“Who Owns the Water?”
A new Detroit Public Television documentary explores the issue of water
withdrawal and its impact on the health of the Great Lakes
Watch: Tomorrow night, Monday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. on DPTV (56.1)
The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water supply. The value of the five lakes, which provide drinking water to more than 40 million people, is increasing as water across the globe becomes threatened by climate change and pollution.
But who owns the water?
In the new half-hour documentary, “Tapping the Great Lakes,” Detroit Public Television’s Great Lakes Bureau takes a deep dive into several methods of water withdrawal and their impact on the Great Lakes.
First, the film produced by Matt Stinson and DPTV’s Great Lakes Now offers a look at Nestlé, a company withdrawing millions of gallons of water from aquifers near Lake Michigan, bottling it and selling it in the U.S. Then, the case of Waukesha, Wisconsin, presents the question of how and why a city outside the Great Lakes Basin has been granted the right to use Lake Michigan water for its drinking water supply.
The documentary explores many crucial issues that could influence the health and well-being of our Great Lakes:
· Are current laws strong enough to protect the region’s water supply?
· Should global corporations have the right to use Great Lakes water to make big profits?
· Which industries are allowed to use massive amounts of water?
· Are aquifers being depleted by certain practices, or is the groundwater able to replenish itself?
To answer these questions, DPTV’s Great Lakes Bureau traveled throughout the Great Lakes region interviewing citizens, business leaders, scientists, water experts, tribal leaders, lawmakers and environmental activists to explore landmark decisions and controversial practices, which could set a precedent for the future use of Great Lakes water.
For more information, visit “Tapping the Great Lakes.” Viewers can join the discussion about this film online using the hashtag #tappingtheGL.
Rich Homberg
President and CEO
Detroit Public Television
248-640-4169 - rhomberg@dptv.org - @RichHomberg
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