SB523-SSA1,44,96 (d) The available remedies shall include equitable relief, and the prevailing or
7substantially prevailing party may recover the costs of litigation, including
8reasonable attorney and expert witness fees, whenever the court determines that
9such an award is appropriate.
SB523-SSA1,44,1210 (e) Each of the parties may adopt provisions providing additional enforcement
11mechanisms and remedies including equitable relief and civil penalties applicable
12within its jurisdiction to assist in the implementation of this compact.
SB523-SSA1,44,16 13(8) Additional provisions. (a) Effect on existing rights. 1. Nothing in this
14compact shall be construed to affect, limit, diminish, or impair any rights validly
15established and existing as of the effective date of this compact under state or federal
16law governing the withdrawal of waters of the basin.
SB523-SSA1,44,1917 2. Nothing contained in this compact shall be construed as affecting or
18intending to affect or in any way to interfere with the law of the respective parties
19relating to common law water rights.
SB523-SSA1,44,2320 3. Nothing in this compact is intended to abrogate or derogate from treaty
21rights or rights held by any tribe recognized by the federal government of the United
22States based upon its status as a tribe recognized by the federal government of the
23United States.
SB523-SSA1,45,524 4. An approval by a party or the council under this compact does not give any
25property rights, nor any exclusive privileges, nor shall it be construed to grant or

1confer any right, title, easement, or interest in, to, or over any land belonging to or
2held in trust by a party; neither does it authorize any injury to private property or
3invasion of private rights, nor infringement of federal, state, or local laws or
4regulations; nor does it obviate the necessity of obtaining federal assent when
5necessary.
SB523-SSA1,45,106 (b) Relationship to agreements concluded by the United States of America. 1.
7Nothing in this compact is intended to provide nor shall be construed to provide,
8directly or indirectly, to any person any right, claim, or remedy under any treaty or
9international agreement nor is it intended to derogate any right, claim, or remedy
10that already exists under any treaty or international agreement.
SB523-SSA1,45,1411 2. Nothing in this compact is intended to infringe nor shall be construed to
12infringe upon the treaty power of the United States of America, nor shall any term
13hereof be construed to alter or amend any treaty or term thereof that has been or may
14hereafter be executed by the United States of America.
SB523-SSA1,45,1715 3. Nothing in this compact is intended to affect nor shall be construed to affect
16the application of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 whose requirements continue
17to apply in addition to the requirements of this compact.
SB523-SSA1,45,2018 (c) Confidentiality. 1. Nothing in this compact requires a party to breach
19confidentiality obligations or requirements prohibiting disclosure or to compromise
20security of commercially sensitive or proprietary information.
SB523-SSA1,45,2521 2. A party may take measures, including but not limited to deletion and
22redaction, deemed necessary to protect any confidential, proprietary, or
23commercially sensitive information when distributing information to other parties.
24The party shall summarize or paraphrase any such information in a manner
25sufficient for the council to exercise its authorities contained in this compact.
SB523-SSA1,46,4
1(d) Additional laws. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to repeal,
2modify, or qualify the authority of any party to enact any legislation or enforce any
3additional conditions and restrictions regarding the management and regulation of
4waters within its jurisdiction.
SB523-SSA1,46,85 (e) Amendments and supplements. The provisions of this compact shall remain
6in full force and effect until amended by action of the governing bodies of the parties
7and consented to and approved by any other necessary authority in the same manner
8as this compact is required to be ratified to become effective.
SB523-SSA1,46,139 (f) Severability. Should a court of competent jurisdiction hold any part of this
10compact to be void or unenforceable, it shall be considered severable from those
11portions of the compact capable of continued implementation in the absence of the
12voided provisions. All other provisions capable of continued implementation shall
13continue in full force and effect.
SB523-SSA1,46,1514 (g) Duration of compact and termination. 1. Once effective, the compact shall
15continue in force and remain binding upon each and every party unless terminated.
SB523-SSA1,46,1816 2. This compact may be terminated at any time by a majority vote of the parties.
17In the event of such termination, all rights established under it shall continue
18unimpaired.
SB523-SSA1,46,22 19(9) Effectuation. (b) Effectuation by chief executive. The governor is
20authorized to take such action as may be necessary and proper in his or her discretion
21to effectuate the compact and the initial organization and operation thereunder,
22consistent with s. 281.346.
SB523-SSA1,47,423 (c) Entire agreement. The parties consider this compact to be complete and an
24integral whole. Each provision of this compact is considered material to the entire
25compact, and failure to implement or adhere to any provision may be considered a

