Half steps not good enough for lakes
Half steps not good enough for lakes
January 28, 2008
Swishing out ballast tanks with salt water is a helpful measure in the fight against foreign species invading the Great Lakes. But it won't deter every menace, and Michigan must keep pressing for more extensive solutions.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. announced this month that no ship can enter without a saltwater rinse of its tanks at least 200 miles out into the ocean. The rule is aimed at ships that enter without ballast water but often have puddles of sludge from previous trips lodged in the nooks of the otherwise "empty" tanks. That sludge can contain a potent load of troublesome eggs, larvae and plants just waiting to be revived in freshwater.
A University of Michigan study has shown that saltwater rinses can cut back appreciably on the number of organisms that survive. Ships that contain ballast water already must follow a protocol for exchanging their ballast water at sea before they reach the seaway.
The salt water cuts down considerably on the number of freshwater organisms that survive the trip, and it is freshwater species that pose the danger here. Zebra mussels, initially released here, have now spread as far as California.
As welcome as the Seaway's new rule is, it also poses a danger that Congress will take it as an excuse to slack off on ordering complete water treatment. Shippers may use it to evade the threat of a lawsuit from the National Wildlife Federation, which continues in discussions on the subject.
Another recent study shows some hull-clinging organisms may survive an oceanic voyage, suggesting even ballast water treatment may not suffice. But that is surely a lesser problem. In the fight to get ships to stop dumping foreign species here, Congress has to get beyond every half-measure and distraction.
Bayfield Ontario
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Great Lakes' Lower Water Levels Propel a Cascade of Hardships - washingtonpost.com
Great Lakes' Lower Water Levels Propel a Cascade of Hardships - washingtonpost.com
Great Lakes' Lower Water Levels Propel a Cascade of Hardships
Lake Michigan off Chicago is far less icy than in years past, one of several reasons for dropping water levels in the Great Lakes. (By Kari Lydersen -- The Washington Post)
By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008; Page A04
CHICAGO -- A decade ago, Chicago winters meant monumental ice hillocks and caves forming along the lakeshore, skirted by interlocking ice sheets like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Today, it is rare to see more than a thin frozen shelf or a few small ice floes sloshing in Lake Michigan below the city's skyline.
Decreased ice cover on the Great Lakes, probably caused by increasing air and water temperatures and high winds, is a major culprit in lowering water levels, which have hurt the shipping industry, forced lakeside power plants to extend their cooling pipes, frustrated recreational boaters, dried up wetlands and left coastal landowners with docks extending over yards of unsightly muck.
In September, Lake Superior broke its 81-year-old low-water record by 1.6 inches, and last month it was a foot below its seasonal average. It appeared that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron would log record lows for January until storms helped levels stay above the marks set in the 1960s.
The low water has forced freighters that haul iron ore, steel, limestone and other raw materials to lighten their loads and change their routes to avoid running aground in shallow harbors and waterways.
"They literally do load these ships by the inch," said Stuart H. Theis, executive director of the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association. "To the lowest common denominator, the shallowest point along the way."
In the past two years, freighters have hit bottom or had to turn around in numerous locations, including Muskegon Harbor and the Saginaw River in Michigan and Rochester, N.Y.
The Lake Carriers' Association, which represents "captive" ships that travel only within the Great Lakes, has called for increased dredging at numerous "choke points" in response to low water levels. LCA spokesman Glen Nekvasil said vessels were running an average of 15 percent below capacity last season. Depending on the size of the ship, every inch of lost draft -- the depth to which a ship descends -- means 50 to 270 tons less cargo.
"And we're not talking inches, we're talking feet," Nekvasil said. "It's not just affecting the steamships; it's the steelworkers who depend on that iron ore, the workers at the limestone quarries. We move the raw materials that keep everyone else going."
Environmentalists are concerned that the drying of wetlands along the shores will have serious effects on commercial and recreational fishing.
"We firmly believe the changes we're seeing are impacting fisheries, possibly in a dramatic way," said Jeff Skelding of the National Wildlife Federation. "Disruption of habitat will impede fish species from being able to reproduce."
Marc Gaden, spokesman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said the changes may be conducive to some species and harmful to others. The same can be said for people.
Great Lakes' Lower Water Levels Propel a Cascade of Hardships
Lake Michigan off Chicago is far less icy than in years past, one of several reasons for dropping water levels in the Great Lakes. (By Kari Lydersen -- The Washington Post)
By Kari Lydersen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008; Page A04
CHICAGO -- A decade ago, Chicago winters meant monumental ice hillocks and caves forming along the lakeshore, skirted by interlocking ice sheets like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Today, it is rare to see more than a thin frozen shelf or a few small ice floes sloshing in Lake Michigan below the city's skyline.
