2005 & 2006 Great Lakes Regional Water Use Reports Available

Jan 19: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced that the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Reports for 2005 and 2006 are now available. The GLC extended its appreciation to the states and provinces in providing this information. The Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database was established by the Great Lakes states and provinces in response to a recommendation in the Great Lakes Charter of 1985 that calls for a uniform, consistent base of data of Great Lakes water withdrawals, diversions and consumptive uses. Beginning in 1987, water use data have been submitted to the repository on an annual basis and reports provided to assist the jurisdictions in Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River water resources planning and management.


As specified by the Water Resources Management Committee in its 1987 report, Managing the Waters of the Great Lakes Basin, the database catalogs withdrawals by water use category, sub-basin and jurisdiction. The database became operational in the summer of 1988 following a multi-year cooperative effort. Design and development involved input from many state, provincial, and federal agencies, with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) providing much of the leadership. A Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database to provide comparable water use information on withdrawals, diversions and consumptive use is also called for under Article 4 of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and Article 301 of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources.


Access an announcement from GLC with links to related information (click here). Access the GLC water use database (click here). Access a database query page to obtain customized search results (click here).