The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin
Protecting Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Waters
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The waters of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin are vital to Ontario’s communities and must be protected.
The Ontario government has strengthened protection of these waters by signing on December 13, 2005, a historic agreement with Quebec and the eight Great Lakes states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) that share the basin with Ontario.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement establishes:
- a virtual ban on diversions
- a basin-wide environmental standard for water uses
- better conservation measures and
- an increased role for science in decision-making.
The basin-wide environmental standard will significantly increase the control of water uses in the Great Lakes states. There was previously no such standard.