Decreased ice cover on the Great Lakes, probably caused by increasing air and water temperatures and high winds, is a major culprit in lowering water levels, which have hurt the shipping industry, forced lakeside power plants to extend their cooling pipes, frustrated recreational boaters, dried up wetlands and left coastal landowners with docks extending over yards of unsightly muck.
In September, Lake Superior broke its 81-year-old low-water record by 1.6 inches, and last month it was a foot below its seasonal average. It appeared that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron would log record lows for January until storms helped levels stay above the marks set in the 1960s.
The low water has forced freighters that haul iron ore, steel, limestone and other raw materials to lighten their loads and change their routes to avoid running aground in shallow harbors and waterways.
"They literally do load these ships by the inch," said Stuart H. Theis, executive director of the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association. "To the lowest common denominator, the shallowest point along the way."
In the past two years, freighters have hit bottom or had to turn around in numerous locations, including Muskegon Harbor and the Saginaw River in Michigan and Rochester, N.Y.
The Lake Carriers' Association, which represents "captive" ships that travel only within the Great Lakes, has called for increased dredging at numerous "choke points" in response to low water levels. LCA spokesman Glen Nekvasil said vessels were running an average of 15 percent below capacity last season. Depending on the size of the ship, every inch of lost draft -- the depth to which a ship descends -- means 50 to 270 tons less cargo.
"And we're not talking inches, we're talking feet," Nekvasil said. "It's not just affecting the steamships; it's the steelworkers who depend on that iron ore, the workers at the limestone quarries. We move the raw materials that keep everyone else going."
Environmentalists are concerned that the drying of wetlands along the shores will have serious effects on commercial and recreational fishing.
"We firmly believe the changes we're seeing are impacting fisheries, possibly in a dramatic way," said Jeff Skelding of the National Wildlife Federation. "Disruption of habitat will impede fish species from being able to reproduce."
Marc Gaden, spokesman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, said the changes may be conducive to some species and harmful to others. The same can be said for people.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA
The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA
Pilot project shows promise
Posted 18 mins ago
When it comes to finding innovative solutions to major problems, you can't beat local companies.
That's being demonstrated at Canatara beach, where a Corunna firm has come up with a unique way to fix decaying groynes.
The groynes, put in place over the past 50 years, are used to trap water-borne sand and to extend beaches on the Lake Huron shoreline. Put simply, they've prevented our beaches from disappearing down the river.
But now they're in trouble. Many have been badly damaged over the years, creating aesthetic and safety problems. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap to replace.
That's where Global Marine Protection comes in. It is testing a pilot project on a groyne near the bandshell at Canatara Park. The recently completed job involved adding new steel plates and covering the whole with a rubber-like substance.
The special polymer coating can withstand crashing waves better than steel, according to Terry McCallum, the city's director of community services.
If all goes according to plan, the ice will slide right off the groynes, instead of crashing and freezing to the steel.
And the cost, estimated at around $25,000 per groyne, is much cheaper than the bill for replacement.
This is a project that has a lot of potential. Indeed, you can find decaying groynes across the Great Lakes basin. There are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of waterfront in Ontario and the eight U.S. states that border the lakes.
And of course you can find groynes on other bodies of water in North America and around the world, for that matter.
It may take time, but we suspect an innovation hatched right here in Lambton County could eventually be used to solve a problem plaguing waterfront communities far and wide.
Pilot project shows promise
Posted 18 mins ago
When it comes to finding innovative solutions to major problems, you can't beat local companies.
That's being demonstrated at Canatara beach, where a Corunna firm has come up with a unique way to fix decaying groynes.
The groynes, put in place over the past 50 years, are used to trap water-borne sand and to extend beaches on the Lake Huron shoreline. Put simply, they've prevented our beaches from disappearing down the river.
But now they're in trouble. Many have been badly damaged over the years, creating aesthetic and safety problems. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap to replace.
That's where Global Marine Protection comes in. It is testing a pilot project on a groyne near the bandshell at Canatara Park. The recently completed job involved adding new steel plates and covering the whole with a rubber-like substance.
The special polymer coating can withstand crashing waves better than steel, according to Terry McCallum, the city's director of community services.
If all goes according to plan, the ice will slide right off the groynes, instead of crashing and freezing to the steel.
And the cost, estimated at around $25,000 per groyne, is much cheaper than the bill for replacement.
