According to water use data released today by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), 42.7 billion gallons of water were withdrawn per day in 2015 from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin for purposes such as power plant cooling, public water supply, agricultural irrigation and industrial use. This data is included in the 2015 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database, which provides information on withdrawals, diversions and consumptive uses of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River water.

Annual water use reporting by the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River states and provinces began as a result of the Great Lakes Charter of 1985. The states and provinces committed to developing consistent information on water use to improve decision-making and support water management, conservation and efficiency programs. They report annual water use information to a regional database, which is maintained by the GLC in its role of managing and delivering regional information to support the conservation and balanced use of the Great Lakes.

The 2015 report, along with past years’ reports, are available at www.glc.org/waterusedata.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chairman Jon Allan, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, is an interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.