1material breach. Unless otherwise noted in this compact, any change or amendment
2made to the compact by any party in its implementing legislation or by the U.S.
3Congress when giving its consent to this compact is not considered effective unless
4concurred in by all parties.
SB523-SSA1,47,85 (d) Effective date and execution. This compact shall become binding and
6effective when ratified through concurring legislation by the states of Illinois,
7Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin and the
8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and consented to by the U.S. Congress.
SB523-SSA1, s. 10 9Section 10. 281.344 of the statutes is created to read:
SB523-SSA1,47,11 10281.344 Water conservation, reporting, and supply regulation; when
11compact is not in effect.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
SB523-SSA1,47,1412 (d) "Community within a straddling county" means any city, village, or town
13that is not a straddling community and that is located outside the Great Lakes basin
14but wholly within a county that lies partly within the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,47,1615 (dm) "Compact" means the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin Water
16Resources Compact under s. 281.343.
SB523-SSA1,47,1817 (dr) "Compact's effective date" means the effective date of the compact under
18s. 281.343 (9) (d).
SB523-SSA1,47,2119 (e) "Consumptive use" means a use of water that results in the loss of or failure
20to return some or all of the water to the basin from which the water is withdrawn due
21to evaporation, incorporation into products, or other processes.
SB523-SSA1,48,422 (g) "Cumulative impacts" means the impacts on the Great Lakes basin
23ecosystem that result from incremental effects of all aspects of a withdrawal,
24interbasin transfer, or consumptive use in addition to other past, present, and
25reasonably foreseeable future withdrawals, interbasin transfers, and consumptive

1uses regardless of who undertakes the other withdrawals, interbasin transfers, and
2consumptive uses, including individually minor but collectively significant
3withdrawals, interbasin transfers, and consumptive uses taking place over a period
4of time.
SB523-SSA1,48,105 (i) "Environmentally sound and economically feasible water conservation
6measures" means those measures, methods, or technologies for efficient water use
7and for reducing water loss and waste or for reducing the amount of a withdrawal,
8consumptive use, or interbasin transfer that are, taking into account environmental
9impact, the age and nature of equipment and facilities involved, the processes
10employed, the energy impacts, and other appropriate factors, all of the following:
SB523-SSA1,48,1111 1. Environmentally sound.
SB523-SSA1,48,1212 2. Reflective of best practices applicable to the water use sector.
SB523-SSA1,48,1313 3. Technically feasible and available.
SB523-SSA1,48,1514 4. Economically feasible and cost-effective based on an analysis that considers
15direct and avoided economic and environmental costs.
SB523-SSA1,48,1916 (j) "Facility" means an operating plant or establishment providing electricity
17to the public or carrying on any manufacturing activity, trade, or business on one site,
18including similar plants or establishments under common ownership or control
19located on contiguous properties.
SB523-SSA1,48,2120 (je) "Great Lakes basin" means the watershed of the Great Lakes and the St.
21Lawrence River upstream from Trois—Rivieres, Quebec.
SB523-SSA1,48,2322 (ji) "Great Lakes basin ecosystem" means the interacting components of air,
23land, water, and living organisms, including humans, within the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,49,224 (k) "Interbasin transfer" means a transfer of water from the Great Lakes basin
25into a watershed outside of the Great Lakes basin or from the watershed of one of the

