August 27, 2004

PUBLIC MEETING SET FOR SEPTEMBER 14 AT GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE
TO DISCUSS DRAFT AGREEMENTS
FOR PROTECTION OF GREAT LAKES WATERS
Comments sought on water management proposals
by the Great Lakes states and provinces

COLUMBUS, OH - A public meeting to discuss proposed agreements to manage and protect waters of the Great Lakes basin will be held at Geneva-on-the-Lake on Tuesday, September 14. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will host the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the Geneva State Park Lodge and Conference Center, 5888 State Route 534, Geneva-on-the-Lake. ODNR officials will explain the draft agreements, take questions and offer opportunities for public comment.

On July 19, the eight Great Lakes governors and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec announced a 90-day public review period for agreements created to update the way the Great Lakes and the waters of the Great Lakes basin are managed and protected. The agreements will implement Annex 2001, a supplementary agreement to the Great Lakes Charter that was adopted by the governors and premiers in June 2001.

The draft Annex implementing agreements are the result of three years of effort by a state/provincial working group to address Great Lakes Basin protection issues ranging from water consumption to diversion. During the review period that extends until October 18, the draft agreements are available for the public and all interested groups to read and make comments. The draft documents are available at www.ohiodnr.com.

Specific protective measures in the draft implementing agreements include:

• A commitment that conservation and information programs will be put in place and maintained in all the Great Lakes states, Ontario and Quebec;
• A commitment to use a uniform, resource-based decision making standard in evaluating future proposals for new or increased water uses;
• A commitment to a collective decision making process for future proposals for regionally significant new or increased water uses; and
• A requirement that all future new or increased diversions and regionally significant water uses in the Great Lakes Basin result in an improvement to the basin's ecosystem.

During the 90-day comment period, public meetings are being held throughout the Great Lakes region to explain the agreements and elicit public comment. In addition to the session at Geneva-on the Lake on September 14 and two meetings held earlier this month in Toledo, public meetings scheduled for Ohio include:

The public may also comment before October 18 by writing to Annex Comments, ODNR Division of Water, 1939 Fountain Square Court, Bldg. E., Columbus, Ohio 43224 or by e-mail to annexcomments@dnr.state.oh.us. Once the 90-day period is complete and public comments have been taken into account, the agreements will be refined and presented to the governors and premiers for their final approval and signature.

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For Further Information Contact:
Dave Pagnard, ODNR Communications
(614) 265-6787
or
Dick Bartz, ODNR Division of Water
(614) 265-6730