The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.

The Great Lakes—containing one-fifth of the standing freshwater on earth, covering some 94,250 square miles with a combined 10,210 miles of shoreline—have suffered greatly from human use and abuse since the advent of the commercial fur trade in the late 1600s. Logging destroys or degrades habitats, urbanization and industrialization pour human and industrial wastes into the water, fertilizers flowing off farm fields feed algae that suffocate other creatures, and ships bring in exotic species that decimate the lakes’ biodiversity. In 1985 when the International Joint Commission identified more than forty pollution hotspots around the lakes, few people had faith the Areas of Concern would be cleaned up in their lifetime. Indeed, aquatic ecosystem restoration is extremely difficult: only nine of these hotspots have been removed from the infamous list. But progress is being made, and at the helm are local champions, people with a profound love of the region who lead by example and build broad, diverse coalitions in order to realize a common vision. The stories of fourteen of these champions are told here to inspire necessary action to care for the place they call home, so it may be a home to many living creatures for ages yet to come.

Voices for the Watershed is a unique look at the singular and ecologically inter-connected region of the Great Lakes-St Lawrence watershed, including the headwater and upland regions. With contributions from experts from the United States, Quebec, and Ontario, this book offers an accessible introduction to the issues affecting the quality of our most essential and precious of natural resources - clean, fresh water - from headwater regions downstream to the Great lakes, the St Lawrence river, and ultimately the watershed's outflow to the sea. With thoughtful words and evocative photography, Voices for the Watershed promotes understanding and examines ecological problems, describing positive environmental actions and projects as well as ongoing concerns over the effects of pollution on wildlife and human health. The underlying themes throughout are that the drainage basins and ecosystems are under siege - from reckless land use decisions, soil erosion, acid rain, and massive habitat destruction - but that the situation is not hopeless. The authors feel strongly that education about the environmental threats - in the classroom and public forums - is essential to effecting positive change, and that conservation actions by citizen groups and individuals can be a driving force in effecting substantial reforms regarding environmental legislation and practices. Voices for the Watershed is an eye-opening look at not only the problems but possible solutions to help protect and preserve this resilient natural resource on which so many depend. Contributors include Gregor Beck, Anne Bell (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society), J. Douglas Blakey (Upper Canada College), Serge Bourdon (Chateauguay Watershed Management Agency), Robert Brander (retired U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service), Dominique Brief (Alliance for Environmental Management), Louise Champoux (Environment Canada), Bruce Conn (Berry College), Kevin Coyle (National Environmental Education and Training Foundation), Brad Cundiff (Wildlands League), Jerry DeMarco (Sierra Legal Defence Fund), Jean-Luc DesGranges (Canadian Wildlife Service), Thomas A. Edsall (Western Basin Ecosystem), Peter Ewins (World Wildlife Fund), Louis-Gilles Francoeur (Le Devoir), Stephen Gates (Grey Owl Nature Trust), Elliott Gimble (Jewish Community Relations Council), Hallett J. Harris (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay), John Hull (Quebec-Labrador Foundation), Gail Jackson (independent consultant), John Jackson (Great Lakes United), Val Klump (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Louise Knox (Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan), Gail Krantzberg (Ontario=s Environment Ministry), Peter Lavigne (Watershed Consultants), Michel Letendre (Quebec Ministry of the Environment and Fauna), Bruce Litteljohn, Nadia Ménard (Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park), Jeff Miller (artist), Phil Norton (Montreal Gazette), Jean Rodrigue (Environment Canada), Alec Ross (writer and journalist), Scot Stewart (naturalist), Rae Tyson (USA Today), Fred Whoriskey (Atlantic Salmon Federation), with a major personal narrative by Michael Keating (environmental writer and consultant).