Great Lakes Compact with One Large Hole

The Great Lakes Compact that passed last week may have left a gaping hole that allows the lakes' water to be used for bottled water purposes. Rep. Bart Stupak had tried to stop the bill from passing because of the loophole, but others pooh-poohed him. He may have been on to something...

from the Record-Eagle:

The loophole allows water to be exported outside the Great Lakes basin in containers smaller than 5.7 gallons or in larger containers if the water is incorporated into other products; examples include steel or beer.

China - Clean Water for the Elite

In a disturbing article about the milk scare in China, InsideBayArea.com reports:

BEIJING—While China grapples with its latest tainted food crisis, the political elite are served the choicest, safest delicacies. They get hormone-free beef from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, organic tea from the foothills of Tibet and rice watered by melted mountain snow.

Polluted water for the people's agriculture, clean water for the elite. Those with money and power usually can access better products, but water is sacred.

Man Made Wetlands as Water Filter

The Woonsocket Call reports on Smithfield, Rhode Islands efforts to create a man made wetland as a waste filter.

NORTH SMITHFIELD — The town is looking to undertake a quarter-million dollar project to prevent pollution to the Branch River caused by stormwater runoff.

Nature creates wetlands for free....

Massive Moosehead Lake Real Estate Development

The Kennebec Journal reports:

State regulators on Wednesday endorsed Plum Creek's historic development plan for nearly 1,000 house lots, two large resorts and hundreds of thousands of acres of land conservation in the Moosehead Lake region.

Beyond water for drinking, bottling, agriculture and industry, there is water for recreation and there is an entire industry of recreational boat makers who want to keep it that way. This battle is probably not over, I'll follow closely.

Plum Creek began this project 4 years ago. We were at the height of the real estate boom and gas was $1.80 a gallon. Will they still have the stomach for this? Will their backers?



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California to Monitor Bottled Water Industry

Slow news day today on the New England water side of things.

Here's an article from the SF Gate about CA legislature getting serious about monitoring bottled water in the state.

Great Lakes Protection Law Passes

Overwhelming majority passes the law, per mlive.com:

GRAND RAPIDS -- The U.S. House today approved the Great Lakes Compact which supporters say will protect the nation's biggest supply of fresh water.

One Michigan Rep tried to stop the vote out of fear of a loophole that allows bottled water to be extracted, but the other leaders feel it's been covered.

More on that from Great Lakes Law.

This is What Makes it so Diffucult....

Ugh.

From Burlington Free Press:

Vermont Pure has donated 15 cases of bottled water each month for a year totalling 4,320 bottles, to Spectrum. This donation will be used by Spectrum’s Street Outreach Team, who go onto the streets of Burlington seven days a week, and hand out free sandwiches and bottled water to homeless youth.

One thing I have to admit, bottled water is incredibly functional in certain situations. But 4,320 bottles. What's the alternative here? At Walmart prices, this is a $475 donation.