Tries to Amend to Protect Maumee River
COLUMBUS - The House of Representatives approved HB 473 today, a bill that outlines procedures for withdrawing water from Lake Erie, one of the largest supplies of fresh water in the world. This bill breaks the Great Lakes Compact by not protecting tributaries, such as the Maumee River, that lead into Lake Erie. This bill is opposed by many groups including former Governors Voinovich and Taft. State Rep. Teresa Fedor (D- Toledo) released the following statement:
"It is very unfortunate that this bill falls short and does not protect our waters to be swimmable, fishable, and drinkable," said Rep. Fedor. "I had hoped my amendment would be able to at least shield the Maumee - which is particularly vulnerable because of algal blooms."
"Four main issues have been raised by experts and scientists and these issues have not been adequately addressed."
"First, tributaries of Lake Erie are not adequately protected. Second, water quality is not adequately protected because a 90-day average for establishing permit thresholds allows water quality to be significantly altered. Third, the average citizen who would like to defend his recreational rights to the Lake is not adequately protected. Lastly, experimental permits create a huge loophole that leaves the whole Lake Erie basin inadequately protected.
