On December 13, 2005, the Premiers of Quebec and Ontario and the Governors of the eight Great Lakes states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, created to protect, conserve and restore the waters of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin. In signing this Agreement, the Premiers and Governors committed to:
- Ban transfers of water out of the Basin (inter-basin) and from one Great Lake watershed to another (intra-basin), with strictly regulated exceptions
- Establish water conservation programs in each jurisdiction
- Use common standards for making decisions on proposed water uses
- Strengthen information and science to support sound decisions
- Enhance regional oversight and collaboration
The Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources are working together to develop legislation, regulations and policies to help implement the agreement in Ontario. In 2007, the Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario's Water Act amended the Ontario Water Resources Act, in order to put in place the necessary legislative authority to implement key elements of the agreement.
More information from the Ministry of Natural Resources site: Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement