May 1: The Georgian Bay Association (GBA) is calling the International Joint Commission (IJC) report on erosion of the St. Clair River and water levels in the Upper Great Lakes "premature and its science incomplete." The draft study -- Impacts on Upper Great Lakes Water Levels: St. Clair River -- was released by the International Upper Great Lakes Study (IUGLS), an arm of the IJC, on May 1, and concluded that “remedial measures not be undertaken at this time.” [See WIMS 5/1/09].
GBA commissioned Baird & Associates, an internationally respected coastal consulting engineering firm, who release a 2004 report that found that decades of dredging in the St. Clair River, shoreline alterations and sand and gravel mining have led to an increased conveyance that draws more water from Lakes Michigan and Huron into the lower Lakes and out to the Atlantic Ocean. While the IUGLS study found that 6 billion more gallons of water are flowing out of Lakes Michigan and Huron per day as compared to 1971, they said it is due to "natural causes," and that no remedial measures need to be taken. The 2004 Baird Report found that the loss is 12 billion gallons per day and increasing.
Roy Schatz, Founding President of the GBA Foundation said, "The changes in the St. Clair River and their effect on water levels have been cited previously following rigorous and public scientific processes -- the new Study Board was meant to examine physical changes and establish the best solutions moving forward. The fact that it completely dismisses such an enormous increase in outflow and recommends that nothing be done about it is very disturbing." Bill Bialkowski, a recently retired engineer and GBA Foundation water levels committee member who has devoted years of volunteer time and expertise to this issue said, "They started with flawed data and they got flawed conclusions. The Study Board needs to move to a higher level of science in order to understand this complex river. It appears that sources were carefully screened to support preconceived conclusions."
Access a release and more information from GBA (click here).
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
No Action Necessary Now For St. Clair River Erosion
May 1: The International Upper Great Lakes Study (IUGLS) issued a draft report nearly one year ahead of its original schedule, indicating that erosion of the St. Clair River is not ongoing and recommended that “remedial measures not be undertaken at this time.” The report -- Impacts on Upper Great Lakes Water Levels: St. Clair River -- is the product of intense effort by a 10 member binational Study Board of experts and public members, who commissioned 42 research projects that engaged over 100 scientists. Fourteen public meetings have been scheduled throughout the region where residents can learn about the findings and provide comments.
The Study Board was appointed by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to determine whether the conveyance capacity of the St. Clair River has changed, to assess if there is ongoing erosion in the river bed and to identify other factors that may be affecting water levels. Specifically, the independent panel examined the change in head drop (or difference in water levels) between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, estimating the decline to be 23 centimeters (cm) or 9 inches (in) between 1962 and 2006. After an exhaustive effort to collect and verify historical data, conduct new research and analyze results, three key factors were identified as contributing to the decline: A change in the conveyance of the St. Clair River; Changes in climatic patterns; and Glacial isostatic adjustment.
The report emphasized that, “Climate is the main driver of the lake level relationships between lakes and over time. There has been a persistent decline in net total supply of water to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron over the past two decades that has resulted in declining lake levels and a change in the relationship to Lake Erie.” The Study Board also recommended that, “The need for mitigative measures in the St. Clair River continues to be examined as part of the continuing Study that will include a comprehensive assessment of the future effects of climate change on water supplies in the upper Great Lakes basin on Lake Superior regulation.”
Access a release from the IUGLS (click here). Access an overview and summary of the report (click here). Access links to the complete report, upcoming public meetings, commenting procedures and more (click here).
The Study Board was appointed by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to determine whether the conveyance capacity of the St. Clair River has changed, to assess if there is ongoing erosion in the river bed and to identify other factors that may be affecting water levels. Specifically, the independent panel examined the change in head drop (or difference in water levels) between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, estimating the decline to be 23 centimeters (cm) or 9 inches (in) between 1962 and 2006. After an exhaustive effort to collect and verify historical data, conduct new research and analyze results, three key factors were identified as contributing to the decline: A change in the conveyance of the St. Clair River; Changes in climatic patterns; and Glacial isostatic adjustment.
