Great Lakes-St.Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact

The purpose of the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is to bring together states in order to protect, conserve, restore, improve and effectively manage the Waters and Water Dependent Natural Resources of the Basin under appropriate arrangements for intergovernmental cooperation and consultation because current lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to protect the Basin Ecosystem; to remove causes of present and future controversies; to provide for cooperative planning and action by the Parties with respect to such Water resources; to facilitate consistent approaches to Water management across the Basin while retaining State management authority over Water management decisions within the Basin; to facilitate the exchange of data, strengthen the scientific information base upon which decisions are made and engage in consultation on the potential effects of proposed Withdrawals and losses on the Waters and Water Dependent Natural Resources of the Basin; to prevent significant adverse impacts of Withdrawals and losses on the Basin’s ecosystems and watersheds; to promote interstate and State-Provincial comity; and to promote an Adaptive Management approach to the conservation and management of Basin Water resources, which recognizes, considers and provides adjustments for the uncertainties in, and evolution of, scientific knowledge concerning the Basin’s Waters and Water Dependent Natural Resources.