This is a project that has a lot of potential. Indeed, you can find decaying groynes across the Great Lakes basin. There are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of waterfront in Ontario and the eight U.S. states that border the lakes.
And of course you can find groynes on other bodies of water in North America and around the world, for that matter.
It may take time, but we suspect an innovation hatched right here in Lambton County could eventually be used to solve a problem plaguing waterfront communities far and wide.
Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan, USA | News
Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan, USA | News
Lake Superior water levels still a foot below normal
Published Saturday, January 26, 2008 8:52:33 AM Central Time
Lake Superior water levels in late December remained about a foot below normal, according to the National Weather Service office in Marquette.
Despite some heavy rainfall during September and October in the Lake Superior drainage basin, water levels were a foot below normal, but seven to eight inches above the record-low level set in 1925.
Above normal temperatures and lack of precipitation for 2005, 2006 and 2007 caused the lake's water level to come within an inch or two of record lows in 2007, but the situation has been gradually improving.
The highest December water level was 603.1 feet in 1986, while the low was 600.1 in 1925. On Dec. 1, 2007, it was 600.9, and it fell to 600.7 on Dec. 31.
Water levels in the Lake Michigan/Huron drainage basins also fell slowly in December, according to the NWS. They hovered nearly 15 inches below the long-term mean and just one to two inches above the record low established in 1964
Lake Superior water levels still a foot below normal
Published Saturday, January 26, 2008 8:52:33 AM Central Time
Lake Superior water levels in late December remained about a foot below normal, according to the National Weather Service office in Marquette.
Despite some heavy rainfall during September and October in the Lake Superior drainage basin, water levels were a foot below normal, but seven to eight inches above the record-low level set in 1925.
Above normal temperatures and lack of precipitation for 2005, 2006 and 2007 caused the lake's water level to come within an inch or two of record lows in 2007, but the situation has been gradually improving.
The highest December water level was 603.1 feet in 1986, while the low was 600.1 in 1925. On Dec. 1, 2007, it was 600.9, and it fell to 600.7 on Dec. 31.
Water levels in the Lake Michigan/Huron drainage basins also fell slowly in December, according to the NWS. They hovered nearly 15 inches below the long-term mean and just one to two inches above the record low established in 1964
Friday, January 25, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
News - CKNX Radio AM920
News - CKNX Radio AM920Lake Huron Water Levels A Concern For Bruce County
The lowering water levels in Lake Huron have many residents concerned and a petition has been put together to encourage the Canadian Government to take action.
Mitch Twolan is on the Bruce County Agriculture, Tourism and Planning, Land Division Committee.
He feels that county council needs to become involved in the issue, because it can affect tourism along the lakeshore.
A report has indicated that Lake Huron water levels have dropped by 60 centimeters since 1970.
The lowering water levels in Lake Huron have many residents concerned and a petition has been put together to encourage the Canadian Government to take action.
Mitch Twolan is on the Bruce County Agriculture, Tourism and Planning, Land Division Committee.
He feels that county council needs to become involved in the issue, because it can affect tourism along the lakeshore.
A report has indicated that Lake Huron water levels have dropped by 60 centimeters since 1970.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
News - CKNX Radio AM920
News - CKNX Radio AM920
Another Reason for Lower Lake Huron Water Level
We know that water levels in the Great Lakes are cyclical and that we've been at the low end of the cycle for the last few years.
But a coastal resources manager with the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation says even within those cycles there can be some very dramatic fluctuations in water levels.
Geoff Peach says this natural phenomenon is called sloshing or a seiche and it can be caused by either very high winds or a dramatic drop in barometric pressure before a storm.
Peach says the water action is similar to sloshing water back and forth in a bathtub and the drop in levels is so dramatic that a person on a shallow beach can suddenly have twenty to thirty feet of beach that they didn't have previously.
Peach says just like water in a bathtub, when the wind stops, or the barametric pressure returns to normal, the water levels move back and forth and then settle at their previous levels.
The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation spokesperson says that usually happens within a few hours.
Another Reason for Lower Lake Huron Water Level
We know that water levels in the Great Lakes are cyclical and that we've been at the low end of the cycle for the last few years.
But a coastal resources manager with the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation says even within those cycles there can be some very dramatic fluctuations in water levels.
Geoff Peach says this natural phenomenon is called sloshing or a seiche and it can be caused by either very high winds or a dramatic drop in barometric pressure before a storm.
Peach says the water action is similar to sloshing water back and forth in a bathtub and the drop in levels is so dramatic that a person on a shallow beach can suddenly have twenty to thirty feet of beach that they didn't have previously.
