The shore of Lake Superior is rocky. Image: Lucas Ludwig via Unsplash
Kayla Nelsen
As the Western U.S. faces a megadrought, freshwater diversions from the Great Lakes have become more and more popular.
Federal authorities declared a water shortage at Lake Mead in August. This is the largest source of freshwater in the West.
However, in the face a warming climate, protective measures have stagnated.
Dave Dempsey is the policy advisor for FLOW, an environmental non-profit organization. He has a long history in environmental policy. Image: Dave Dempsey
Michigan author Dave Dempsey is an environmental policy specialist who has worked for 40 years in Michigan. He saw the threats and used them to warn about the grim future of Great Lakes waters. Dempsey, who is now a policy consultant for FLOW, an environmental nonprofit, has recently updated his 2009 work. Great Lakes on Sale.
In light of recent climate disasters in the West this update addresses the failure of public action against the Great Lakes Compact’s shortcomings. It is an agreement between the eight Great Lakes States about how to manage them.
It discusses humanitarian exceptions to the compact while also arguing for the protection of the Great Lakes against unnecessary diversions.
Dempsey stated that people believe that the compact is a solution that we don’t have to worry about and that Great Lakes water won’t be taken away any more. This is false. You can drive a watertruck through this loophole.
Dempsey explained that the compacts exemption for bottled water allows bottling companies like Nestl to divert similar mass quantities of water by first packaging water into water bottles.
The Great Lakes are responsible for 20 percent of the global surface freshwater supply and 90 percent of North America’s supply. Dempsey explained that Great Lakes water is becoming more important as the global freshwater supply decreases. This scarcity encourages private companies to look to freshwater as an opportunity for economic growth more than ever.
Dempsey stated that selling water is the most sinful thing you can do. It is the source of all life, and selling it is morally wrong.
He stated that water diversion from Great Lakes is detrimental to the ecosystem and cultural significance of water. Water diversion for profit has been accepted since 2009.
He said that people have become numb to the idea water is a product over the years because they see it in bottles for 20+ years. It is dangerous, water is life’s source.
Dave Dempsey from Michigan recently released a new edition of Great Lakes for Sale 2009, which will be available in 2021. Image: Amazon
This update discusses how to protect the Great Lakes. Dempsey introduces Dempsey’s concept of a water ethics, which treats water as a sacred and unique resource. Dempsey stated that a water ethic is about conservation, wise management, and protection against pollution and commodification.
He said that conserving water shows respect for water. It shows that water is important to our society.
He said that water conservation does not just require individual and policy-level efforts. To overcome the threat of commodification, a cultural paradigm shift is required.
He said, “I am a policy person but I don’t believe we can solve this problem with just new laws.” We need to be more aware of the precious nature and spiritual and human values of water.
In our culture and civilization, water is taken for granted. Water is essential for our survival. We are 60 to 70% water.
One solution may lie in the Great Lakes Basin’s indigenous cultures. They see water as the sacred source for life. Dempsey stated that society would be able to learn from and enhance such traditions, rather than seeing water as a product in the West.
He stated that citizens must be the Great Lakes guardians. We are going to lose everything if we expect politicians to lead. It’s the citizens that lead and the politicians that follow.
Dempsey was a former environmental policy officer at Gov. James Blanchard, of the Michigan Environmental Council and International Joint Commission, announced his retirement from full-time environmental policy work on February 1, to become a part of FLOW. He plans to be more active at the community level in Traverse City where he lives.
He said that the Great Lakes have been the focus of my career. I am dissatisfied looking back at 40 years of environmental policy work. I don’t believe we’ve done enough to preserve the Great Lakes. We’re still fighting the same battles today as when we started.
The public’s attention is now more focused on environmental crises. Great Lakes on SaleDempsey said that the update will hopefully be a wake up call to the urgent need of protecting freshwater.
I would like people to remember that the job is far from done. We still have a lot of work to do in order to protect the Great Lakes.
Dempseys updated version Great Lakes for SaleMission Point Press, You can buy OnlineAvailable in most bookstores in paperback or hardback formats.
