The Great Lakes Water Wars

by Peter Annin

The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Environment, Nature, Politics, American History

303 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2006

Reviews

[Brumaire Bodbyl-Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

The copy I have is a (signed) first edition, and so as such some of the language and construction is couched heavily in mid Bush II era rhetoric and concerns. I’m certain later editions discuss the Great Lakes compact’s actual implementation, but mine focuses on the potential challenges it faces in both state and national legislatures. I’m sure also that the work covers the newer tensions between water bottlers and the Great Lakes States (and provinces) as well as how newer developments in a worsening climate effect the thirst for the freshwater five. Annin’s work on the “Great Lakes Water Wars” is a history largely of litigation and infrastructure, (also discussion of the Aral Sea, the dark alternative for the future of the lakes) with most chapters focusing on famed diversions (or attempted diversions) and how they affect the Great Lakes, how they were/are received (including different factional/regional responses) and how their legality is to be understood. At the time of the book’s writing, much concern was placed on the possibility of a precedent setting case in legislature, as relates to pre-existing (though often rather toothless, or even of questionable constitutionality, to hell with the commerce clause!) regulation. The questionability on diversions for communities close to, though not in, the basin is also a common issue- as when you give water to Lowell Indiana (later found to be superfluous) perhaps the hellhole Vegas or whatever western state crawling with yuppies, boomers and hicks is begging for a drop of that sweet, sweet PFAs and mercurial (in a very literal sense) water. It’s a very essential read for Great Lakes residents, which makes even a very boring topic of ambiguous legislation over the basin and water rights fascinating. Though of course, Annin, a cheesehead, tries his damndest to throw dirt upon the great state of Michigan. Ay, ay, ay!

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Water will replace oil as the defining natural resource of the next hundred years, writes Peter Annin in this thoroughly updated second edition. This book explores water diversion, which means artificially transporting water from its natural basin to another one. Six dozen maps and photos illustrate the book.

A two-page map of the Great Lakes Basin, the book’s frontispiece, reveals that the watershed extends a hundred miles from the shoreline in some places while the narrowest buffer of a few miles runs between Milwaukee and Chicago, a dense urban corridor where tension over water runs the highest.

Rainfall and snowfall renew about one percent of the water in the Great Lakes. The other ninety-nine percent came from the glaciers, ten thousand years ago.

Although considered one ecosystem, the characteristic of each lake distinguishes it from the others. Lake Michigan, by volume, ranks as the second of the Great Lakes and number five in the world. (The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, a five-star book by Dan Egan, describes the five lakes functioning as a large river with the water emptying through the St Lawrence Seaway.

Skirmishes over Great Lakes water date to the eighteen eighties when Chicago reversed the flow of its river from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. The canal took eight years to build. The Chicago River reversal survives as a manmade link from one watershed to another. Water managers do not want to see that bad behavior again.

Climate change will cause water to evaporate while models suggest that precipitation will increase over the Great Lakes. But scientific uncertainty surrounds the question: Which will dominate? Evaporation? Precipitation?

Among the interesting facts in the book: During the Ice Age, temperatures ran only eight degrees Fahrenheit cooler than today, explaining the narrow margin we live in while arguing over temperature rising a couple of degrees by the end of the century. The increase in temperature from the end of the Ice Age to today took ten thousand years. Now we worry about such a quick increase in a hundred years.

The Great Lakes host almost two hundred invasive species, including plants and animals that spread quickly here without their natural predators around.

In February of eighty-five, in a Milwaukee boardroom overlooking Lake Michigan, consumption and diversion came together on equal footing in a charter, an important milestone signed by the Great Lakes governors and premiers. Wisconsin and Minnesota quickly adopted the standards.

Since the first edition published twelve years ago, the eight bordering states elevated that charter into The Great Lakes Compact, signed in Milwaukee. Ontario and Quebec passed similar laws opposing water diversion. Bush signed the compact into law ten years ago, overshadowed by another bill he signed that day, the Wall Street bailout.

Wisconsin then approved a water diversion to New Berlin. Later, Waukesha submitted an application. Meanwhile, climate change made an impact with water levels setting high and low records while Asian carp moved closer to Lake Michigan.

This second edition includes three new chapters and an epilogue plus coverage of the Foxconn diversion, story that continues to unfold. Every chapter underwent an update, revision or overhaul.

The first edition caught my eye five years ago at Rochambau, an indie cafe that makes the best Irish coffee. The book lived on my to-read shelf until now.

