Mayors make declaration to protect Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River

July 9, 2012

Mayors from Québec, Ontario and the U.S., representing more than 15 million people, made a Declaration on Water Sustainability June 28 and committed to common sustainable water management practices to protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

“Today, my fellow mayors and I made an important declaration on water sustainability to protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence through our cities’ daily operations and long-term investments,” said Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee and Chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

In support of the Declaration on Water Sustainability, the Cities Initiative released a report on Sustainable Municipal Water Management, with best practices from members, along with a method for evaluating and publicly reporting on progress on common actions by cities across the basin.

“In the face of climate change, increased urbanization and dwindling water supplies in some parts of the globe, we must never take the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, the world’s largest source of surface freshwater, for granted,” said Mayor Régis Labeaume of the Québec Metropolitan Community and Vice Chair of the Cities Initiative. “As water managers, cities have a responsibility to be water-wise and report publicly on our progress in managing this globally threatened resource.”

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