COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will host four public meetings in coming weeks to solicit citizen input on Annex 2001, a proposed addition to the Great Lakes Charter of 1985.
Meetings are set for 7-9 p.m. on January 30 at Quilter Lodge, 1750 Maumee Bay Park Road #2 in Oregon; 7-9 p.m. on January 31 at the Cleveland Lakefront State Park Conference Room, 8701 Lakeshore Blvd. N.E. in Cleveland; 2-4 p.m. on February 1 at the Division of Wildlife Conference Room, 912 Portage Lakes Drive in Akron; and 2-4 p.m. on February 8 at the ODNR Assembly Center, 1939 Fountain Square, Bldg. E, in Columbus.
"Annex 2001 is an historic opportunity to improve the management and protection of Great Lakes water resources," said ODNR Director Sam Speck. "Ohio has much at stake here. What is proposed will protect our state's most important natural resource, but will also impact utilities, public water systems, industries and outdoors enthusiasts along our North Coast and beyond."
Speck emphasized that the annex is a working document, subject to public input before being finalized.
The proposed Annex 2001, released for public discussion by the Council of Great Lakes Governors on December 14, deals primarily with lake water diversions and withdrawals. The proposed annex will immediately create common standards for diversions and exports of water from the Great Lakes Basin. In the future, those common standards will also be applied to all water withdrawals from the basin.
The Great Lakes Charter is a non-binding agreement among the eight American states and two Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes. The proposed annex is also non-binding.
Public comments on the proposed Annex 2001 will be accepted through February 28. Following the public comment period, the Council of Great Lakes Governors will review the comments in consultation with the premiers of Ontario and Quebec and make necessary changes.
A working draft of Annex 2001 and additional background information is available on line at the ODNR web site: www.dnr.state.oh.us or by contacting the ODNR Division of Water at (614) 265-6717. Comments can be forwarded to Dick Bartz at ODNR (dick.bartz@dnr.state.oh.us) or to the Council of Great Lakes Governors (cglg@cglg.org).