I have lived ninety percent of my life in Great Lakes cities: Chicago born and bred, then Cleveland and now Milwaukee for forty-one years. My sister lives near Chicago. When she visits here, we always drive, walk or stop along Lake Michigan, with the long park drive and many access points. The changing views through the seasons invigorate us. While it is easy to take the vast inland sea for granted close and in person, this book elevates the Great Lakes by putting it into a national and world context.

This copy of the book bears a bookplate, which I find every now and then: “Presented to Milwaukee Public Library for the Citizens of Milwaukee from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.” But this copy also includes the author’s signature: “George: Thanks for your long-standing support of quality news coverage of Great Lakes Issues.” Best, Peter Annin

[Gilda Felt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is highly readable, though it doesn’t stint on detail. Each chapter goes into a different “war,” a different threat to the Great Lakes water basin. And as someone originally from a dry state (Arizona,) and now living within the basin (Michigan,) I was especially concerned about the future of the lakes. With bottled water companies already taking water, and casting greedy eyes on more, that future seemed uncertain. The demise of the Aral Sea is also covered in the book, giving a disturbing vision of what could happen.

Sometimes it seemed as if the states that surround the lakes were their own worse enemies, unable, or unwilling, to compromise in order to find a way to protect the Lakes, Whether it was Illinois’ ill-conceived reversal of the Chicago River’s flow, or Michigan’s keeping that charter from having real teeth, that would create problems further down the road.

A more comprehensive compact, the Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, would finally be enacted in 2008, and while not perfect, would help to protect the Basin. Unfortunately, the wars continue, with Nestlé, in particular, still trying to take more water. Updated information can be found on the author’s website, www.greatlakeswaterwars.com .

[Ben Hylen]

Non- Fiction Book

In this very informative book you will learn all about how that Great Lakes hangs in the balance of water use and diversions. In The Great Lakes Water Wars by Peter Annin you will learn all about the history surrounding the laws that protect The Great Lakes. The first major event that you learn about is the Aral Sea disaster which is where you’ll learn all about what happened to the Aral Sea. The second major event explained in this book is the Chicago Diversion which involves the highly controversial reversal of the Chicago River and the creation of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal. But this event happened before any laws were in place to stop water diversions, so there will forever be a connection between the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds allowing invasive species a way into the Great Lakes. One of the last major events discussed in this book is about the creation of the Great Lakes Charter to make it harder for water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin.

The Great Lakes Water Wars was a pretty good book that was stuffed full of everything you had no idea was involved with The Great Lakes. Before I read this book I had no idea there even was a law much less a Charter that were created to protect the Great Lakes. I also didn’t know that diversions in and out of The Great Lakes watershed was even a thing. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has no clue what I was just talking about. This is because this book really opens your eyes to all the kind of things you don’t hear about but was an important part of trying to ensure that The Great Lakes are always great.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, although quite polluted, and often smelly & with dead fish on the shore, & although many classmates were afraid to go into the water, I always loved the lake. It has a kind of intoxicating attraction for me, full of wonder and mystery. I have some of my best childhood memories on the shores of Lake Erie.

This book is great because it set the record straight. I had heard by rumor that the Great Lakes had dropped feet in lake level, on their way to slowly emptying, & I got scared. I assumed that Great Lakes water policy had been shaped by industry & short-term economic gain. It's so refreshing to realize that I was wrong. There is great policy out there protecting the lakes, and politicians that are fighting really hard to make sure that each drop of Great Lakes water stays within that lake.

No diversions from the Great Lakes Basin is the rule, with minimal exceptions. No exports from the lake are allowed in containers larger than 5.7 gallons (altho this doesn't stop bottled water from being exported). All consumptive uses w/in the Great Lakes Basin are closely monitored. All Great Lakes states are required to have water conservation plans. All of this as of 2008 when all of the Great Lakes states, along w/ Pres. Bush had finished signing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Water Resources Compact.

[Giff Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly interesting and even entertaining book about a topic - the history of water use in the Great Lakes Basin, and the associated public policy issues - that at first seems obscure and tedious. The author's descriptions of the various major events and controversies are well-researched and reasonably fast-paced. He presents both sides well, although he clearly favors the establishment of strong governmental controls over water use. He is ultimately convincing. The book is now 8 years old, and so is a bit out of date, but the stories are issues are compelling nevertheless.

