A local group of residents calling themselves Citizens for Jobs, Opportunity, and the Environment emerged in support of the project. Moreover, the state Economic Development Corporation cautiously helped Perrier establish contacts in the region. The state agency was not solely concerned about Perrier's standing in the community. Officials also recognized that legitimate economic, social, environmental, and political issues are being dropped on the Great Lakes water supply like giant explosive projectiles. Rampant population growth promises more thirsty people.
Climate change threatens to redistribute water around the globe.
Dwindling political representation in the Midwest means less power to lobby for Great Lakes protections. Insufficient science frustrates groundwater management. Water scarcity problems already have occurred in Michigan, with groundwater shortages developing in Saginaw and Grand Rapids. Right now, that grenade threatens to blow any conservation goals Michigan may have right out of the water. The state's lawmakers and natural resource managers continue to treat Great Lakes water as if it were an insignificant resource, as if we are living in an age of limitless supply.