LWV Upper Mississippi River Region is working with LWV Wisconsin and LWV Lake Michigan to question the proposed use of Lake Michigan water for an industrial development outside the Lake Michigan watershed.   A recent post on this blog provides more background - click here.  

Here is the most recent update on that project, from LWV Wisconsin:
Racine Diversion Challenge AdvancesLast week, the legal challenge to the City of Racine’s plan to divert Great Lakes water to the Foxconn industrial complex advanced. A pre-hearing conference is set for September 12 before an Administrative Law Judge.

The petitioners contend that the Wisconsin DNR’s approval of Racine’s request for a Great Lakes water diversion for the Foxconn development violates the Great Lakes Compact, an interstate agreement enacted to protect this economic and cultural resource. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is one of six organizations appealing the diversion permit issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Compact strictly requires diversions of Great Lakes water be limited to public, largely residential, uses. Racine’s attempt to divert 7 million gallons per day of Lake Michigan water west of the Great Lakes Basin divide to serve the solely private industrial uses of Foxconn violates this rule.

The League believes that the Great Lakes Compact, signed into law in by President G.W. Bush on October 3, 2008, significantly supports the long standing League positions of an "environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest," and that policies must consider the "environmental, ... and economic impacts of proposed plans and actions." Read more at the LWVWI website.
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In Minnesota, LWV UMRR Action Chair Lonni McCauley has reached out to the Governor's office and the Minnesota DNR to urge Minnesota to engage on this issue through the Great Lakes Compact.  We will provide updates here as things progress.

​Foxconn is building its major manufacturing facility near Racine, in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.  The company’s North American headquarters will be in Milwaukee and a research facility will be built in Eau Claire.  The state of Wisconsin, under the leadership of Governor Scott Walker, has given significant incentives to land this development.  Unfortunately, many of these incentives have been reduction of environmental permitting requirements, which is another story; click here for an interview with Dr. Peter Adriaens from the University of Michigan.   

The facility in Mount Pleasant will need lots of water.  For this, the City of Racine has requested permission from Wisconsin DNR to take 7 million gallons a day from Lake Michigan.  Since Mount Pleasant is a ‘straddling community’ – part in the Lake Michigan watershed and part in the Upper Mississippi watershed – their request must conform to the standards set out in the Great Lakes Compact – see more information here. WI DNR decided that the standards were met and granted the withdrawal.  An appeal to this permit was filed and an additional process of public comment and review gone through.  On April 25, 2018, the WI DNR again approved the withdrawal.
 
Is this a bad thing?  Inter-basin transfer of water (taking water from one major water basin, in this case the Lake Michigan basin, and sending it to another, in this case the Upper Mississippi) is troubling.  Water shortages abound across the world, and many look longingly at the vast freshwater resources of the Great Lakes.  The purpose of the Compact is to ensure that the water in the Great Lakes is not mined and that Great Lakes ecosystems are protected.  Learn more about the Great Lakes Compact here.  

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WI DNR’s approval of the City of Racine’s application violates the Compact requirement that any water diverted out of the Basin must be used solely for “Public Water Supply Purposes.” The purpose of the City of Racine’s diversion, as identified in the City’s application, is exclusively to supply water to industrial and commercial customers in a newly-designated “electronics and information technology manufacturing zone” in the Village of Mt. Pleasant. The in the out-of-basin portion of Mt. Pleasant subject to the diversion request.

​LWV has a position (here) that inter-basin transfer should not be allowed unless:

• Ample and effective opportunities for informed public participation in the formulation and analysis of proposed projects
• Evaluation of economic, social and environmental impacts in the basin of origin, the receiving area and any area through which the diversion must pass, so that decision makers and the public have adequate information on which to base a decision
• Examination of all short- and long-term economic costs including, but not limited to, construction, delivery, operation, maintenance and market interest rate
• Examination of alternative supply options, such as water conservation, water pricing and reclamation
• Participation and review by all affected governments
• Procedures for resolution of inter-governmental conflicts
• Accord with international treaties
• Provisions to ensure that responsibility for funding is borne primarily by the user with no federal subsidy, loan guarantees or use of the borrowing authority of the federal government, unless the proposal is determined by all affected levels of the League to be in the national interest.

 
LWV Wisconsin has lead efforts to oppose the withdrawal.  LWV Lake Michigan is party to the Petition seeking reconsideration by WI DNR.  LWV Upper Mississippi has made a resolution in opposition, and will continue to find ways to work against this transfer.  You can read the resolution here. 
 