[Beth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book about how we MUST save the fresh water that is in the Great Lakes. Sorry all you folks who live in dry climates, but we have to protect the water in the Great Lakes. A great read, as well as an examination of policy issues affecting our water supply.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

although it focuses on the great lakes watershed, the arguments and legal protections are instructive for all water resources anywhere. Even before oil should come the question of how do we provide clean drinking water to those who need it without destroying the finite resources we have?

[Gary Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and sobering discussion. Anyone that is concerned about the future of the Great Lakes, and their enormous store of fresh water (over 20% of the world's fresh water) must read this book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated but an excellent book that explains the challenges of Great Lakes water management (many states, two countries). The focus at times seemed to involve water conservation due to low lake levels, but the past few years have now seen historic high water. Regardless, an excellent overview of the Great Lakes and their history over the past 100+ years. Excerpts are below:

- Water is a commodity, Mr. Rothman proclaimed. It's a lot like oil. We use oil to heat Boston, but that oil doesn't come from Boston. It comes from Saudi Arabia.... Talk like that makes residents nervous in the Great Lakes region - the Saudi Arabia of water. Why? Because it implies that people can continue to live beyond their ecological means simply by importing water from someplace else.
- reference Great Lakes water... But less than 1% of that water is considered renewable, that is, recharged by rain, snowfall, and groundwater every year. The other 99% was deposited by glaciers during the last ice age.
- Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, cleanest, and coldest lake in the system.... Lake Erie is the shallowest in the Basin...
- For every one inch drop in Great Lakes water levels, those thousand foot freighters must shave 270tons of cargo from their holds to ensure that they don't scrape bottom as they slip from one lake to another.
- Vacillating lake levels are what experts refer to as "natural variability," and that variability plays a key role in the complex Great Lakes ecosystem. Natural variability is an absolute necessity.
- During low water, long beaches and broad expanses of mudflats are created at the lakes' edges. These flats are actually seed banks that have been harboring the progeny of rare water-level dependent plants for decades.
- Since water-level monitoring began in the mid-nineteenth century, record-keeping suggests that the lakes may operate roughly on a thirty year cycle from high point to point.
- Finally, the report also foresaw a rise in violent weather, including floods, tornadoes, and blizzards. The region could expect a notable increase in heat waves and days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with traditional steady, soaking rains supplanted by raging downpours that increase erosion and runoff.
- .... low lake levels of the early 1960s resulted in hydropower losses on the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers of 19 and 26 percent, respectively.
- Ice acts as a lid on the lakes to prevent evaporation during the winter, so if you don't have ice during the winter, you're going to get a lot more evaporation.
- In the winter, however, as the surface waters cool they sink and mix with the deep water.
- But longer, hotter summers would extend the periods between winter mixings, potentially starving the deeper depths of oxygen. When sections of lakes or oceans run out of oxygen, these areas are referred to as "dead zones" because without oxygen few if any creatures can survive.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read the original copyright version from 2006, not the updated one from 2018.)
Interesting book that talks about the history of water/watershed management within the Great Lakes basin, and how it led up to the creation of the Great Lakes Compact. Good information but it can get dry and boring in some parts, as it moves rather slowly in my opinion.

But very good information and things to think about, including:
-The reversal of the Chicago River is triumphed out to be such a great victory for public health, yet it is one of the biggest and most impactful diversions of Great Lakes water *away* from the Great Lakes basin. The book mentions how Chicago often got away with a lot throughout history in regard to diversions. 2.1 billion gallons of water every day are now going down the Mississippi River instead of into the Great Lakes.
-Some believe that there's no such thing as a water shortage, but a shortage of good water management. The book discusses this a bit.
-Less than 1% of Great Lakes' water is renewed each year through precipitation and groundwater recharge.
-As of the copyright date, Ontario consumed more water than any other GL jurisdiction (which makes sense, but they weren't a strong player really in the negotiations for the Compact).
-Some people "ignore the fact that the water in the Great Lakes region is already being used by the ecosystem".
-The bottled-water-is-a-diversion argument was mentioned toward the end of the book, and I have professional experience dealing with this issue in state policymaking. And there is "water law" but no "Coca-Cola law" or "potato law", so some believe water needs to be treated differently as other goods.
-"It's time for people to think about water before they decide where to live." THIS! This is what I am thinking about right now as I look for jobs.
-We need more plans and research going into applying treating wastewater back into the soil and so the aquifers can be recharged. Enough with this "pump and dump" systems.
-Some industry representatives are saying that the Compact doesn't do *enough* to protect the watershed.

