Decreasing water levels on the Great Lakes are impacting some water-based tourist operations and their communities.
Lake Superior’s water level is now the lowest it has been at this time of year since mid 1920s, according to Environment Canada’s Level news (Nov. 2006). Its level has been consistently below average since 1998. Lakes Michigan-Huron’s level is also below average, and has been since 1999. Those levels are expected to decline during December and remain below average for the foreseeable future.
Low lake levels are creating situations to which municipalities and operators have responded in various ways. The City of Sault Saint Marie recently dredged its Bondar Marina in the St. Mary’s River to remove the wind rows created by bow thrusters from larger ships. This was approved by council late September after the captain of the MS Columbus attempted to dock the 144-metre long passenger vessel, but was not comfortable with the depth.
Consequently, the cruise liner dropped anchor at the Hilton Beach Marina near St. Joseph’s Island.
Jerry Dolcetti, commissioner of engineering and planning, says the draft indicated in the technical data sheet for the ship was five metres; however, the captain’s preferred draft was 6.5 metres.
“It was a combination of wind direction and lower water levels that caused concern for the captain although he had enough draft to get into the dock,” Dolcetti says. “But they call the shots.”
Dolcetti says the cruise liner tours have visited the Sault since 1997.
“This is the first time that I recall there has been an occasion to have the concern they had with regards to the depth of the water.”
With the wind rows removed, amounting to approximately 145 (metric) tonnes, Dolcetti says there is enough depth to accommodate the MS Columbus. He added council is looking at further dredging and channel improvements in order to maintain cruise liner visitations.
Smaller operators of water-based businesses whose livelihood depends upon the Great Lakes have noticed the steady decline in water. Maurice East, owner of Killarney Mountain Lodge & Outfitters on Georgian Bay says low water levels over the last eight years have had a long-term impact on his business.
“We lost our capacity of the number of yachts we could handle,” he says. “It has had a long-term volume effect on our business, so instead of 30 yachts, we are down to 20 large-sized yachts (up to 19.5 m in length).”
East says they had to abandon a whole basin at the front of his lodge, because the bottom is solid rock, which could not be dredged. He estimates it was a permanent loss of $30,000 to $40,000 in dockage alone, excluding restaurant and bar revenue.
Georgian Bay’s water is down about 1.65 metres since 1999. In his 45th year of the business, East has seen the cyclical nature of the water levels, even the record lows of the mid-60s. However, he says in the last eight years, the water level has dropped dramatically and really hasn’t recovered.
“It is very disturbing, and not just from our own personal business point of view, but from an overall environmental point of view.”
East is not alone in his concern. Seasonal cottagers on Georgian Bay near Parry Sound are experiencing dry docks and boat houses. Rick Zanussi, building contractor and councillor with the Township of The Archipelago, a group of islands (about 15,000) within the District of Parry Sound, says they have seen an increase in dredging applications as a result of the low water levels. Zanussi lives on an island, and said the low water is starting to impair his ability to get around Georgian Bay.
“There are many areas we simply can’t get to like we once did…because the channels are too low.”
Many docks and boat houses high and dry, he says. Although it has generated work for him, he questions how much longer they will enjoy the tax base generated from high property assessments.
The taxation from the Township of The Archipelago contributes to the school boards, and 14.6 per cent to the District Social Services Administration Board. He adds if the assessments decrease, it would redistribute the whole tax load, which could become problematic for areas with lower assessments. Zanussi says they have lobbied the federal government to do an economic impact study in the area, but have not been successful.
As water levels continue to decline, the question remains, what is the cause? Numerous reports have been written and speculations made on the topic.
The International Joint Commission’s (IJC) final report of the Protection of the Water of the Great Lakes states the primary factors are climatic conditions, which control precipitation, runoff and direct supply to the lakes, and rate of evaporation. However, diversions, consumptive use, dredging and water-level regulation also play a role.
Dredging in the connecting channels, such as the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, to facilitate deep-draft shipping, has had the largest human-induced impact on lake levels lowering Lakes Michigan Huron by approximately 40 centimetres, states the IJC report.
A recent $17.5-million study by the IJC to study the regulation of Lake Superior water outflows is underway. The first part of this study will address concerns raised by the Georgian Bay Association (GBA) about whether the dredging in the St. Clair River was either too deep or if it led to a natural deepening of the channel and if there is a greater volume of water moving through the water than is currently known, says Nick Heifler, senior advisor for the IJC.
“That will be the first part of the study to try and construct a biometric (3-D) model of the river channel to determine what exactly is happening there,” he said.
The GBA is a citizens group comprised of shore property and cottage owners, and marina and tourist operators in the Georgian Bay area, whose main concerns are loss of wetlands. The association commissioned a study by F. Baird Associates Coastal Engineers Ltd. to investigate decreasing water levels on Georgian Bay. The resulting Baird Report confirmed ongoing erosion and shoreline alterations at the outflow of Lake Huron into St. Clair River is increasing conveyance capacity, lowering Lakes Michigan—Huron. The report also stated the ongoing erosion is resulting in a daily diversion of more than 3.8 billion litres.
Mary Muter, GBA’s vice president of air and water environment, describes it as the drain in the bathtub slowly getting bigger. She is hoping the study’s findings will necessitate action to stop the erosion by placing aggregate back onto the exposed, eroding river bottom.