Peach says just like water in a bathtub, when the wind stops, or the barametric pressure returns to normal, the water levels move back and forth and then settle at their previous levels.
The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation spokesperson says that usually happens within a few hours.
Friday, January 11, 2008
The evaporation factor Warm winter weather + frozen ground = lower lake levels - mlive.com
The evaporation factor Warm winter weather + frozen ground = lower lake levels - mlive.com
The evaporation factor Warm winter weather + frozen ground = lower lake levels
Thursday, January 10, 2008By Jeff Kartjkart@bc-times.com | 894-9639
Lake Huron is in a fog, part of a gloomy cycle that's pushing water levels to record lows, scientists say.
Last week, a winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow over the Great Lakes. Over the weekend, warmer temperatures melted that snow, and much of that water evaporated into the air.
The cycle has been playing out for the past 30 years in the Great Lakes, said Cynthia Sellinger, co-author of a paper to be published Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology, a scientific journal.
The evaporation factor Warm winter weather + frozen ground = lower lake levels
Thursday, January 10, 2008By Jeff Kartjkart@bc-times.com | 894-9639
Lake Huron is in a fog, part of a gloomy cycle that's pushing water levels to record lows, scientists say.
Last week, a winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow over the Great Lakes. Over the weekend, warmer temperatures melted that snow, and much of that water evaporated into the air.
The cycle has been playing out for the past 30 years in the Great Lakes, said Cynthia Sellinger, co-author of a paper to be published Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology, a scientific journal.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
London Free Press - City & Region - Out with the axe; in with wheat and waves
London Free Press - City & Region - Out with the axe; in with wheat and waves
Out with the axe; in with wheat and waves
Thu, January 10, 2008
By DEBORA VAN BRENK, SUN MEDIA
GODERICH -- Huron County is adding some zip to its image.
A major makeover that includes a new logo and website has the county shelving its staid, 19th-century public face in favour of a bold, stylized visage.
Relegated to posterity is the old crest, which includes a walking plough, a mushroom-shaped wheat sheaf and an arm ominously wielding an axe.
That crest, curiously, shows no hint of the lake that first attracted settlers and continues to draw thousands to its shores each year.
The new image suggests a bold blue sky, white waves representing Lake Huron and a silhouette of trees underlined by a golden stalk of wheat.
"It shows that we are dynamic, forward-thinking and at the same time, it shows a great deal of respect for how we got here," said Huron County Warden John Bezaire.
County planner Carol Leeming, who headed the re-branding committee, said the logo and website are intended to show the "product, personality and promise" of the county.
They will also help the county's newly redesigned economic development department attract businesses and tourists to an area that dubs itself Ontario's West Coast.
Huron's rudimentary Internet presence started in 1998 and it had a first-generation website in 2003.
The revamped site -- www.huroncounty.ca with that ubiquitous new logo -- includes a searchable database of county departments, agendas, bylaws, tourist attractions and businesses.
Now residents can pay traffic tickets online, beach-goers can check lake water quality or get directions to their favourite inn and businesspeople can see what their factories or farms look like on an interactive aerial map.
Yesterday's big splash was accompanied by a three-dimensional logo carved in ice by Ice Cultures in Hensall.
But Huron isn't frozen in time, said Bezaire.
"Sometimes rural Canada is looked at as a pace behind everyone else," he said.
"This helps show we're progressive."
The old crest will still be used for ceremonial purposes.
The new logo will adorn county vehicles, signs and marketing material.
It was designed with the help of a Kitchener marketing firm, Two Blonde Chicks Inc.
Out with the axe; in with wheat and waves
Thu, January 10, 2008
By DEBORA VAN BRENK, SUN MEDIA
GODERICH -- Huron County is adding some zip to its image.
A major makeover that includes a new logo and website has the county shelving its staid, 19th-century public face in favour of a bold, stylized visage.
Relegated to posterity is the old crest, which includes a walking plough, a mushroom-shaped wheat sheaf and an arm ominously wielding an axe.
That crest, curiously, shows no hint of the lake that first attracted settlers and continues to draw thousands to its shores each year.
The new image suggests a bold blue sky, white waves representing Lake Huron and a silhouette of trees underlined by a golden stalk of wheat.
"It shows that we are dynamic, forward-thinking and at the same time, it shows a great deal of respect for how we got here," said Huron County Warden John Bezaire.
County planner Carol Leeming, who headed the re-branding committee, said the logo and website are intended to show the "product, personality and promise" of the county.
They will also help the county's newly redesigned economic development department attract businesses and tourists to an area that dubs itself Ontario's West Coast.