The report emphasized that, “Climate is the main driver of the lake level relationships between lakes and over time. There has been a persistent decline in net total supply of water to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron over the past two decades that has resulted in declining lake levels and a change in the relationship to Lake Erie.” The Study Board also recommended that, “The need for mitigative measures in the St. Clair River continues to be examined as part of the continuing Study that will include a comprehensive assessment of the future effects of climate change on water supplies in the upper Great Lakes basin on Lake Superior regulation.”
Access a release from the IUGLS (click here). Access an overview and summary of the report (click here). Access links to the complete report, upcoming public meetings, commenting procedures and more (click here).
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Council Of Great Lakes Governors Newsletter Available
Apr 9: The Council of Great Lakes Governors released its latest, April 2009 edition of its newsletter, The Compass. Highlights in the issue include: -A Message from Council Chair Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle; -Governors Applaud President’s Commitment to Great Lakes Restoration; - Australia-New Zealand Trade Mission Creates Results; -GLNA Leads UK Sales Mission and Exhibits at ITB Berlin; -Comments Sought on Draft Water Use Information Reporting Protocols for Regional Database; and -Stimulus Funding Boosts Renewable Energy.
Access the latest issue and links to past issues (click here). Access the GLCG website for more information (click here).
Access the latest issue and links to past issues (click here). Access the GLCG website for more information (click here).
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
2008 Great Lakes Ballast Water Management Report
Apr 1: The Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) has released the Great Lakes Ballast Water Management Report. The BWWG report was compiled by the Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG), comprised of representatives of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC), Transport Canada - Marine Safety (TCMS), and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC).
The group’s mandate is to develop, enhance, and coordinate binational enforcement and compliance efforts to reduce the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast water. The BWWG is actively engaged and providing an energetic response to calls for tougher ballast water regulation of ocean-going ships transiting the Seaway.
According to a release the report shows a notable increase in the number of ballast tank inspections of oceangoing commercial ships entering the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System from outside U.S. or Canadian waters. The 2008 report includes a marked improvement over the prior year's inspection program statistics in a number of areas, including ship compliance rates. Some of those highlights of the report: - 99% of ships bound for the Great Lakes Seaway received a ballast tank exam compared to 74% from 2007; - A total of 6704 ballast tanks, onboard 364 different ships, were sampled and had a 98.6% compliance rate compared to 95% in 2007; - In addition, 100% of ballast water reporting forms were screened to assess ballast water history, compliance, voyage information and proposed discharge location; and,
- Ships with non-compliant ballast tanks were required to take one of several options: (1) retain the ballast water and residuals on board, (2) treat the ballast water in an environmentally sound and approved manner, or (3) conduct a ballast water exchange at sea.
The report concludes, "For any regulatory regime to be effective, all the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway must be treated as a single system. The only way to ensure consistent ballast discharge regulations across the Great Lakes Seaway System is to have strong federally mandated standards managed by unified federal agency coordination between Canada and the U.S. A patchwork of state or province led regulatory ballast water regimes within the Great Lakes Seaway increases the legal, operational and administrative burden of inconsistent regulations and negatively impacts ship compliance and operation. Even worse, is that this suite of regulations would effectively deter ships from transiting or completing loading/unloading operations in some state waters. The current high effectiveness of ballast water exchange coupled with the BWWG’s aggressive enforcement of current regulations and the high industry compliance rate minimize the urgency for state involvement in ballast water regulation. Further impediments to ship trade will make the shipping industry and the associated economic stimulus even less viable in the future."
Access a release from the Coast Guard with links to the participating organizations (click here). Access the complete 14-page report (click here).
The group’s mandate is to develop, enhance, and coordinate binational enforcement and compliance efforts to reduce the introduction of aquatic invasive species via ballast water. The BWWG is actively engaged and providing an energetic response to calls for tougher ballast water regulation of ocean-going ships transiting the Seaway.
