Engineering Commons^™

Developing The Greatest Blue Economy: Water Productivity, Fresh Water Depletion, And Virtual Water Trade In The Great Lakes Basin, A. L. Mayer, Stanley Mubako, Benjamin L. Ruddell

Michigan Tech Publications

The Great Lakes basin hosts the world's most abundant surface fresh water reserve. Historically an industrial and natural resource powerhouse, the region has suffered economic stagnation in recent decades. Meanwhile, growing water resource scarcity around the world is creating pressure on water-intensive human activities. This situation creates the potential for the Great Lakes region to sustainably utilize its relative water wealth for economic benefit. We combine economic production and trade datasets with water consumption data and models of surface water depletion in the region. We find that, on average, the current economy does not create significant impacts on surface waters, …