1Great Lakes into that of another, except that "interbasin transfer" does not include
2any of the following:
SB523-SSA1,49,53 1. The transfer of a product produced in the Great Lakes basin or in the
4watershed of one of the Great Lakes, using waters of the Great Lakes basin, out of
5the Great Lakes basin or out of that watershed.
SB523-SSA1,49,86 2. The transmission of water within a line that extends outside the Great Lakes
7basin as it conveys water from one point to another within the Great Lakes basin if
8no water is used outside the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,49,109 3. The transfer of bottled water from the Great Lakes basin in containers of
105.7 gallons or less.
SB523-SSA1,49,1211 (km) "Intrabasin transfer" means the transfer of water from the watershed of
12one of the Great Lakes into the watershed of another of the Great Lakes.
SB523-SSA1,49,1613 (o) "Product" means something produced by human or mechanical effort or
14through agricultural processes and used in manufacturing, commercial, or other
15processes or intended for intermediate or ultimate consumers, subject to all of the
16following:
SB523-SSA1,49,1717 1. Water used as part of the packaging of a product is part of the product.
SB523-SSA1,49,2018 2. Other than water used as part of the packaging of a product, water that is
19used primarily to transport materials in or out of the Great Lakes basin is not a
20product or part of a product.
SB523-SSA1,49,2221 3. Except as provided in subd. 1., water that is transferred as part of a public
22or private supply is not a product or part of a product.
SB523-SSA1,49,2423 4. Water in its natural state, such as in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, aquifers, or
24water basins, is not a product.
SB523-SSA1,50,4
1(pm) "Public water supply" means water distributed to the public through a
2physically connected system of treatment, storage, and distribution facilities that
3serve a group of largely residential customers and that may also serve industrial,
4commercial, and other institutional customers.
SB523-SSA1,50,95 (ps) "Reasonable supply alternative" means a supply alternative that is similar
6in cost to, and as environmentally sustainable and protective of public health as, the
7proposed new or increased interbasin transfer and that does not have greater
8adverse environmental impacts than the proposed new or increased interbasin
9transfer.
SB523-SSA1,50,1410 (q) "Regional body" means the body consisting of the governors of Illinois,
11Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and
12the premiers of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, or their designees, as established by
13the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources
14Agreement.
SB523-SSA1,50,2115 (r) "Source watershed" means the watershed from which a withdrawal
16originates. If water is withdrawn directly from a Great Lake or from the St.
17Lawrence River, then the source watershed is the watershed of that Great Lake or
18the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, respectively. If water is withdrawn from
19the watershed of a stream that is a direct tributary to a Great Lake or a direct
20tributary to the St. Lawrence River, then the source watershed is the watershed of
21that Great Lake or the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, respectively.
SB523-SSA1,50,2522 (t) "Straddling community" means any city, village, or town that is partly
23within the Great Lakes basin or partly within the watersheds of 2 of the Great Lakes
24and that is wholly within any county that lies partly or completely within the Great
25Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,51,2
1(w) "Water dependent natural resources" means the interacting components of
2land, water, and living organisms affected by the waters of the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,51,53 (wm) "Water loss" means the amount of water that is withheld from or not
4returned to the basin from which it is withdrawn as a result of an interbasin transfer
5or consumptive use or both.
SB523-SSA1,51,76 (wp) "Water supply system," when not preceded by "public," means one of the
7following:
SB523-SSA1,51,98 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., the equipment handling water from the point
9of intake of the water to the first point at which the water is used.
SB523-SSA1,51,1110 2. For a system for providing a public water supply, the equipment from the
11point of intake of the water to first point at which the water is distributed.
SB523-SSA1,51,1312 (wr) "Water utility" means a public utility, as defined in s. 196.01 (5), that
13furnishes water.
SB523-SSA1,51,1614 (x) "Waters of the Great Lakes basin" means the Great Lakes and all streams,
15rivers, lakes, connecting channels, and other bodies of water, including tributary
16groundwater, within the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,51,1717 (y) "Withdraw" means to take water from surface water or groundwater.
SB523-SSA1,51,2018 (z) "Withdrawal" means the taking of water from surface water or groundwater,
19including the taking of surface water or groundwater for the purpose of bottling the
20water.
SB523-SSA1,52,221 (zm) "Without adequate supplies of potable water" means without a water
22supply that is economically and environmentally sustainable in the long term to
23meet reasonable demands for a water supply in the quantity and quality that
24complies with applicable drinking water standards, is protective of public health, is
25available at a reasonable cost, and does not have adverse environmental impacts

1greater than those likely to result from the proposed new or increased interbasin
2transfer.
SB523-SSA1,52,6 3(2) Determinations concerning applicability of requirements. (a) Use of
4surface water divide.
For the purposes of this section, the surface water divide is used
5to determine whether a withdrawal or transfer of surface water or groundwater is
6from the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,52,107 (b) Transfers and withdrawals from more than one source. For the purposes
8of this section, the interbasin transfer or withdrawal of water from more than one
9source within the Great Lakes basin to supply a single facility or public water supply
10system is considered one interbasin transfer or withdrawal.
SB523-SSA1,52,1211 (c) Water loss. The department shall promulgate rules for determining the
12amount of water loss from consumptive uses.
SB523-SSA1,52,1513 (d) County boundaries. For the purposes of sub. (1) (d) and (t), a county's
14boundaries as of December 13, 2005, shall be used to determine whether a county lies
15partly within the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,52,1816 (e) Public trust doctrine. Nothing in this section or s. 281.343 may be
17interpreted to change the application of the public trust doctrine under article IX,
18section 1, of the Wisconsin Constitution.
SB523-SSA1,53,2 19(3) Statewide registration and reporting. (a) 1. Any person who, on the first
20day of the 36th month beginning after the effective date of this subdivision ....
21[revisor inserts date], or, for a withdrawal from the Great Lakes basin, on the
22compact's effective date if that is sooner, has a water supply system with the capacity
23to make a withdrawal from the waters of the state averaging 100,000 gallons per day
24or more in any 30-day period or is making any interbasin transfer shall register the