Huron's rudimentary Internet presence started in 1998 and it had a first-generation website in 2003.
The revamped site -- www.huroncounty.ca with that ubiquitous new logo -- includes a searchable database of county departments, agendas, bylaws, tourist attractions and businesses.
Now residents can pay traffic tickets online, beach-goers can check lake water quality or get directions to their favourite inn and businesspeople can see what their factories or farms look like on an interactive aerial map.
Yesterday's big splash was accompanied by a three-dimensional logo carved in ice by Ice Cultures in Hensall.
But Huron isn't frozen in time, said Bezaire.
"Sometimes rural Canada is looked at as a pace behind everyone else," he said.
"This helps show we're progressive."
The old crest will still be used for ceremonial purposes.
The new logo will adorn county vehicles, signs and marketing material.
It was designed with the help of a Kitchener marketing firm, Two Blonde Chicks Inc.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Global warming, water diversion may become local issues on the peninsula | Ramblings and Rumblings - www.portclintonnewsherald.com - Port Clinton, OH
Global warming, water diversion may become local issues on the peninsula | Ramblings and Rumblings - www.portclintonnewsherald.com - Port Clinton, OH
Global warming, water diversion may become local issues on the peninsula
A decade ago at a Village of Marblehead council meeting, the Honorable Mayor Kathleen “Kay” Dziak presiding, a councilman asked to be heard. He suggested that Village Council draft a resolution that would put the council on record as opposing any water diversion from Lake Erie and the Great Lakes to the southern and western states. There were muffled snickers from the few visitors, and council listened politely, then the evening's agenda moved forward. There never was discussion and there never was a resolution. Most likely the moment wasn't captured in any minutes and has been long ago forgotten. The idea that a handful of elected public officials from a small Village could take any action that might have some effect on larger communities along the North Coast or make a statement that would serve as a sentinel seemed at the time to be far-fetched. So did the dire predictions of shallower water, higher water temperatures, lower oxygen levels in the water, bad fishing and, if those weren't horrific enough, water being diverted from Lake Erie to New Mexico.
But now it appears that things really are heating up. Of course, it's early January, and the temperature is above 60 degrees, but I am referring to the various reports being issued that forecast serious trouble for Lake Erie in the coming years.
A 315-page report, “State of the Strait: Status and Trends of Key Indicators 2007,” released within the last month, is the culmination of a three-year study of the Detroit River-western Lake Erie corridor. The editors of the report include members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Windsor, Environment Canada, the International Joint Commission and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. Funding sources included several of the aforementioned agencies as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The gist of the report: 75 scientists from nearly 50 government, business, academic and public-interest groups claimed Lake Erie could drop 3.28 feet to 6.56 feet of water by 2066.
A 41-page report published by The National Wildlife Foundation, with the support of Environmental Advocates of New York and five other environmental groups from across the Great Lakes states, appeared in late November. The report was written based on the findings of researchers at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Joint Commission, the federal government and independent researchers. The report explains the findings of scientists and puts them into an enviro-political context. The gist of the report: prepare for a new climate change reality. Higher average temperatures in the Great Lakes region by 2050 will cause a 4.5-foot drop in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron waters because evaporation will outpace rain and snow. Since Lake Huron feeds Lake Erie, the already warmest, shallowest, and most ecologically fragile part of the Great Lakes may be doomed. The report advises that higher lake temperatures likely would lead to more algae and less oxygen in the water, curtailing fish production and crimping tourism.
A 3-page report issued by the International Association for Great Lakes Research highlights problems caused by pollution, invasive species, contaminated sediments, loss of wetlands and shoreline habitat. The report does not make any direct references to climate change.
So you can take a big gulp with the 315-page report or a small drink with the 3-page report, but those who are in the know seem to be indicating that global warming has arrived in our little corner of the planet. If it feels any better, I guess you might call it Great Lakes Warming. If it hasn't arrived quite yet, apparently it will be appearing at a shoreline near you soon. If you think it is cyclical with the ups and downs of temperature and lake levels, you are not alone. But the plethora of reports, not limited to the aforementioned, seem to forecast trouble.
Such trouble appears to double in light of the Thirsty Southwest. The Great Lakes hold 20% of the Earth's fresh water, or 95% of this country's surface freshwater, and states in the southwestern part of the United States want some of it. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson even made the notion of water sharing part of his stump speech in the early infighting in the presidential race. Whether or not the Thirsty Southwest is quenched by water from Lake Erie remains to be seen in the decades ahead. The possibility looms.
