LANSING, Mich. -Senate Democrats today voted to pass an amendment to Senate Bill 436 that would help protect Michigan’s Great Lakes from large water withdrawals. The current loophole allows companies to bottle and sell large quantities of water as long as they are removed in containers 5.7 gallons or smaller. The amendment failed on a party-line vote.

“We should do everything possible to protect our lakes, rivers and streams,” said Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor). “This loophole allows commercialization and sale of Great Lakes water and threatens our natural resources. We need to address these issues to ensure our waters are protected for future generations.”

Last year, the Senate voted to pass a package of bills to protect the state’s freshwater and implement the Great Lakes Compact. The legislation bans large scale water diversions in containers over 5.7 gallons. Unfortunately, the legislation contained a loophole that Brater’s amendment would have corrected. The loophole allows water bottlers to sell virtually unlimited amounts of Michigan’s water as long as it is shipped out of the state in containers under 5.7 gallons.

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