The following summary is based on information provided by the National Association of Counties (NAC0).
At the October virtual meeting, NACo’s Great Lakes Regional Forum explored the growing competition for water resources in the Great Lakes Basin. Helena Volzer, Senior Source Water Policy Manager with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, shared insights from her new report A Finite Resource: Managing the Growing Water Needs of Data Centers, Critical Minerals Mining, and Agriculture in the Great Lakes Region. The presentation highlighted how rapid growth in hyperscale data centers—some consuming up to five million gallons of water per day—combined with agriculture and mining demands, is putting increased strain on shared freshwater resources.
Volzer emphasized that while the Great Lakes Compact helps ensure water stays within the basin, overlapping and untracked water uses—particularly groundwater—could lead to future conflicts. She urged local governments to engage early in development discussions, advocate for stronger water-use reporting, and support policies promoting transparency and sustainability.
The Forum also highlighted the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and its new Fresh Coast Economic Transformation Action Plan, which outlines a 10-year strategy to make the region a global model for sustainable economic growth and freshwater stewardship. NACo is among the partners collaborating on this initiative.
Additional resources shared during the meeting include the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus State and Provincial Legislative Tracker, the Northeast-Midwest Institute Federal Great Lakes and Water Legislation Tracker, and Fresh, a weekly Great Lakes policy newsletter from Circle of Blue.
The next virtual Forum meeting will be held December 10 at 9 a.m. Central, followed by an in-person session at the 2026 NACo Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., February 21–24.