The double-trouble, or what Noah Hall from Wayne State University refers to as “a one-two punch,” is here to stay. The issues of global warming and water diversion are not going away. As global warming increases by degrees, so will problems in Lake Erie increase by degrees. As water diversion begins with a single drop, so too will the solutions to these issues begin by a single vote or act.
By STEVE PLOTTNER. Posted at 1:51 PM
Global warming, water diversion may become local issues on the peninsula
A decade ago at a Village of Marblehead council meeting, the Honorable Mayor Kathleen “Kay” Dziak presiding, a councilman asked to be heard. He suggested that Village Council draft a resolution that would put the council on record as opposing any water diversion from Lake Erie and the Great Lakes to the southern and western states. There were muffled snickers from the few visitors, and council listened politely, then the evening's agenda moved forward. There never was discussion and there never was a resolution. Most likely the moment wasn't captured in any minutes and has been long ago forgotten. The idea that a handful of elected public officials from a small Village could take any action that might have some effect on larger communities along the North Coast or make a statement that would serve as a sentinel seemed at the time to be far-fetched. So did the dire predictions of shallower water, higher water temperatures, lower oxygen levels in the water, bad fishing and, if those weren't horrific enough, water being diverted from Lake Erie to New Mexico.
But now it appears that things really are heating up. Of course, it's early January, and the temperature is above 60 degrees, but I am referring to the various reports being issued that forecast serious trouble for Lake Erie in the coming years.
A 315-page report, “State of the Strait: Status and Trends of Key Indicators 2007,” released within the last month, is the culmination of a three-year study of the Detroit River-western Lake Erie corridor. The editors of the report include members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Windsor, Environment Canada, the International Joint Commission and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. Funding sources included several of the aforementioned agencies as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The gist of the report: 75 scientists from nearly 50 government, business, academic and public-interest groups claimed Lake Erie could drop 3.28 feet to 6.56 feet of water by 2066.
A 41-page report published by The National Wildlife Foundation, with the support of Environmental Advocates of New York and five other environmental groups from across the Great Lakes states, appeared in late November. The report was written based on the findings of researchers at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Joint Commission, the federal government and independent researchers. The report explains the findings of scientists and puts them into an enviro-political context. The gist of the report: prepare for a new climate change reality. Higher average temperatures in the Great Lakes region by 2050 will cause a 4.5-foot drop in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron waters because evaporation will outpace rain and snow. Since Lake Huron feeds Lake Erie, the already warmest, shallowest, and most ecologically fragile part of the Great Lakes may be doomed. The report advises that higher lake temperatures likely would lead to more algae and less oxygen in the water, curtailing fish production and crimping tourism.
A 3-page report issued by the International Association for Great Lakes Research highlights problems caused by pollution, invasive species, contaminated sediments, loss of wetlands and shoreline habitat. The report does not make any direct references to climate change.
So you can take a big gulp with the 315-page report or a small drink with the 3-page report, but those who are in the know seem to be indicating that global warming has arrived in our little corner of the planet. If it feels any better, I guess you might call it Great Lakes Warming. If it hasn't arrived quite yet, apparently it will be appearing at a shoreline near you soon. If you think it is cyclical with the ups and downs of temperature and lake levels, you are not alone. But the plethora of reports, not limited to the aforementioned, seem to forecast trouble.
Such trouble appears to double in light of the Thirsty Southwest. The Great Lakes hold 20% of the Earth's fresh water, or 95% of this country's surface freshwater, and states in the southwestern part of the United States want some of it. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson even made the notion of water sharing part of his stump speech in the early infighting in the presidential race. Whether or not the Thirsty Southwest is quenched by water from Lake Erie remains to be seen in the decades ahead. The possibility looms.
The double-trouble, or what Noah Hall from Wayne State University refers to as “a one-two punch,” is here to stay. The issues of global warming and water diversion are not going away. As global warming increases by degrees, so will problems in Lake Erie increase by degrees. As water diversion begins with a single drop, so too will the solutions to these issues begin by a single vote or act.
By STEVE PLOTTNER. Posted at 1:51 PM
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation
Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation
Point Clark now highlighted on stamp
Written by Mark Beaton
Canada Post has released it's new 2008 definitive stamps.
Part of the collection includes the Canadian flag over 5 different lighthouses coast-to-coast across Canada including Point Clark
Point Clark was originally referred to as "Pine Point" and was built between 1855 and 1859.
Canada Spokesperson Nicole Lemire says Point Clark was built to warn of the dangers posed by the reefs about two miles off Lake Huron's shoreline.
Lemire says Point Clark was a good selection because it is a tourist friendly community and it's a big attraction in the Lake Huron area.
