A Regional Treasure in the Crosshairs
This fight is about safeguarding a resource that provides drinking water to 40 million people. Big Tech's insatiable appetite for water has targeted the Great Lakes, and Project Nova is the latest assault on an ecosystem already under stress.
A Death by a Thousand Straws
Project Nova plans to draw 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day. It is part of a massive industrialization draining our shared water resources. These projects will collectively consume up to 13 million gallons of water every single day from a lake that only renews 1% of its volume annually.
"The Great Lakes are a public trust, not a private coolant pond for corporate profit. Allowing massive, consumptive water withdrawals for industrial cooling privatizes a shared resource and threatens the drinking water for millions."
- Adapted from public statements by the Alliance for the Great Lakes
The Hidden Danger of Thermal Pollution
As the Alliance for the Great Lakes has repeatedly warned, the water used for cooling is discharged back into the lake at much higher temperatures. This "thermal pollution" has severe ecological impacts that threaten our environment and economy.
"Thermal pollution is not a minor issue; it's a trigger for ecosystem collapse. Warmer water starves the lake of oxygen, fuels toxic algal blooms, and devastates the cold-water fish populations that are the bedrock of our regional fishing economy."
- Adapted from public statements by the Alliance for the Great Lakes
- Promotes Harmful Algal Blooms: Warmer water (discharged 5-10°C hotter) incubates toxic algae, contaminating drinking water and creating dead zones that kill fish.
- Destroys Fish Habitats: Cold-water species like trout and salmon, critical to our regional fishing economy, suffer as return temperatures (up to 30°C) disrupt spawning and destroy their food chains.
Warmer Lake, More Extreme Weather
Thermal pollution warms Lake Michigan, altering our regional climate and leading to more extreme and unpredictable weather.
Protecting Our Great Lake is a Regional Fight
We cannot allow Lake Michigan to become Big Tech’s industrial coolant. This is a battle for our environment, our economy, and our future.
"The decisions we make today about industrial water use will have consequences for generations. The short-term economic promises of a single project cannot be allowed to outweigh the long-term, potentially irreversible damage to the health of the Great Lakes."
- Adapted from public statements by the Alliance for the Great Lakes