former Texas Rep. Dick Armey warned years ago, "We're not going to be buying it. We're going to be stealing it. " The fight over water rages among Great Lakes states as well. Towns in Wisconsin and Illinois outside the Great Lakes Basin are hankering for it, but can't touch it under existing law. 

View of Lake Superior's Keweenaw Bay from Baraga, Mich., in 2007. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua%u2014and eight Great Lakes states are teaming up with two Canadian provinces to stop them. (AP...
View of Lake Superior's Keweenaw Bay from Baraga, Mich., in 2007. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes...   (Associated Press)
An aerial view of the Great Lakes in winter. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua%u2014and eight Great Lakes states are teaming up with two Canadian provinces to stop them.
An aerial view of the Great Lakes in winter. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua%u2014and eight...   (Getty Images)
Satellite image for larger view of the Great Lakes. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua%u2014and eight Great Lakes states are teaming up with two Canadian provinces to stop them.
Satellite image for larger view of the Great Lakes. As drought and development strain limited local water resources, the Sunbelt wants to tap some of the billions of gallons of Great Lakes aqua%u2014and...   (national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
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