[magellan]

Originally Posted by 7734

Water and air are a moving resource, in fact the water that is in the great lakes comes form the west and south riding in the air. with out the same air that brings warmth comes water. the rockys are not a moving resource, so I belive my example is more apples and apples than yours.
We can not do anything we want to the enviroment. but it is a certain party of governemnt that has shown its oppisistion to any reform, in fact the current adm. has no energy plan, or domestic economy plan. only a war plan if you can even call it that.
To even fight over such silly things as who owns the water is foolish, we have so many big real problems that need to be worked on.
We need health care taken care of in the usa, energy problems, we are in the middle east because of oil, that is a fact. and as long as we gulp it down we will be involved in the middle east. Ask yourself one question, why did we invade iraq when most of the hijackers came from saudi arabia?
We need compatant leadership in michigan and for the country. I hope people will really look at the people wanting to run the country this time around.
We can not afford another 8 years of this "stay the course mentality"

I certainly don't disagree with much of what you wrote.

But I do think we can work on the issues you raise AND work on protecting our most precious natural resources. This isn't some little duck pond we're talking about, these are the largest collections of fresh water on the planet. It can't be looked at as just another "commodity" to be bought and sold on the open market. Secondly, it's not just that it is fresh water, it is fresh water in a particular natural ecosystem. Entire species of plants and wildlife coexist with the Great Lakes because of where they sit now. I'm not against people drinking or using Great Lakes water, I'm against water being taken in massive quantities from its natural location and transported elsewhere.

Even a 2 foot drop in Lake Michigan does billions of dollars of damage to the economies along the Lake. Imagine a 4 foot drop. Imagine if you went to Holland or Grand Haven State Park and the water was 1/4 mile out from where it is today? Or 1/2 mile. Imagine the Grand River barely being able to reach Lake Michigan because the water level of Lake Michigan was too low? You don't have to divert that much water from Lake Michigan to make that happen. I can't even fathom what that would do to the ecosystem not only in and around the lake, but the drought that would accompany it that would destroy the ability to grow crops in Michigan (which is still one of the largest agricultural states in the country, supplying food to hundreds of millions of people).

It could very well cause a chain reaction that would literally turn the Great Lakes into mud holes (see the Aral Sea links provided earlier).

[michiganmoon]

Originally Posted by 7734

Water and air are a moving resource, in fact the water that is in the great lakes comes form the west and south riding in the air. with out the same air that brings warmth comes water. the rockys are not a moving resource, so I belive my example is more apples and apples than yours.

That is kind of an absurd point in my honest opinion. If you are going to say that the water in the air comes from the west (deserts) and south then its on a loop and the Great Lakes is the entire worlds for the taking, since the west and south gets water in their air from other places and so on and so on.

Fact of the matter is that the Great Lakes watershed is only in states that already have a border touching one of the Great Lakes.

P.S. Michigan is the only state that is completely in the Great Lakes watershed...not that that makes a real difference.

Google Image Result for http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/basinMap2.gif

[michiganmoon]

[quote=magellan;954703]
Even a 2 foot drop in Lake Michigan does billions of dollars of damage to the economies along the Lake. Imagine a 4 foot drop. Imagine if you went to Holland or Grand Haven State Park and the water was 1/4 mile out from where it is today? Or 1/2 mile. QUOTE]

Great point. People must realize that when the lake levels drop ONE SINGLE INCH it costs our economies MILLIONS of dollars. A typical 1,000 foot freighter might have to carry 270 less tons of freight until the government can at much cost dredge out all areas used by freighters.

Now throw in the that scientists estimate that if global warming is true then the Great Lakes will drop 5 feet in this century and our economy isn't looking great as is.

A drop of more than a foot can serious damage population levels of various fish species. Species that help our fishing industry.

It isnt about being greedy. It is about survival of our economy and ecosystem. I wish outsiders wouldn't be so careless with their own greediness of our water system.

[M TYPE X]

Michigan's economy and way of life depend on the lakes. If anyone from Alabama feels they need water, they can move back to the Great Lakes State.

The rest of them are Good Ole Southern Boys who will shut up once they know that we know they aren't going anywhere. They have a big Gulf Coast to install desalinization plants.

[tuebor]

I believe I know several well-heeled middle-class professional types who would turn into ecoterrorists and saboteurs overnight if they tried to build a pipeline to drain the Great Lakes. As they say out west, whiskey's for drinkin', water's for fightin'.

Between our freezing winters, the zebra mussels, and the ecoterrorists, I suspect any pipeline would be disabled one way or another.

I notice that Alaskans get paid a big fat annual payment for the natural resource that is pumped out of their state--but I'd rather have the water than a check.

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by tuebor

I notice that Alaskans get paid a big fat annual payment for the natural resource that is pumped out of their state--but I'd rather have the water than a check.

You can't swim or fish in, or drink of, oil.

[Great Lake Boy]

Water wars we are calling it. If you want water you know where it is! If you think your going to drain the lakes you got another thing coming.

I agree about sabotaging the project if it did get going. I would hate to think of the consequences. I really cant see this happening but I never figured all our jobs would be going over seas either!