Revise and extend: What water's worth

An editorial in today's Buffalo News is among the Earth Day offerings to note that what's good for the environment is good for the bottom line.

Specifically, there is a follow-up to a previous report from The Brookings Institution entitled "Healthy Waters, Strong Economy: The Benefits of Restoring the Great Lakes Ecosystem," the one that concluded that spending money to clean up the Great Lakes, say $20 billion, would yield $50 billion in economic benefits to the region. The follow-up breaks that out to note that the improvement in quality and reputation of a cleaned-up Lake Erie would add $1.1 billion to value of residential property in the Buffalo area. Larger cities such as Chicago stand to benefit up to $13 billion. [Read the original report here.]

Other reports and opinion:
* The Detroit Free Press newser quotes report co-author John Austin: "People want to be near the water, and they want to use the water if it doesn't kill you. There is a market for being near the water, and none of that is possible if the water is toxic."
* The Detroit News reports: "In 2004, President Bush signed an executive order called the Great Lake Regional Collaboration Strategy that is intended to be a comprehensive plan to clean up the lakes, but Brookings researchers said much of the federal aid for those programs has not been granted."
* In Cleveland, The Plain Dealer quotes Joe Roman, president of the Greater Cleveland Partnership: "A healthy Lake Erie is one of the keys to Cleveland's economic revival. With 300 miles of shoreline, Cleveland and the rest of northern Ohio could thrive if we are able to fully realize the economic potential of this tremendous asset."
* The News Tribune in Duluth editorializes: "Swimmers, sunrise watchers and even fish can agree that a cleaned-up and healthy Lake Superior would be good for the environment. But how many of them — or others — realize the boon a pristine lake could have on the bottom line?"
* The Post-Tribune in Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana [sorry, The Music Man was breaking in again] notes that the economic benefits predicted in the report are thought to be on the conservative side if lake clean-up begins soon, but won't be realized at all if it continues to slide.

--George Pyle/Editorial Writer
(Map of Great Lakes from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, via Wikipedia. Click to enlarge.)

Comments

[bobbycat]

Ok, so clean Lake Erie water is good for business and toxic water is bad. Got it. Come to think of it, a lot of us got it sometime in the previous century.

Now suppose Brian Higgins (who else?) finds some Federal money to modernize the Little Sister Sewage Treatment plant in Evans so that everytime it rains a few inches that plant might stop releasing overflow sewage into Little Sister Creek and thence into Lake Erie. The sewage drifts downlake past beautiful Bennett (Buffalo) Beach, then past Wendt Beach County Park, then past Sturgeon Point, then past the Erie County Water Treatment Plant and Water Intake before drifting into Hamburg waters.

There is always talk about new waterfront housing and boating and tourism until the developers realize that the waterfront is a sometimes sewage dump.

Revamping the sewers would put thousands to work and clean the beaches and bolster business. It's a Win-win-win. And it's high time.