By Doug Draper
Here is some good news for Great Lakes residents on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border.
A Lake Erie beach shore near Cleveland, Ohio
According to a front-page article in the July 16 Buffalo News, Ohio Governor John Kasich has vetoed a bill passed by his state’s legislature that would have allowed private businesses to the withdrawal of millions of dollars a day of water from Lake Erie for possible sale outside the Great Lakes basin.
“Lake Erie is an incredible resource that demands our vigilant stewardship to maximize its environmental, recreational and commercial potential,” the Ohio government was quoted stating after he signed a veto lobbied for by political leaders in New York, including its governor Anthony Cuomo who suggested legal action if it the legislation passed, and by groups like Buffalo Riverkeepers and Great Lakes United, representing environmentalists on both sides of the international border.
There was also a push from inside Ohio to kill the water withdrawal legislation, including from one of the state’s largest newspapers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which published the governor’s phone number this July 15 with a plea to readers to call the number and ask that the legislation be killed.
The Ohio bill is but the latest attempt by governments and businesses in the U.S. and Canada to siphon water from the lakes for sale elsewhere and environmentalists warn that in a world increasingly thirsty for fresh water there will likely be more.
Reports show that water levels in Lake Erie and other parts of the Great Lakes are already going down, possibly as a result of climate change and increasing demands for water from residents and businesses within the basin. If levels go too low, it could have a serious impact wildlife, hydropower generation and the ability to navigate large ships through the lakes and connecting channels like the Welland Canal.
Niagara At Large will continue to keep readers posted on any further developments on this and related issues.
Meanwhile, we encourage you to share your comments below.
Niagara At Large 
This is welcome news.
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I am pleased this idea was scrapped although considering the existing agreements in place between the US and Canada as well as the States it seemed unlikely to move forward. I would like to comment on the reference that the Great Lakes levels are going down either as a result of climate change or increased demands. The US Army Corp of Engineers has maintained official records of all the Great Lakes water levels since 1918.
Here are some numbers that maybe of interest shown in meters above sea level:*
Long Term Average 174.31
Current 174.58
Minimum (1934) 173.45
Maximum (1986) 175.03
* http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/greatlakes/hh/greatlakeswaterlevels/historicdata/greatlakeshydrographs/
Statistically there is little hard evidence to indicate significant decreases in levels other than natural variability. There is however, in my opinion, the need for vigilance on both the health and levels of the Great Lakes.
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Vetoing legislation won’t stop the illegal water thieves.
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