[Sean Soard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive guide for Great Lakes water-diversion politics.

Peter Annin is the director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College and, to be frank, appears to be one of the most knowledgeable water-policy experts in the great lakes. The book is thoroughly academic, almost to the point where it can be mapped out as a thesis or dissertation. Annin works diligently to explain why early political developments remain important decades later and to show how personalities, timing (particularly with elections), and history influence decisions that outwardly appear to be purely scientific or otherwise technical. Reading Annin's work feels like enrolling in a course of chronological case studies where each new lecture is enhanced by the previous discussion. Yet, despite its academic underpinnings, the book reads more as a political story than a textbook. If Annin ever decides to write another book (or issue another update to this one), it will be first on my reading list.

Suggestions for continued reading:

Great Lakes aficionados would be well-served by reading this along with Dan Egan's "The Life and Death of the Great Lakes" which provides a contemporary eco-history of the Great Lakes of the same caliber as Annin's work. Although the focus of Egan's work is ecological, Egan does foray into the politics (think DNR policies and programs) that impact lake ecology; in this regard, Egan also briefly discusses diversions, particularly the Chicago River diversion and its impact on invasive species and regulations on international freighter shipping.

Those reading from a water-policy standpoint should considering comparing Annin's "Wars" with Seth Siegel's "Let There Be Water." Where Annin's "Wars" documents the Great Lakes-states and provinces intergovernmental efforts to conserve water in a water-wealthy region; Siegel's "Water" document's modern-day Israel's single-state efforts to make the greatest use of its water in an historically water-poor region. For a political comparison closer to home, consider the western-US sections of Martin Doyle's "The Source," which document the negotiated distribution of Colorado River water.

Finally, history buffs-particularly those interested by Annin's discussion of the Chicago river and Eerie Canal--may consider Martin Doyle's "The Source," which delves into both topics in greater detail and documents several other alterations to America's natural water ways.

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about the fight over the water of the Great Lakes Basin. The book begins with the major diversion in Chicago of the change in flow direction of the Chicago River out of the Great Lakes Basin. The book goes on to cover diversion proposals, some accepted - others not in the various 8 States and 2 Canadian Provinces that share the Great Lakes water resource. The book also covers in some detail the decades long struggle to replace the first (a good beginning) water agreement with a compact that was ultimately ratified by the 8 great lakes states and the US congress and signed into law by George W. Bush. The book also focuses on the non-diversion strategy which prohibits water removal from the Great Lakes Water Basin to other areas of the country - such as Arizona or California who look longingly at the natural water resource. Many areas of conservation are also covered including the requirement that any diversion within or outside the basin must return 95% of the water it withdraws and the amount of water that can be withdrawn is strictly capped. I learned a great deal about water and the efforts that are being made to protect and conserve it. The water belongs to everyone and to no one. The book focusses on the responsibility of all citizens, no matter where they live need to conserve and respect this valuable irreplaceable resource.

I purchased this book for $2 from a used book seller. I will donate it to the Berkley MI Public Library System.

[Donna Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out with a lot of interesting information. It started out with descriptions of other lakes which were totally destroyed because of over use, like the Aral Sea (near the Middle East).
It also talked about the possible changes that climate change could impose on the Great Lakes water system.
I learned about the boundaries of the Great Lakes Drainage Basin. In some places it is very close to the lakes, as it is in some places near to Lake Michigan. This boundary lets you know that any water landing on the lake side of the boundary flows downhill into the nearest lake,
The book also talked about the agreement about disagreements about diverting water that would normally flow into one of the Great Lakes to nearby towns who did not have a suitable source of water.
The Compact was a rule book/charter that was agreed upon by the states bordering the lakes and the two provinces in Canada.
The last part of the book that covered all the cases of requests for diverting water from the lakes to communities that are over the line of the drainage basin. I thought it was a little overdone and I felt as though I was dragging through the last part as there was a lot of legal cases and politics.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of two great books on contemporary issues on the Great Lakes. The other is Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes . You could start with either. I think Egan's book is more approachable.

This book is a history of lawmaking: how and why the American states and Canadian provinces bordering the Great Lakes created laws that regulate how the water can be used. Many of the chapters are case studies on how the current laws and their predecessors were applied. You should avoid this book if you're not interested in either legal nuances or water sciences (hydrology, etc.). There isn't much discussion of Great Lakes wildlife, only some passing mentions of invasive species like zebra mussels, quagga mussels, and Asian carp.