1withdrawal or interbasin transfer with the department by the deadline specified by
2the department by rule.
SB523-SSA1,53,143 2. Any person who, after the first day of the 36th month beginning after the
4effective date of this subdivision .... [revisor inserts date], or, if the withdrawal is from
5the Great Lakes basin, on the compact's effective date if that is sooner, proposes to
6begin a withdrawal from the waters of the state using a water supply system that will
7have the capacity to withdraw an average of 100,000 gallons per day or more in any
830-day period, to increase the capacity of a water supply system that existed on the
9first day of the 36th month beginning after the effective date of this subdivision ....
10[revisor inserts date], or, if the withdrawal is from the Great Lakes basin, on the
11compact's effective date if that is sooner, so that it will have the capacity to withdraw
12an average of 100,000 gallons per day or more in any 30-day period, or to begin an
13interbasin transfer shall register the withdrawal or interbasin transfer with the
14department.
SB523-SSA1,53,1615 (b) A person to whom par. (a) applies shall register on a form prescribed by the
16department and provide all of the following information:
SB523-SSA1,53,1717 1. The name and address of the registrant and the date of registration.
SB523-SSA1,53,1818 2. The locations and sources of the withdrawal or interbasin transfer.
SB523-SSA1,53,2019 3. The daily capacity of the withdrawal or interbasin transfer and the daily
20capacity to withdraw or transfer from each source.
SB523-SSA1,53,2221 4. An estimate of the volume of the withdrawal or interbasin transfer in terms
22of gallons per day average in any 30-day period.
SB523-SSA1,53,2323 5. The uses made of the water.
SB523-SSA1,53,2424 6. The places at which the water is used.
SB523-SSA1,53,2525 7. The places at which any of the water is discharged.
SB523-SSA1,54,1
18. Whether the water use is continuous or intermittent.
SB523-SSA1,54,22 9. Whether the person holds a permit under s. 283.31.
SB523-SSA1,54,33 10. Other information required by the department by rule.
SB523-SSA1,54,54 (c) The department shall maintain a registry containing the information
5provided under par. (b).
SB523-SSA1,54,86 (cm) The department may consider domestic security concerns when
7determining whether information regarding locations of withdrawals and interbasin
8transfers contained in the registry under par. (c) may be released to the public.
SB523-SSA1,54,159 (e) 1. Each person who makes a withdrawal from the waters of the state that
10averages 100,000 gallons per day or more in any 30-day period or transfers from the
11Great Lakes basin any amount and who has registered the withdrawal or interbasin
12transfer under par. (a) shall annually report to the department the monthly volumes
13of withdrawal, whether the person ever withdraws at least 1,000,000 gallons per day
14for 30 consecutive days, and, if applicable, the volumes of interbasin transfer and,
15subject to par. (em), water loss from consumptive use.
SB523-SSA1,54,1916 2. In addition to the information required under subd. 1., the department may,
17by rule, create different reporting frequencies or require additional information from
18a person who registers a withdrawal, or interbasin transfer under par. (a) based upon
19the type or category of water use.
SB523-SSA1,54,2420 (em) If a person to whom par. (e) 1. applies provides any of the water that the
21person withdraws to a public water supply system, the person who operates the
22public water supply system, rather than the person who withdraws the water, shall
23annually report to the department the volume of water loss from the consumptive use
24of the water provided to the public water supply system.
SB523-SSA1,55,2
1(f) The department may require additional information under par. (b) 10. or (e)
22. only if the information is necessary to effectuate this section.
SB523-SSA1,55,6 3(3e) Determining initial interbasin transfer amounts. (a) Before issuing an
4automatic approval under sub. (3m) for an interbasin transfer to a person operating
5a public water supply system, the department shall determine the initial interbasin
6transfer amount for the interbasin transfer under this subsection.
SB523-SSA1,55,117 (b) The department shall determine the initial interbasin transfer amount
8under this subsection for a public water supply system to be the amount of water
9necessary to provide water for public water supply purposes in the area in at least
10part of which the public water supply system delivers water to customers before the
11compact's effective date that is all of the following:
SB523-SSA1,55,1212 1. Outside of the Great Lakes basin.
SB523-SSA1,55,1613 2. Within a sewer service territory that provides for return of wastewater to the
14Great Lakes basin and that is specified in the sewer service area provisions of an
15areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 approved by the
16department before December 31, 2007.
SB523-SSA1,55,1917 (c) The department shall use the population and related service projections in
18the sewer service area provisions described in par. (b) 2. in making the determination
19under par. (b).
SB523-SSA1,56,7 20(3m) Automatic approval for existing interbasin transfers. Before the
21compact's effective date, the department shall automatically issue an approval for
22an interbasin transfer that begins before the compact's effective date, to a person who
23operates a public water supply system that receives water from the interbasin
24transfer and that delivers water to customers in an area that is outside of the Great
25Lakes basin and that is within a sewer service territory that provides for return of

1wastewater to the Great Lakes basin as specified in the sewer service area provisions
2of an areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 approved by the
3department before December 31, 2007. The department may not issue an automatic
4approval under this subsection before the interbasin transfer begins. In the
5automatic approval, the department shall specify an interbasin transfer amount
6equal to the amount determined under sub. (3e) and an interbasin transfer area that
7is the area described in sub. (3e) (b).
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