Audio Clip
A long-awaited report on Great Lakes water levels will be presented to the public Thursday night at meetings in Bay City and Traverse City.
The report looks at a variety of reasons that could be causing water levels on Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior to drop, even as levels on Lake Erie rise.
Among them was the possibility that Lake Huron was draining at a faster rate because of erosion on the St. Clair River.
But John Nevin, a communications specialist for the Upper Great Lakes Study, the group that authored the report, said that is not the case.
"There is no ongoing erosion on the St. Clair River," said Nevin. "And that was the big concern coming into the study, that the river was eroding, essentially causing more water to flow from Lake Huron and Michigan down, and ultimately to Lake Erie."
According to Nevin, climate change is having the biggest impact on Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior.
"Those lakes have been lower over the last decade primarily because it hasn't rained and snowed that much," he said. "And it's been warmer, so a lot of water has evaporated over that period."
Tomorrow's public meetings are at:
The Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center
Space Exploration Hall
100 Center Ave.
Bay City, MI 48708
Northwestern Michigan College
Oleson Center 112
1701 East Front Street
Traverse City, MI 49686
Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.
Additional information on the report and the public meetings is available at www.iugls.org.
The report looks at a variety of reasons that could be causing water levels on Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior to drop, even as levels on Lake Erie rise.
Among them was the possibility that Lake Huron was draining at a faster rate because of erosion on the St. Clair River.
But John Nevin, a communications specialist for the Upper Great Lakes Study, the group that authored the report, said that is not the case.
"There is no ongoing erosion on the St. Clair River," said Nevin. "And that was the big concern coming into the study, that the river was eroding, essentially causing more water to flow from Lake Huron and Michigan down, and ultimately to Lake Erie."
According to Nevin, climate change is having the biggest impact on Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior.
"Those lakes have been lower over the last decade primarily because it hasn't rained and snowed that much," he said. "And it's been warmer, so a lot of water has evaporated over that period."
Tomorrow's public meetings are at:
The Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center
Space Exploration Hall
100 Center Ave.
Bay City, MI 48708
Northwestern Michigan College
Oleson Center 112
1701 East Front Street
Traverse City, MI 49686
Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.
Additional information on the report and the public meetings is available at www.iugls.org.
