Article published September 09, 2007
Declining Great Lakes water levels stir debate
Higher temps, lower riverbed: While evidence is mounting that climate change is at least partly responsible for declining Great Lakes water levels, one Canadian environmental group remains convinced the problem isn’t so far-reaching.
The Georgian Bay Association is advancing its 2005 theory that water levels are down largely because of excessive dredging and gravel mining, akin to pulling a drain plug. Last month, it claimed the St. Clair River is now losing 2.5 billion gallons of water a day, three times more than it had previously thought.
The St. Clair River is a shallow, narrow stream by Great Lakes standards, a tight squeeze for ships that traverse between Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron.
The group succeeded two years ago in wooing the venerable International Joint Commission, a government agency established nearly a century ago to help the United States and Canada resolve boundary water issues.
The commission has long had a reputation for being outspoken on environmental issues, at least more so than either country’s leadership. An early 1990s recommendation by its science advisory board to virtually eliminate chlorine discharges still draws the ire of industry executives.
On Aug. 29, the commission’s leadership called for a time out.
It took the unconventional step of summarizing its thoughts in an open letter to the public.
In it, the commission seemed to acknowledge the association’s claims merit more research.
The letter was signed by Eugene Stakhiv and Ted Yuzyk, respective U.S. and Canadian chairmen of an commission team empaneled in March to study water levels of the Upper Great Lakes for five years.
The letter said the study board will issue a report by early 2010 that addresses “changes in the flow regime of the St. Clair River and the factors affecting water levels.”
Translation: Give us 2½ years to do our own research.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. The Earth’s population is expanding. Shipping needs rise as our economy becomes more globalized. And a showdown is coming over whether the lakes’ shipping channel should be deepened and widened to help make the Great Lakes region more competitive, even though the United States and Canada have yet to solve the ecological crisis posed by exotic pests hauled here by oceanic vessels.
Like a lot of things in life, expect a multitude of causes to be identified.
It’s unlikely that climate change will be ruled out, no matter what the International Joint Commission’s research dredges up.
Snow on the Canadian side of Lake Superior is down from what it was years ago. What melts there is one of the biggest sources of new water for the lake. Plus, the lakes freeze later and for shorter durations, if at all. That leads to more evaporation. Winter is actually the cruelest time for the lakes because of the greater disparity between air and water temperatures.
Lake Superior rarely freezes over. The fact its level has been down for years doesn’t bode well for the rest of the system because Superior feeds the other lakes.
Speaking of dredging: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it should have some preliminary figures in about a week on the environmental impact from the spill of dredged material from Grassy Island in western Lake Erie, near Toledo.
The island has one of the Toledo area’s two confined disposal facilities for the silt. A breach was reported a few weeks ago to the one on Grassy Island, which was used this year for the first time since the early 1970s. The Army Corps, which is responsible for it, is considering its various repair options.
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