Lemire says it took alot of time and effort to select the lighthouses used in the stamps.
More information on these new definitive stamps is avaliable on-line at www.canadapost.com and can be purchased at any Canada Post office
Point Clark now highlighted on stamp
Written by Mark Beaton
Canada Post has released it's new 2008 definitive stamps.
Part of the collection includes the Canadian flag over 5 different lighthouses coast-to-coast across Canada including Point Clark
Point Clark was originally referred to as "Pine Point" and was built between 1855 and 1859.
Canada Spokesperson Nicole Lemire says Point Clark was built to warn of the dangers posed by the reefs about two miles off Lake Huron's shoreline.
Lemire says Point Clark was a good selection because it is a tourist friendly community and it's a big attraction in the Lake Huron area.
Lemire says it took alot of time and effort to select the lighthouses used in the stamps.
More information on these new definitive stamps is avaliable on-line at www.canadapost.com and can be purchased at any Canada Post office
Big Lake's fish population plummeting - Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.com
Big Lake's fish population plummeting - Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.comThe quantity of fish food in Lake Michigan hit a record low for the second straight year in 2007, a trend that could be disastrous for the salmon fishery if it continues.
The volume of all prey fish in the lake -- alewife, bloaters and other small fish eaten by salmon, lake trout and whitefish -- dropped by half, from 61 kilotons in 2006 to 30 kilotons in 2007, according to data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center.
That's the lowest volume recorded since the government began tracking prey fish densities in 1973. Prey fish abundance last year was 92 percent below the record volume of 400 kilotons recorded in 1989, said Chuck Madenjian, a USGS research fishery biologist.
At the same time prey fish numbers are plummeting, the volume of foreign dreissenid mussels in Lake Michigan -- quagga and zebra mussels -- increased 13 percent in 2007, according to USGS data. There were 245 kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in the lakes, eight times the volume of all prey fish; quaggas account for 98 percent of the mussels in the lake, according to government data.
"Most of the stuff we bring up in our bottom trawl now is quagga mussels," Madenjian said. "Their population has just exploded in the lake in the last five years."
The divergent trends of more mussels and fewer prey fish doesn't bode well for the Lake Michigan ecosystem or the sport and commercial fisheries.
FISH FAMINE
Here is a comparison of prey fish abundance in Lake Michigan in 2006 and 2007. Prey fish are bloaters, alewife and other species eaten by larger fish: salmon, lake trout and whitefish:
400: Kilotons of prey fish in 1989, the highest volume recorded since data was first collected in 1973.
61: Kilotons of prey fish in 2006.
30: Kilotons of prey fish in 2007.
92: Percentage difference in prey fish abundance in 1989 and 2007.
212: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2006.
245: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2007.
-- Source: U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center
Quagga mussels hog the plankton that comprises the base of a food chain that supports most fish species. The dime-sized mussels, which snuck into the Great Lakes in ocean freighters' ballast water, have been linked to the collapse of Lake Huron's salmon fishery.
They are shrinking salmon and whitefish in lakes Michigan and Ontario and causing algae blooms that foul beaches and botulism outbreaks that have killed 75,000 fish-eating birds around the Great Lakes over the past decade.
A state biologist said anglers should expect to catch fewer salmon, and smaller salmon, in Lake Michigan in the coming years. There aren't enough prey fish in the lake to support the near-record salmon catches anglers have enjoyed in recent years, said Randy Claramunt, research biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"I think we're going to see reduced salmon catches in the near future," Claramunt said. "This is not a crash of the salmon fishery, it's more like a soft landing."
The lake's alewife population held steady in 2007, Madenjian said. But the quantity of those fish has dropped by more than half in recent years.
Lake Michigan salmon have been shrinking in size because the food supply is dwindling. Anglers have caught numerous salmon in the past three years, but 20-pound fish have become scarce. In the 1980s, salmon weighing 30 pounds or more were common, according to state data.
The reason is that Lake Michigan, for fish, is like a grocery store whose shelves are being picked clean by a foreign invader, the quagga mussel. As a result, sport and commercial fish populations are vying for meals from shrinking stocks of plankton and prey fish.
Claramunt said he doubts the Lake Michigan salmon fishery will go the way of Lake Huron. Alewife disappeared from Lake Huron in 2003 and the salmon fishery collapsed the following year, according to state data.
The four states surrounding Lake Michigan reduced salmon stocking by 25 percent in 2006 due to concerns there were more fish than the lake could support. Those concerns were fueled in large part by the decline of alewife, the primary food source for salmon.
