In hopes of keeping Wisconsin�s fresh water from being sent out of the region, a bill in support of the Great Lakes Compact will be introduced in the state Senate early next week.

The Great Lakes Compact was the result of five years of deliberations among the eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It was signed in December 2005. Minnesota and Illinois have already passed similar bills, but Wisconsin�s Legislature is the only Great Lakes state that has yet to introduce a version.

Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, said with the country�s southeast and southwest scrambling for a water supply, Wisconsin must act now to �prevent Congress from passing legislation that may take our water.�

�Population trends are moving congressional power to the southeast and southwest, away from the Midwest and Northeast,� Jauch said. �Selfish geographical interest will have greater power over responsible behavior. So we have to take these actions now to protect ourselves as a region.�

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who has put pressure on the Legislature to move the bill along, said, �If you remove water from [the Great Lakes], only 1 percent of that water is renewed annually.�

�So it is essential for us to understand the great responsibility we have,� Lawton added.

Jauch said he believes the bill, which he co-authored, is vital in order to sustain Wisconsin�s growing economy and tourism industry.

�We have an utmost responsibility to manage and protect our water because it is such a vital part of our economy and our way of life,� Jauch said.

The Great Lakes provide the region with $55 billion in tourism revenue and generate 11,000 jobs in Wisconsin alone, according to Lawton.

The possibility of moving Great Lakes water across the country was also brought up by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson during his presidential campaign, Lawton said.

�He was campaigning in the Western states, and he talked about the need to get access to Great Lakes water for the drought-ridden Western states,� Lawton said. �The water is like gold, we have to realize that it is attracting a lot of attention, but it is not a renewable resource.�

Jauch said the compact is being widely viewed as a bipartisan issue.

�Water doesn�t belong to a Democrat or a Republican,� Jauch said. �It is a very precious resource that sustains our lives.�

Vice Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee Jim Ott, R-Mequon, said while he supports the Great Lakes Compact, he believes it needs some tweaking. Certain provisions in the original compact would keep inland cities in Wisconsin from getting their fresh water from Lake Michigan.

�The overall purpose is to divert water to far away states, not Waukesha or Berlin,� Ott said. �But it looks like we could make some changes, and we wouldn�t have to go back to the governors.�

According to Jauch, Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, plans on scheduling a committee hearing on the bill next week.