Americans and Canadians are the wost water wasters in the world. This includes residents of the Great Lakes region. Per capita, residents in the Great Lakes region use three times as much water as Germany and six times as much as the United Kingdom every year.

This is gluttonous and unsustainable.

For years public concern has fixated on the threat of far-flung communities dipping their straw in the Great Lakes. Whlie we must remain viligant in quashing such proposals, the passage of the Great Lakes Compact and its accompanying International Agreement effectively closed the door to these proposals. Now it is time to put our own plumbing in order. It is easier to say to outsiders, "hands off", than it is to ourselves and neighbours, "we need limits, we cannot take this for granted."

Wasteful water use occurs across all sectors. From business and industry to power production, to residential use, we all have a stake in correcting our lavish behaviour.

While the enormity of the Great Lakes might suggest an endless supply, such a wide-angle view can blind us to very real - and serious - problems at the local level.

Even when returned to the watershed, withdrawn water is never as clean as when it left. Residential water can never be fully treated to be clean. During severe weather events, raw sewage is regularly released when combined sewer and storm systems are overwhelmed.

Finally, there are hundreds of communities who are dependent on groundwater or inland lakes and rivers. These water sources are often stretched to their sustianable capacity. As the population in this region grows, these strains will only intensify.

We must shake – once and for all – the mindset that the Great Lakes are too large to be poisoned and so bountiful that we can use water without consequence. This is a dangerous misconception that demands a new water consciousness.

Water conservation is a solution to a finite and declining supply. By simply using less water we can accomodate growth and protect the ecosystem. Municipalities can save billions of dollars by avoiding costly infrastructure expansion while using less energy pumping and treating water.