Great Lakes near record lows

Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake is nearing its lowest level in more than 80 years.
A regional 18-month drought is to blame, panelists from Environment Canada and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told reporters in a telephone conference yesterday.
The drought is also set to continue, they said. Forecasts point to average monthly record lows in the lake's level for August, September and October, with an all-time low expected sometime this fall.
Longer-term forecasts show a chance of wetter weather, which could mitigate the problem in the new year, they said.

Three missing on Georgian Bay

Coast Guard vessels and Police are continuing to search Georgian Bay this morning after three Sudbury teens failed to return from a boat trip yesterday.
The three young men in a 15-foot steel motorboatset off on the trip to Fraser Bay at 4 p.m. in the north end of Georgian Bay, near Killarney, Ont. Five Coast Guard vessels searched for the teens throughout the night and a military helicopter left Trenton this morning.

Teens rescued from drifting boat on Georgian Bay

Two teens in a rowboat were carried out into the open waters of Georgian Bay by 15-knot winds and metre-high waves. They were found after a marine and air search effort located them 13 kilometres offshore from Balm Beach.
The two were found around 5:40 p.m. yesterday after a Hercules transport plane from CFB Trenton's search and rescue team, spotted their tiny craft bobbing in the swells. The two were taken to Midland hospital and released.

Police have seized the boat involved in death of girl

Ontario Provincial Police have seized the boat involved in the death of a seven year old girl to determine why a tow bar collapsed, causing a piece of metal to strike the girl in the head.
Police are trying to determine what happened to the tow bar, a device that can be installed by a boat manufacturer or owner. The investigation will look at the manufacturer, whether the installation was done properly and whether it was properly maintained.

Great Lakes is losing 9.5 billion litres of water a day

The Great Lakes basin is losing almost 9.5 billion litres of water a day and must be patched up by the Canadian and American governments, environmental groups said Tuesday.
Navigation dredging, riverbed mining and shoreline alteration on the St. Clair River near Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia, Ont., have affected the flow of the Great Lakes and is draining water into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate that's three times greater than original estimates. Water levels in lakes Michigan and Huron and the Georgian Bay have fallen 60 centimetres since 1970.
The loss of water is senseless and will negatively affect water quality in the Great Lakes, as well as boating, fishing and commercial shipping.

IJC Leaves Boaters High And Dry

In response to the growing concerns over the dropping water levels seen on the Great Lakes in the last few years, the International Joint Commission recently assembled individuals to participate on a critical five year International Upper Great Lakes Study. The study will, among other objectives, “determine the factors that affect water levels and flows in the upper lakes.” The IJC also stated that it would “appoint a public interest advisory group to assist the study board” in order to make “sure that the views of the public are given due consideration.

However the 6 million boaters who use the lakes each year have been left high and dry. According to the International Joint Commission, they don’t deserve to have their voices heard despite the $16 billion in funds those boaters contribute to local economies and the direct effect the study will have on this large group of citizens.

The IJC appointed to the study board representatives of seven conservation organizations, a representative of a coastal landowners’ organization, a representative of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa, a representative from a Canadian shipping group and a private citizen.

It is unfortunate that the IJC has chosen to leave out boaters. One can only hope the "private citizen" is a boater.