According to a release the report shows a notable increase in the number of ballast tank inspections of oceangoing commercial ships entering the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System from outside U.S. or Canadian waters. The 2008 report includes a marked improvement over the prior year's inspection program statistics in a number of areas, including ship compliance rates. Some of those highlights of the report: - 99% of ships bound for the Great Lakes Seaway received a ballast tank exam compared to 74% from 2007; - A total of 6704 ballast tanks, onboard 364 different ships, were sampled and had a 98.6% compliance rate compared to 95% in 2007; - In addition, 100% of ballast water reporting forms were screened to assess ballast water history, compliance, voyage information and proposed discharge location; and,
- Ships with non-compliant ballast tanks were required to take one of several options: (1) retain the ballast water and residuals on board, (2) treat the ballast water in an environmentally sound and approved manner, or (3) conduct a ballast water exchange at sea.
The report concludes, "For any regulatory regime to be effective, all the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway must be treated as a single system. The only way to ensure consistent ballast discharge regulations across the Great Lakes Seaway System is to have strong federally mandated standards managed by unified federal agency coordination between Canada and the U.S. A patchwork of state or province led regulatory ballast water regimes within the Great Lakes Seaway increases the legal, operational and administrative burden of inconsistent regulations and negatively impacts ship compliance and operation. Even worse, is that this suite of regulations would effectively deter ships from transiting or completing loading/unloading operations in some state waters. The current high effectiveness of ballast water exchange coupled with the BWWG’s aggressive enforcement of current regulations and the high industry compliance rate minimize the urgency for state involvement in ballast water regulation. Further impediments to ship trade will make the shipping industry and the associated economic stimulus even less viable in the future."
Access a release from the Coast Guard with links to the participating organizations (click here). Access the complete 14-page report (click here).
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Groups Call For New Vision Of Seaway On 50 Anniversary
Mar 30: On the 50th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway, conservation groups are highlighting what they are calling "the maritime corridor’s damaging environmental legacy" and are calling for policy and operational changes that address "decades of environmental and economic damage caused by the operation of the Seaway." Additionally, they say the navigation industry must prepare for future challenges associated with the impacts of climate change. The groups include Great Lakes United, Save The River, and National Wildlife Federation.
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a 189-mile (306-kilometer) maritime waterway between Montreal and Lake Ontario and was at one time heralded as an engineering marvel. During construction, portions of the St. Lawrence River were channelized and flooded and seven locks were built. The Seaway opened in 1959 amid forecasts that it would turn Great Lakes cities into world class ports by linking the interior of North America to global trade. The groups say history has proven otherwise and point to the fact that today, less than 7 percent of Great Lakes shipping traffic is international. The Seaway’s busiest season was its first year of operation, while total tonnage peaked in 1977 at 57.7 million tonnes and has been declining since. From 1993-2003 the waterway averaged 35 million tonnes, operating at about its half capacity.
The groups emphasize that the environmental and economic damage associated with ongoing Seaway operations are significant. Since 1959, they say international shipping has been the primary source of new non-native aquatic invasive species, such as the zebra and quagga mussels in the Great Lakes. The University of Notre Dame estimates that such species cost citizens, businesses and cities in the eight Great Lakes states alone at least $200 million per year in damages to the commercial and recreational fisheries, wildlife watching tourism, and through increased water infrastructure costs.
The groups contend that "if the Seaway wants to remain viable for another 50 years, it must ensure that the influx of invasive species is stopped, that it aggressively plans to adapt to lower water levels in ways that will not damage the Great Lakes and St. River, and in turn becomes part of restoring the Great Lakes by charting a new, truly sustainable course for future operations. Failure to do so will put the livelihoods of the people and species that rely on these waters, as well as the industry itself, at stake."
Access a release from the groups with links to additional background material (click here).