Since the Great Lakes basin is very narrow in southeastern Wisconsin, many of the controversial uses of Great Lakes water are located there. This book will especially appeal to people who live around Milwaukee, Chicago, or anywhere in between.

I think this book is unusual in that it's an uplifting story about managing natural resources. Usually books about nature are horror stories.

[Bryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. I started to read parts of it for a research project (I interviewed the author. Lovely guy), but it was so compelling and well written I wanted to finish it. Not only does the author keep his opinion out of it (hello bipartisan journalism), he also researched the hell out of it. Everyone said this was the most comprehensive review of Great Lakes Water issues, and they were so right. I would recommend this to anyone, especially now that water is becoming the new gold of the 21st century. It doesn't matter if you don't live near the Great Lakes, you should know about this issue.

[Andrew Blok · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and comprehensive history of the fight over Great Lakes water. Who gets it? Who doesn't? Why does Chicago send so much Great Lakes water down the Mississippi each year. All of these questions have had different answers throughout the years and could again in the future. Annin does a great job of tracing the history that determines the landscape of Great Lakes water use and raising the issues that could become issues in the future. Well-researched and well-reported, I know the Great Lakes better than I did before reading this book.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book that focuses on the great lakes but stresses the importance of water that we deal with everyday. The book was filled with a ton of information, but was easy to read and understand. I had no idea there was so much controversy over water diversions and especially over the biggest one, the Chicago River. In Chicago, we are taught about how much of an engineering feat it was and how it helped the city, but not about how much water it is diverting away from the basin. Really great book overall

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, comprehensive study of efforts to preserve the integrity of Great Lakes water--the largest body of freshwater on earth. From the early 20th century reversal of the Chicago River, to WWII-era diversion of north-flowing Ontario rivers into Lake Superior in order to increase hydro power for war production to recent fights over suburban diversions to areas just outside the Great lakes Basin to numerous hare-brained schemes to pipe Great Lakes water to the arid Southwest, the author looks at technology, hydrology and law. Very good read if you are interested in water issues or live near the Great Lakes.

[Joshua Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete Annin has written a dynamite work that traces the history of diversion applications from the Chicago River to FoxConn. this book will take you all the way into federal, state and the local laws that shaped water diversion regulations over the last few centuries. Annin is a great writer and delivers heady content in an accessible way. This is a must read for Great Lakes enthusiast and those who care about the environmental future of one of Americas most treasured gems.

[Marisa Kaddis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

i did not finish this whole book, but i finished most of it. this book made me take living in michigan and having access to great lakes water way more seriously. a great read to learn about diversion tactics and laws surrounding the great lakes; though i do believe the chapters could’ve been shorter and packed with less information. the onslaught of information at all times made the principles of this book hard to grasp at times.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely tome given the issues faced this year by residents near Lake Ontario, water quality issues in other Great Lake states, and all the work in Digital Commons relating to water resources. Who will win, and who will lose remains to be seen, but if we don't become better stewards surely we all lose together.

[Norma Dushack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a factual account of what is happening to the great lakes. If you live here it is a worth while book to read. We need to preserve the great lakes because it is fifth largest fresh water lakes. It tells how other places have destroy their fresh water supply in the hopes that it helps us to understand how important this is.

[Kim Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second book on the Great Lakes, specifically on their importance to the residents, how the invasive species have impacted the lakes, and the controversial diversions by communities not wholly in the Great Lakes Basin. I didn’t realize that if you take water from the lakes, you need to return the majority of what you take. It reads like a thriller!!

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for The National Museum of the Great Lakes book club March ZOOM. There are two editions of this book, the 2006 edition and the updated edition published in 2018. I had picked up the 2006 edition not knowing about the 2018 edition all the while thinking this author was out of touch with the status of pretty much everything. Ugh. :(

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very helpful for contextualizing the history of water policy and diversions in the Great Lake's region. It's an up to date reflection that uses the history of diversions in the Great Lakes to make predictions about the future and sustainability of the Great Lakes Compact.

[Kimberly Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of the politics and policy behind our water

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for Research Nutrition. It opened my eyes to one of the major issues of sustainability. A bit long, but interesting.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly written, impressive depth, and extremely pertinent background to the water crises of today. Will be a resource I'll turn back to regularly.

[Debbiec · Rating 5 out of 5]

For everyone who cares deeply about the Great Lakes this book is a must read.