Great Lakes water rights spill into vote

Columbus Business First

Ohio voters will determine the fate of an issue that grew out of discussions about the need to prevent water in the Great Lakes from being diverted to other states.

State Issue 3 on the Nov. 4 ballot calls for a constitutional amendment to protect private property rights in ground water, lakes and waterways. It would make explicit that property owners have the right of reasonable use of ground water beneath their land as well as from lakes or waterways bordering or flowing through their property.

The issue arose this year in the General Assembly when lawmakers debated the merits of Ohio ratifying the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The multistate agreement, awaiting action in Congress, would govern water use in the Great Lakes basin, including protection against diversions to arid parts of the nation or foreign countries lacking adequate water supplies.

Securing rights

Legislatures in all eight Great Lakes states have ratified the accord, but the debate was most acrimonious in the Ohio General Assembly where state Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, raised the private property rights issue. He recently told Columbus Business First he fears the language in the Great Lakes compact has the potential to threaten private water rights. It would allow the water rights in the Great Lakes basin, which extends into 35 northern Ohio counties, to be held in a public trust by a government agency instead of just the water in the lakes, Grendell said.

“If government gives a privilege, it can take away a privilege,” he said. “There is substantial potential to interfere with private control of water.” more

Maritime cadets protest proposed fee hikes

Traverse City Record-Eagle

Cadets at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy aren't happy about proposed tuition hikes that could top 50 percent.

Ten GLMA cadets attended a Northwestern Michigan College board study session on Monday, and many opposed tuition hikes considered by the community college's board of trustees.

"Part of the reason I came here was the lower tuition," said third-year engine cadet James Burson. "With another 50 percent, a lot of them wouldn't come here."

NMC officials propose to spend $272,000 from the NMC Foundation over the next two academic years to keep current cadets from paying big increases. The plan would provide money to an estimated 74 students, though the cadets would be required to pay annual increases of around five percent, officials said.

"What we are proposing to do is have the NMC Foundation support the difference for the cadets in the program," said Stephen Siciliano, vice president for educational services.

Officials also may push off some capital expenditures for equipment and dredging and use part of that money for internal maritime scholarships.

But that does nothing for future GLMA cadets, who will be saddled with tuition prices about 48 percent higher than current in-state deck rates, 57 percent more than current in-state engine rates, a 27 percent increase from current out-of-state deck rates and a 32 percent hike for out-of-state engine rates. But financial aid availability is expected to increase through Ferris State University. more

Residents learn about water quality at Port of Rochester

The sailboat "Earth Voyager" bobbled along Lake Ontario with a large banner across it that read "Our Water, Our Future, Ours to Protect."

The boat and its message concluded a 13-city tour Sunday as the boat sailed away from the Port of Rochester. The tour — which included stops in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania —started in Buffalo and stopped in Cleveland before arriving in Rochester recently. The 60-foot-tall vessel brought many people to the port to discuss Great Lakes pollution and drew advocates who fought against using the waterway as a dumping ground.

Exhibitors provided facts to residents who want to do their part. The advice ranged from never dumping anything down a storm drain and recycling motor oil at service stations to properly disposing household hazardous wastes.

"It's not that people are malicious but they can be careless sometimes," said Todd Stevenson, of Brighton, an environmental planner for Monroe County. "People want to know what they can do to make their environment work well and we think it's important that they have a hand in fixing the problem. We are here to tell them how."

The Great Lakes make up more than 90 percent of the fresh water in North America and about 20 percent on the planet, according to Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition, which is made up of more than 100 environmental groups. Forty two million people depend on the lakes for drinking water. more