
The Great Lakes Compact arose out of concerns regarding the export of water outside of the Great Lakes Basin, banning or severely restricting water exports in vessels, trucks, rail tankers, pipelines, canals, aqueducts and other infrastructure. As the compact reaches its 10th anniversary, the test cases of Waukesha and Racine/FoxConn involving water diversions for straddling communities and counties exceptions have exposed weaknesses and challenged its durability. FLOW’s comprehensive assessment of the compact sheds light on these exceptions and their precedents for siphoning Great Lakes water while offering solutions to shore up weaknesses in state water withdrawal laws.