Great Lakes Compact
Keeping A Firm Hand on the Spigot

Wisconsin is the fifth state to ratify a historic agreement to protect the Great Lakes by managing water quantity and promoting water conservation and efficiency. Governor Doyle signed the legislation on May 27, 2008.

• Read the Act, Act 227
• Governor Doyle signs historic agreement to protect Great Lakes water quantity
  • Press release
  • Column

Beachcombers.

Each Great Lakes' state's legislature and the U.S. Congress must ratify the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact for it to be binding. In addition to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and New York have ratified the compact.

What is the Compact and What Does it Do?

The compact is a formal agreement between the Great Lake states. With a few limited and strictly regulated exceptions, the agreement bans Great Lakes water from being "diverted," or piped out of the basin. Read how the compact will help keep "A firm hand on the spigot [WNRMag]" in an increasingly thirsty world.

• Find answers: FAQ [PDF 34.5KB]
• See maps of areas covered by the compact [PDF 1.34MB]
• Read DNR Secretary Matthew Frank's call for lawmakers to pass the compact

The Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's freshwater... We need to ensure that we are taking the steps necessary to manage this great resource sustainably.

Matthew Frank, DNR Secretary

More About the Compact and Related Resources

• Council of Great Lakes Governors compact background materials [exit DNR]
  Find out which states have passed legislation enacting the Compact and download background materials, as developed by the states' umbrella organization.
• History of Great Lakes water management [PDF 25.2KB]
  Learn why existing federal laws are inadequate to protect the Great Lakes.
• Great Lakes fast facts [exit DNR]
  Learn fascinating facts about the lakes themselves and the economies, environment, and culture they sustain.
• Great Lakes Water Wars [exit DNR]
  Read recent media accounts of the Compact and other resources compiled by the author of a recent book on Great Lakes water use.