Aversion to Diversion
On September 27, 2021, the Burke Center convened an expert panel to address a controversial water bottling proposal in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, that aimed to bottle water from one of the county’s artesian wells.
The event, held at Big Top Chautauqua near Bayfield, drew more than 150 attendees. Panelists included Todd Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin DNR and Ken Bradbury, director of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. Burke Center Director Peter Annin served as moderator.
The discussion focused on big-picture issues surrounding the proposal, including the region's hydrogeology, the history of groundwater degradation in Wisconsin, and the implications of future withdrawals.
Panelists noted significant gaps in knowledge about state and regional groundwater resources, making it difficult to address similar proposals involving artesian wells.
Following the event, the Burke Center released a white paper summarizing the discussion and outlining nonpartisan management and policy recommendations. Among them: thoroughly map and inventory the region’s artesian wells. Since the report's release, significant progress has been made toward that goal. A PDF of the white paper can be found here.
Water Quality Concerns on the South Shore of Lake Superior
On September 25, 2019, representatives of the International Joint Commission (IJC) – a Canadian-U.S. treaty organization – visited Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, as part of their 2019 Great Lakes listening tour. The tour was designed to assess water quality improvements under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) and give Great Lakes residents a chance to speak on the state of the lakes and their shoreline communities.
The delegation first heard expert briefings from local scientists, resource managers, tribal leaders, and public works officials. The Burke Center arranged the briefings, which provided information and context on key water quality concerns facing Lake Superior’s south shore, specifically the section stretching between Duluth, Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Concerns voiced during the briefings included increasingly destructive extreme weather events that have hit Lake Superior's south shore since 2012, Ashland’s failing wastewater infrastructure and associated runoff into Lake Superior, agricultural runoff in the region, mines and pipelines affecting Lake Superior's communities and watershed, an increase of cyanobacterial algal blooms in the lake, and the future of the GLWQA in an era of climate change and increasing water quality issues.
A public comment period followed the briefings, drawing more than 200 attendees. The comment period gave students and local residents an opportunity to voice concerns to the IJC commissioners about declines in Lake Superior's water quality.
A white paper summarizing the key concerns was released by the Burke Center following the IJC’s visit. A PDF of the white paper can be found here.
2019 Water Summit Video
Video produced in 2019 by the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College
2019 Water Summit Photo Gallery
The Future of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
On October 1, 2016, the Burke Center hosted its first water summit to discuss the future of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The GLRI, launched in 2009 by President Barack Obama, added to a series of nonpartisan collaborations and initiatives focused on protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. The summit was convened ahead of a change in presidential administration to review the GLRI's accomplishments during its first seven years.
The summit was held on Lake Superior’s Madeline Island and brought together environmental policy experts from New York to Minnesota, including leaders from state and federal agencies, tribes, industry, nongovernmental organizations and academia. Participants spent the day discussing the GLRI’s successes, challenges and future.
A white paper was released after the summit, synthesizing the two-day conversation into 12 key points. The paper was intended to give policymakers a frank analysis of the GLRI and was provided to both 2016 presidential transition teams for planning purposes. A PDF of the white paper can be found here.
2016 Water Summit Video
Video produced in 2016 by the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College
2016 Water Summit Photo Gallery
