Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes: 2025 Report on Water Diversions and Uses

The International Joint Commission (IJC) released its Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes: 2025 Report on Water Diversions and Uses report. It is a10-year update on water diversions and uses in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin.  

This work stems from a 1999 request from the Governments of Canada and the United States to study water diversions and uses across the transboundary region, including the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. In the following years, the IJC committed to releasing reports on water diversions and uses in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin at ten-year intervals.   

This 2025 report evaluates progress made since the IJC’s 2015 Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes report and provides forward-looking advice to help ensure that the basin’s waters remain protected for current and future generations. 

The report reflects input from governments, academic experts, Indigenous and non-governmental organizations, and members of the public. The IJC also considered a consultants’ report and comments received through a public engagement process carried out in 2025. 

The IJC hosted a virtual public meeting to present the findings of the report on January 27, 2026, from 12 PM to 1 PM Eastern Time. The webinar recording can be found here.

Relevant links:  

• News release announcing the release of the report
• 2025 Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes Consultants’ Report
• Registration for the virtual public meeting 
• Summary of the IJC’s activities and publications related to the Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes  
• Presentation from the Jan. 27, 2026 webinar
• Recording of the Jan. 27, 2026 webinar