To the Expositor:
I am sorry to tell you that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reports the water in Lake Huron is down another inch over the same time last year, while Lakes St. Clair and Erie are up four and 11 inches, respectively. I am even sorrier to tell you they are predicting the water levels in Lake Huron will drop even further in the future. The expected continual decline in our water underlines the importance of implementing a multi-lake regulation system, as soon as possible.
The Huron-Michigan basin is the only part of the Great Lakes chain without engineered controls for water levels. While the outflow of water from Lake Superior is mechanically controlled at the St. Mary’s River, we currently have no way of slowing down Lake Huron’s exit at the St. Clair River. Flexible, not fixed, controls must be put in place to allow Lake Huron’s water to move within a suitable range of levels, not the continuous decline we currently live with.
The good news is that people are talking about the water. One provincial candidate took out a full-page colour ad in last week’s paper, pledging to do something about the outflow of our water. He was also the only candidate able to provide a decent answer to my question about outflows at the St. Clair River during the Expositor’s All Candidates’ Night this past September 14.
This October 11-14 is Great Lakes Week in Detroit. It will encompass significant conferences hosted by the International Joint Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Areas of Concern Program, the Great Lakes Commission, The Healing Our Waters: Great Lakes Coalition (representing 115 organizations) and Environment Canada—all the leading organizations that deal with Great Lakes issues. Attendance is free, but registration is limited (www.greatlakesrestoration.us).
Detroit public television plans to broadcast and/or webcast 25 hours of coverage of the conference sessions and recap a half-hour of those activities each day.
We encourage everyone to get involved and help keep our lake great.
Therese Trainor, secretary
Manitoulin Area Stewardship Council
