A moratorium on the private sale of Great Lakes waters imposed May 27 by Governor Jennifer Granholm is a wake-up call for lawmakers and underscores the urgent need for the Legislature to act on proposals to end the "free for all" for Michigan's waters, conservation and environmental groups said. The groups praised Granholm's decision on the moratorium but expressed concern with the state's decision to issue a permit for water sales to the Nestle Corporation.

The governor's action follows the release earlier in May of proposals to the Legislature from nine conservation and environmental groups. Michigan is the only state among eight that border the lakes to fail to enact water withdrawal and diversion legislation, relying solely on Congress and a federal law to protect Michigan's waters.

"The governor's decision highlights just how vulnerable Michigan's water is," said Mike Shriberg of PIRGIM. "When water remains within the Great Lakes basin, it is not strongly protected under current laws, as the Evart decision shows. This action highlights the need for strong, comprehensive water withdrawal laws and regulations to ensure that our most precious natural resource is protected."

Responding to the Nestle Corporation's proposal to withdraw up to 168 million gallons of water annually from an Evart municipal well, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) granted a conditional permit for the project. But the agency restricted sales of Nestle's Ice Mountain brand of water from Evart to within the Great Lakes basin and issued a directive barring any new or increased private water sales from Michigan's waters until the Legislature acts on proposals to regulate withdrawals and diversions of Great Lakes waters.

The permit would require Nestle to certify that none of the water from the Evart well will be sold outside the Great Lakes basin.

"We have questions about how Nestle's compliance with the restrictions on the Evart project will be monitored and enforced," said David Holtz, Michigan Director of Clean Water Action. "Years of budget cuts have handcuffed the DEQ's enforcement abilities. But if compliance can be assured, this agreement respects the principle that the Great Lakes waters must not be captured and sold for private profit outside the watershed of this world-class ecosystem."