Water wars

By Mike VanBuren
From the early March edition of The North Woods Call

   When I was a boy, my grandmother sent me a postcard from Arizona. It was covered with pictures of desert plants and animals. There were cacti, jackrabbits and rattlesnakes—each well adapted to the harsh climate.
   My grandmother was well adapted, too—having lived in Phoenix for many years. But her needs were different from the coyotes and roadrunners that populated the countryside. They'd learned to get by on less. She—like the rest of us—was dependent on generous supplies of clean, fresh water.
     The Southwest, you see, is a thirsty place. The sun is bright and hot. And the land is dry. It's enough to send a Gila monster out for a tall glass of cold sarsparilla. And it has made many misguided public servants cast greedy eyes on the Great Lakes.
     The reasons are simple. Water is critical to life, and to many social and economic activities. In some areas—such as Arizona—water is in short supply.
     The Great Lakes Basin contains about twenty percent of the freshwater on the surface of the earth. Why not just redistribute it so everyone has enough?
     Some profiteers—and politicians with dry tongues—like this idea.  But I don't.
     Water is already being pumped in and out of the Great Lakes on a relatively small scale. Fortunately, no major diversions are currently planned. But some public officials and environmental leaders say it's just a matter of time.
     The population is expanding in many parts of the country where water is scarce. Recent census results show that some of the fastest-growing states—Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas—are also among those most in need of water.
    The census also shows that those states will gain seats in Congress, while the Great Lakes region loses seats. That means that it could be harder to win a congressional vote to restrict the sale of Great Lakes water.
     Siphoning lake water makes perfect sense to those who don't know—or care—about ecosystems. But scientists say such activity could harm plants and animals. It could upset the balance of nature, lower groundwater levels, reduce water quality, and even impact the climate.
     And what happens if you have to shut the spigot off for some reason? Who's going to tell the folks in Sun City that the well is dry?
     My home state of Michigan is almost entirely within the Great Lakes basin. We have everything to lose and very little to gain if water is taken. Our economy is tied to shipping, fishing, agriculture, recreation and tourism. These activities depend on the Great Lakes being healthy and vibrant.
     That's why we all need to conserve water and develop strong policies to prevent raids on the resource.
     Now, I love Arizona and I'm pleased my grandmother could live there. But if she had wanted to drink from the Great Lakes, she probably should have moved back to Michigan.

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    This column originally appeared as a commentary on National Public Radio’s Living on Earth program and on Michigan Public Radio.