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by Joe Cornely

Who gets to use water out of the Great Lakes, and how much of it, are emerging issues that will have implications for some Ohio farmers. A new agreement signed by eight governors and two Canadian premiers will likely lead to more controls over water usage.

The agreement, signed a month ago, is an addition to a 2001 accord signed by the leaders of states and provinces abutting the Great Lakes. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft is co-chair of the council of Great Lakes Governors. His senior policy adviser, Kate Bartter, explained to Buckeye Farm News why the updated agreement is important.

"If we do not have a good legal structure to maintain control of the water, other areas that are more arid could look to the Great Lakes to solve their problems, which could impair our ability to use the resource for our needs."

Bartter said there have been attempts in the past to divert Great Lakes water to the plains and desert states. She called the lakes "one of our region’s greatest assets, both from a quality of life and commerce standpoint."

Because the new water control agreement is multistate and multinational, it must receive congressional approval. "This will lead to a greater degree of water management within the basin," Bartter said.

When asked what this will mean for farmers, Bartter answered, "We’ll certainly be looking, in terms of agriculture, at best management practices for water use and trying to be flexible and understanding of the various sector needs within the state, including agriculture."

Ohio Farm Bureau is already addressing what this may mean for farmers who irrigate using water from Lake Erie. Larry Antosch, OFBF’s director of environmental research, has started a project to find out "who’s doing what, what types of irrigation systems are out there, what kinds of water management practices are being utilized now." The goal, he said, is to incorporate this practical information into a set of generally accepted agricultural water management practices. "Essentially, we want to not waste any of the resource; we want to use water as efficiently as possible."

Antosch and representatives of the Illinois and Michigan Farm Bureaus were on the advisory committee that worked on the language of the new Great Lakes agreement. He said although it will be years before the federal and state laws are written, agriculture needed to be at the table from the beginning, because eventually this agreement will impact how Ohio farmers manage Lake Erie water use.

"The approach (agriculture) has taken, and we hope gets implemented, is that a voluntary program is better than a regulatory program," Antosch said.

Caption: OFBF’s Larry Antosch participated in crafting the new Great Lakes water usage accord. He recently received the Water Management Association of Ohio’s Distinguished Service Award, presented to an individual who has made a noteworthy endeavor to improve the water resources or their use in Ohio. Antosch was recognized for his multiple years of service to the citizens of Ohio with his current work at the Ohio Farm Bureau and past tenure at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.