Wisconsin's waters are so basic to life, commerce and culture that they were considered a public trust before statehood.
This careful management of Wisconsin waters for the common good was codified as the Public Trust Doctrine by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and was incorporated into the Wisconsin Constitution in 1848.
In other words, you can trace the "public" foundation of water policy in Wisconsin from 1787 straight through the heavily attended Department of Natural Resources-sponsored meetings in 2004 and 2005, where the public spoke in favor of upgrades to the U.S.-Canada agreement that restricts diversions from the Great Lakes.
That is why a series of closed-door actions by the DNR - at times in coordination with the cities of New Berlin and Waukesha - to create or change water policy in Wisconsin undermines our long history of making water policy publicly and in the public interest.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=510487
Posted by Dave at October 10, 2006 10:04 AM