According to the Great Lakes Compact, the 8 states and 2 provinces that border the Great Lakes have a right to question decisions. LWV UMRR so far has undertaken these actions:

• Drew up and passed a resolution with the UMRR board opposing water diversion by Foxconn
• Received approval from the four states’ Leagues of Women Voters for this action
• Received approval from LWVUSA for this action and a letter writing campaign to the four states’ congressional delegations.
• Letters were written on July 18 to Minnesota’s congressional delegation and also to Governor Dayton

More action will take through joining a lawsuit or by petition.

Addition:  Minnesota Public Radio looked at who comes out ahead in the Foxconn deal on July 31 - you can read more about it and listen to the conversation here.   - LWV UMRR Blogger, Gretchen Sabel

 The League of Women Voters has worked on water issues for nearly as long as there has been a League of Women Voters.  In “Impact on Issues 2016-2018  -  Natural Resources”, this rich history is documented in detail.  The role of League leaders in supporting thoughtful approaches to protecting water resources across the country is balanced by the role that water issues have played in building League membership and influence.  As stated in “Impact”, “Water issues, from groundwater protection to agricultural runoff to the Safe Drinking Water Act, have energized League leaders, especially at the local level, for decades.”
 
How many Leagues are involved in work on water issues?  Which water resources are the target of these efforts?  What has been learned, and what can be shared to help others succeed?  To learn the answers to these questions, LWV Upper Mississippi River Region sought information through a survey, sent to all Leagues in the United States.  A detailed summary of the survey results is in this .pdf .   
 
Based on the survey, Leagues in 26 states are active in water issues.  The water resources that are being addressed include oceans, lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater.  Ocean pollution is a concern in Oregon and Washington, and California Leagues work to prevent degradation of estuaries where freshwater streams meet the saltwater.  LWV Benecia, near San Francisco, is very active in working on water use and conservation - click here for more detail.  Sea level rise is a concern in Florida, where Leagues across the state work to support efforts to prepare for the impacts of rising coastal water levels. 

by Beth Baransky, Project Coordinator, LWV Jo Daviess County remote water quality sensing project

The U.S. EPA, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States Geological Survey, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, put forth a challenge to submit proposals for the deployment of low-cost (less than $15,000) continuous nutrient sensors to address an important nutrient pollution water quality problem.

The League of Women Voters of Jo Daviess County in Illinois (LWV-JDC) has been actively seeking water quality data for several years in order to increase our local knowledge. The ultimate goal is to achieve science-based stewardship of the water resources in our area. The Nutrient Sensor Action Challenge fit in well with the League's efforts. We submitted a proposal for the challenge describing the installation of two sensors, one each at the top and bottom of the Lower Galena River subwatershed to gather continuous data on nitrate levels in this portion of the river.  Sam Panno, Senior Geochemist at the Illinois State Geological Survey; Walt Kelly, Groundwater Science Section Head at the Illinois State Water Survey; and Beth Baranski, Project Coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Jo Daviess County were the team members on the proposal.

Having been selected as one of the winners of the challenge, in part because “The technical review panel determined that your submission could help better inform decision-making for nutrient reduction in our nation’s waterways,” the League will receive $10,000 in prize money.  We’ve been told we can spend the prize money on a trip to Hawaii if we want, but - as tempting as that is - we’re thinking about how best to use the funds to advance water resource management work in the area. This prize money is being awarded for Stage 1 of the challenge, and consideration is now being given to competing in Stage 2 as well, which would involve actual sensor deployment.

Guest Post by Beth Baranski, LWV Jo Daviess County Illinois

            The League of Women Voters' structure and approach allow members to play an instrumental role in efforts to address complex issues. Organized at the local, state, regional, and national levels, League efforts and resources can be scaled up and down as appropriate. With a formal process for studying issues important to voters and coming to consensus before taking action, the League has become widely respected for its non-partisan, fact-based, educational approach.
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            In Jo Daviess County, Illinois, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWV-JDC) is creating a model that showcases how "The League Way" is working with residents in this rural area on the locally controversial, nationally important, and globally critical topic of water resource management. Here are some highlights:

• Following a divisive multi-year (2007-10) controversy (based in large measure on differing opinions on potential contamination of groundwater in the karst aquifer) over the siting of a 10,000-head confined dairy feeding operation, the LWV-JDC organized a public forum bringing in representatives from the Illinois EPA, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and others to provide information on the siting process and the pressures impacting the dairy industry.

• In 2013, the LWV-JDC organized a public forum entitled "The Land and Water Beneath Us" at which scientists from the Illinois State Geological and Water Surveys shared information they currently had on the hydrogeology of the area, explained what scientific information was lacking, and proposed ways to obtain new information.

• From 2014-16, local League members organized and facilitated a countywide water resource management planning project. A diverse set of stakeholders were brought to the table to learn together about the area's water resources, and to agree on a set of facts so that we could develop goals and objectives to maintain our resources effectively. We agreed to use evidence-based decision making to achieve science-based stewardship. We presented to and surveyed every local governing board (county, municipal, township, and resort community) at the start and at the finish of our planning effort. An Illinois EPA approved Quality Assurance Project Plan was completed for the survey effort. To date, the county, 9 municipalities, 5 townships and a resort community have approved this plan. This project, a 100% volunteer effort, received the "Community Engagement Award" at the 2016 National League Convention.

• One of the county plan action items was a focused sub-watershed plan to identify specific projects for water resource management. The sub-watershed surrounding the City of Galena was selected, and - using private donations and volunteer time for match - a 2016 $38,000 Illinois EPA Grant was obtained to cover technical assistance, printing costs, and planning consultant expenses for this 2-year planning project.

• The LWV-JDC initiated the formation of the Upper Mississippi River Region Inter-League Organization to work on water resource management at a larger scale. This 4-state entity was incorporated with 60 local League chapters participating in October, 2016.

• The League used private donations and a grant from the Galena Lions Club to purchase copies of "The Watershed Game" created by the University of Minnesota Extension, and to offer two training days for those wishing to be able to facilitate the game for local governing boards, service organizations, students, etc. Forty-seven individuals, including 30 in Jo Daviess County, were trained in October, 2016, and a second training scheduled for September, 2017, is funded with a grant from 1 Mississippi.

• The LWV-JDC partnered with the Galena Rotary Club to put on a day-long conference in January, 2017, entitled "Water: We're All in the Same Boat" - bringing in speakers to share information about current water management issues and approaches, and providing breakout sessions with presenters sharing information about local projects. The League and Rotary is actively working to expand this organizational partnership for conferences and educational programming in other areas of the Upper Mississippi River Region.

• Using private donations and volunteer time as match, a 2016 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) grant for $7,000 was obtained to conduct spring sampling with scientists from the Illinois State Geological and Water Surveys. This sampling will help establish baseline water chemistry in the area's shallow aquifer for future reference. The project also included the development of a model karst feature database to store information on springs, sinkholes and bedrock fractures to be used both locally and by the USFWS.

• Participated in the USFWS Fishers & Farmers Leadership Network workshops in 2016, and continue involvement - working with others in the network and maintaining a Leadership Network website for the Apple-Plum watershed.

• Using the Galena Watershed planning project, state EPA grant funds, along with financial contributions from the City of Galena, a local fertilizer plant, local not-for profits and private donors for match, a 2017 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Fishers & Farmers grant for $20,000 was obtained to support the formation of a farmer advisory group in the Galena Watershed. Workshops, field days, river water sampling, and soil nitrate testing will be conducted to engage the agricultural community in water resource management.

 
And the work continues...

​Our water is in trouble and we are all in the same boat.  We need clean water for drinking and industry, and healthy ecosystems to support the life around us.  It is time for us all to jump in, learn about what can be done, and get going on doing it! 
 
On January 11, the Galena Rotary partnered with the League of Women Voters Jo Daviess County to hold a day-long conference at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa in Galena.  This conference, titled “Water, We're all in the Same Boat” was part of the 30th Annual Galena Rotary Roundtable.   There was a series of excellent talks at this conference, most of which are now posted on YouTube for all who missed the conference.  Thanks to Robert Lieberman for the videos, and to all the speakers for their presentations! 
 
Chapter 1: Mississippi River Watershed Report Card Harald Jordahl, Director, America’s Watershed Initiative    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGacnAyIIo

Chapter 2: Illinois’ Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Amy Burns Walkenbach, Manager, IEPA Watershed Management   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTeDQRrLm3w&t=9s

Chapter 3, The 4Rs: On-Farm Nutrient Stewardship Jean Payne, President, Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0BLY-sNE9g

Chapter 4. One Drop at a Time: Valuing Rain Water Marcus De La Fleur, Landscape Architect, de la fleur LLC  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDoeK3AGokw

Chapter 5, Panel Discussion  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSJwkXl7COU

Chapter 6, The World Water Crisis–Rotary Solutions , Val Johnson, member, Board of Directors of the “Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group”, representing North America in Rotary’s quest to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene education throughout the world    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXZhYkLv5hM&t=450s

Chapter 7: Building Consensus – Bonnie Cox and Beth Baranski, League of Women Voters of Jo Daviess County  https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=kd7vU5g1nIw 

Chapter 8: Apple Canyon Lake Watershed Plan Paula McFeely Wiener and Darryle Burmeister, Resource Conservationist, Jo Daviess SWCD  https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=c5a_QhZEVz4