June 29. 2012 12:00PM - Last modified: June 29. 2012 12:07PM

Barrett is new chairman of Great Lakes coalition

  
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was elected Thursday to be chairman of the board of directors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a coalition of mayors from the United States and Canada committed to common sustainable water management practices.

Barrett will serve a one-year term on the board, which made a “Declaration on Water Sustainability.”
“Today, my fellow mayors and I made an important declaration on water sustainability to protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence through our cities’ daily operations and long-term investments,” Barrett said. “Together, the mayors of the Cities Initiative are making a difference in the future health and prosperity of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region and are showing leadership globally in sustainable water management.”
Barrett also served on the Municipal Water Management Panel at the meeting in Quebec City.
In support of the “Declaration on Water Sustainability,” the Cities Initiative released a report on Sustainable Municipal Water Management, with best practices from members, along with  a method for evaluating and publicly reporting on progress on common actions by cities across the basin. Members will be asked to present their public reports on sustainable water management at the next annual general meeting in June 2013.
“In the face of climate change, increased urbanization and dwindling water supply in some parts of the globe, we must never take the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, the world’s largest source of surface fresh water, for granted,” said Mayor Régis Labeaume of the Québec Metropolitan Community, and vice-chair of the Cities Initiative. “As water managers, cities have a responsibility to be water-wise and report publicly on our progress in managing this globally threatened resource.”

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