Great Lakes' Plan: Water- Based 'Blue Economy'

New businesses to include resorts, labs, manufacturing
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2013 9:42 AM CDT
Great Lakes' Plan: Water- Based 'Blue Economy'
This May 23, 2013, photo shows a view of downtown Milwaukee from the Kinnickinnic River, not far from where it connects with Lake Michigan.   (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)

Cities surrounding the Great Lakes have had it tough since their manufacturing industries dwindled—but now, they're hoping for a comeback based on an enormous resource: the Lakes themselves. "We all recognize that water has become more and more of a precious commodity," says Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett. "We have to do a much better job of promoting it." That's why, for instance, an old factory-turned-warehouse is being turned into a center for the "blue economy," the AP reports.

The center will house a lab for new water-related technologies plus offices for companies devoted to making the most of the resource—for example, a firm that focuses on using algae as fuel. Meanwhile, resorts will offer tourists a spot by the water, while other companies will build pumps and valves. Milwaukee alone is devoting $83.5 million to such projects during the next year. But some in the Sun Belt have their doubts about whether the effort will succeed; they say they have their own fixes for continuing drought concerns. "You guys get a little colder up there," says an Arizona businessman who doesn't plan on leaving. (More Great Lakes stories.)

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