Water

Water is life, and the Great Lakes are the largest fresh water ecosystem on the planet.

Water is life, and the Great Lakes are the largest fresh water ecosystem on the planet. Water levels set the water available for the life of 40 million people, 3,500 species of plants and animals, and the regional economy of about $5 trillion dollars. They impact drinking water, irrigation, industry, commercial navigation, hydro power, recreational boating, and the ecosystem where wetlands sustain the aquatic species. Extreme water levels are the problem. High water levels cause flooding, shoreline erosion, and houses built on high bluffs toppling into the water. High water levels can also negatively impact the growth of suitable wetland plants for fish nursery and habitat. Low water levels can cripple shipping, reduce hydro generation, stop boating activity, disrupt drinking water, cause wetlands to dry up, fish, turtles and birds to die-off, invasive plants to take over the shoreline and harmful algae to develop in isolated bays.

Humans have been interfering since 1850. Navigational channels were deepened to 20 feet, then to 25 feet and finally to 27 feet. This triggered erosion of the St. Clair River causing even more deepening. Lake Michigan-Huron dropped by 20 inches. The story of why the United States, and Canadian governments, the International Joint Commission (IJC), the US Army Corps of Engineers have collectively so far failed to provide compensation structures for this past dredging is complicated. Mary Muter of the Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation has more than anyone else pursed a solution to this challenge – a solution that involves hydraulic modeling, wetland research, and government lobbying. At times huge steps forward have been made. There have also been colossal setbacks. A solution has been designed – a set of flexible airplane-wing-like hydraulic structures placed in the Upper St. Clair River. They would hold back water in extreme low supply conditions and lie flat in order to have no impact in extremely high water conditions. To mitigate extremely high water levels, governments would need to regulate the flow of water into Lake Superior and the flow through the St. Marys River. There would also need to be a single Control Board for all of the Great Lakes that would regulate water distribution in an equitable way throughout the system. Currently, the middle lakes, which are uncontrolled, are unfairly treated. Persuading governments to act remains a challenge.

Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation has been focused on water levels and wetlands. We have broadened our focus to include Water Quality, in particular significant concerns over water quality from increased nutrient concentration leading to blue-green algal blooms

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To find out more detail, you can read the rest of the article in this section and also the full story in Water-Levels- A Middle Great Lakes Dilema, on this site.

Water Levels

Water is a necessity for life, and the Great Lakes are the largest fresh water ecosystem on the planet. As water levels vary in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence drainage basin, so does the quantity of water on which the 40 million people and the 3,500 species of plants and animals depend for their wellbeing. The economy of the region is nearly $5 trillion dollars annually – nearly a third of the combined American and Canadian economies. Water levels directly impact access to drinking water, water for irrigation and industry, commercial navigation, hydro power generation, and recreational boating. Water levels determine the health of the ecosystem and the wetlands which sustain the marine species. Water levels also determine what damage occurs to shoreline properties. High water levels cause not only flooding but also shoreline erosion, which in turn can cause houses built on high bluffs to topple into the water. Low water levels can cripple shipping, reduce hydro generation, stop boating activity, disrupt drinking water supply, and cause wetlands to dry up, leading to fish and birds dying-off. Low water can also allow invasive plants to take over the shoreline and noxious algae to develop in isolated bays.

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Water Quality

For decades, permanent and seasonal residents of parts of the Great Lakes, especially Georgian Bay, drank water directly from the lake. Over time, people began to treat lake water in order to be certain of its purity. Today there are even greater concerns.

Isolated bays where the water exchange is slow have tended to be infested with such toxic developments as blue green algae. In some cases local health authorities have forbidden the use of such water for any activities: drinking, food preparation, swimming, and washing of clothing. There is also linkage between sustained low water levels and Increased risk of such algae development.

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