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a 189-mile (306-kilometer) maritime waterway between Montreal and Lake Ontario and was at one time heralded as an engineering marvel. During construction, portions of the St. Lawrence River were channelized and flooded and seven locks were built. The Seaway opened in 1959 amid forecasts that it would turn Great Lakes cities into world class ports by linking the interior of North America to global trade. The groups say history has proven otherwise and point to the fact that today, less than 7 percent of Great Lakes shipping traffic is international. The Seaway’s busiest season was its first year of operation, while total tonnage peaked in 1977 at 57.7 million tonnes and has been declining since. From 1993-2003 the waterway averaged 35 million tonnes, operating at about its half capacity.
The groups emphasize that the environmental and economic damage associated with ongoing Seaway operations are significant. Since 1959, they say international shipping has been the primary source of new non-native aquatic invasive species, such as the zebra and quagga mussels in the Great Lakes. The University of Notre Dame estimates that such species cost citizens, businesses and cities in the eight Great Lakes states alone at least $200 million per year in damages to the commercial and recreational fisheries, wildlife watching tourism, and through increased water infrastructure costs.
The groups contend that "if the Seaway wants to remain viable for another 50 years, it must ensure that the influx of invasive species is stopped, that it aggressively plans to adapt to lower water levels in ways that will not damage the Great Lakes and St. River, and in turn becomes part of restoring the Great Lakes by charting a new, truly sustainable course for future operations. Failure to do so will put the livelihoods of the people and species that rely on these waters, as well as the industry itself, at stake."
Access a release from the groups with links to additional background material (click here).
Friday, March 27, 2009
Great Lakes Beach Association 2009 Joint Conference
Mar 25: The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, U.S. EPA, and other sponsors have announced the State of Lake Michigan and Great Lakes Beach Association 2009 Joint Conference, to be held September 29-October 1, 2009, Hyatt Regency, Milwaukee, WI. The 6th biennial State of Lake Michigan and the 9th annual Great Lakes Beach Association Conference joint conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency, located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, near the famed Riverwalk. The conference brings together elected officials, scientists, resource managers, planners, students, and citizens working to improve the lake and its beaches, as outlined in the Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan.
Access further details (click here).
Access further details (click here).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Comments Wanted On Draft Water Use Reporting Protocols
Mar 25: The Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG) announced it is inviting public comment from March 25 through April 27, 2009, on draft water use information reporting protocols for the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin. The Great Lakes Governors and Premiers signed the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement on December 13, 2005. In the Agreement, the Governors and Premiers committed to gather and share water use information. The information would be used to assist the Great Lakes States and Provinces in beginning to improve scientific understanding of the waters of the Basin, the impacts of withdrawals from various locations and water sources on the basin ecosystem, understanding of the role of groundwater, and to clarify what groundwater forms part of the waters of the Basin. It will also provide the basis for adaptive management.
The draft protocols now available for public comment were jointly drafted by staff from the Great Lakes States and Provinces in order to develop recommendations for how information will be reported to the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Water use database. Also included are draft guidelines for water users to report water use information to the relevant State or Province. The draft protocols reflect input from Tribes and First Nations, and regional stakeholders. Comments are invited on all aspects of the draft protocols and, in particular, how water use information for intra-basin transfers should be reported. Following a review of the public comments, CGLG said revisions will be considered to the drafts.
Access the draft protocols (click here). Access further information from the CGLG website (click here).
The draft protocols now available for public comment were jointly drafted by staff from the Great Lakes States and Provinces in order to develop recommendations for how information will be reported to the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Water use database. Also included are draft guidelines for water users to report water use information to the relevant State or Province. The draft protocols reflect input from Tribes and First Nations, and regional stakeholders. Comments are invited on all aspects of the draft protocols and, in particular, how water use information for intra-basin transfers should be reported. Following a review of the public comments, CGLG said revisions will be considered to the drafts.
Access the draft protocols (click here). Access further information from the CGLG website (click here).
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