Water Quantity

The Great Lakes may appear to be a never-ending resource, but each year only 1 percent of Great Lakes water gets replenished while nearly 157 billion gallons flow through our plumbing for cooking, cleaning, heating, bathing, flushing, gardening and other uses. This translates into a permanent loss of nearly 5,000 gallons of water annually for each of the basin’s 33 million residents

Misconceptions about where water comes from, an increasing demand for it and a generally indifferent attitude toward this valuable resource all pose threats to the future of our Great Lakes water resources. Great Lakes communities throughout the region have seen their groundwater supply diminish, and overtapping inland groundwater can damage streams and wetlands that are an important part of the larger Great Lakes ecosystem. Every year, communities across the country with water-source problems are turning their attention to the potential of the Great Lakes for their municipal supplies — a choice that threatens the future health and supply of fresh water in the Great Lakes drainage basin.

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