Great Lakes fish expert David Jude said the precipitous decline of prey fish in Lake Michigan is startling.
"I think we're starting to see what quagga and zebra mussels have wrought," said Jude, a University of Michigan research scientist. "When they first arrived we wondered what kind of impact they might have and now we're starting to see it in lakes Michigan and Huron; I didn't think it would happen this quickly."
Madenjian said he is not yet convinced that zebra and quagga mussels are the lone culprit behind a steep drop in prey fish abundance in lakes Michigan and Huron, which geographically are one lake.
"The natural urge is to blame the mussels but I've resisted that," Madenjian said. He said other factors, such as natural fluctuations in the bloater population and the possible presence of too many salmon in Lake Michigan could be depleting prey fish populations.
Madenjian said the next three to five years will be very telling for the Lake Michigan fishery. He said a rebound in the bloater population could pump new life into the salmon, whitefish and lake trout fisheries.
The volume of bloaters in the lake dropped from 13 kilotons in 2006 to 5 kilotons last year, Madenjian said. The current bloater abundance is about 1 percent of the record volume recorded in 1989, he said.
"The big cause for concern in my mind is whether the bloaters are going to come back or not," Madenjian said.
The lone bright spot in data generated by the USGS' annual sampling of the lake bottom was the abundance of perch. Madenjian said he believes there will be terrific perch fishing this summer.
"Perch might be on their way to a recovery in Lake Michigan," he said.
The volume of all prey fish in the lake -- alewife, bloaters and other small fish eaten by salmon, lake trout and whitefish -- dropped by half, from 61 kilotons in 2006 to 30 kilotons in 2007, according to data compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center.
That's the lowest volume recorded since the government began tracking prey fish densities in 1973. Prey fish abundance last year was 92 percent below the record volume of 400 kilotons recorded in 1989, said Chuck Madenjian, a USGS research fishery biologist.
At the same time prey fish numbers are plummeting, the volume of foreign dreissenid mussels in Lake Michigan -- quagga and zebra mussels -- increased 13 percent in 2007, according to USGS data. There were 245 kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in the lakes, eight times the volume of all prey fish; quaggas account for 98 percent of the mussels in the lake, according to government data.
"Most of the stuff we bring up in our bottom trawl now is quagga mussels," Madenjian said. "Their population has just exploded in the lake in the last five years."
The divergent trends of more mussels and fewer prey fish doesn't bode well for the Lake Michigan ecosystem or the sport and commercial fisheries.
FISH FAMINE
Here is a comparison of prey fish abundance in Lake Michigan in 2006 and 2007. Prey fish are bloaters, alewife and other species eaten by larger fish: salmon, lake trout and whitefish:
400: Kilotons of prey fish in 1989, the highest volume recorded since data was first collected in 1973.
61: Kilotons of prey fish in 2006.
30: Kilotons of prey fish in 2007.
92: Percentage difference in prey fish abundance in 1989 and 2007.
212: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2006.
245: Kilotons of quagga and zebra mussels in 2007.
-- Source: U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center
Quagga mussels hog the plankton that comprises the base of a food chain that supports most fish species. The dime-sized mussels, which snuck into the Great Lakes in ocean freighters' ballast water, have been linked to the collapse of Lake Huron's salmon fishery.
They are shrinking salmon and whitefish in lakes Michigan and Ontario and causing algae blooms that foul beaches and botulism outbreaks that have killed 75,000 fish-eating birds around the Great Lakes over the past decade.
A state biologist said anglers should expect to catch fewer salmon, and smaller salmon, in Lake Michigan in the coming years. There aren't enough prey fish in the lake to support the near-record salmon catches anglers have enjoyed in recent years, said Randy Claramunt, research biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"I think we're going to see reduced salmon catches in the near future," Claramunt said. "This is not a crash of the salmon fishery, it's more like a soft landing."
The lake's alewife population held steady in 2007, Madenjian said. But the quantity of those fish has dropped by more than half in recent years.
Lake Michigan salmon have been shrinking in size because the food supply is dwindling. Anglers have caught numerous salmon in the past three years, but 20-pound fish have become scarce. In the 1980s, salmon weighing 30 pounds or more were common, according to state data.
The reason is that Lake Michigan, for fish, is like a grocery store whose shelves are being picked clean by a foreign invader, the quagga mussel. As a result, sport and commercial fish populations are vying for meals from shrinking stocks of plankton and prey fish.
Claramunt said he doubts the Lake Michigan salmon fishery will go the way of Lake Huron. Alewife disappeared from Lake Huron in 2003 and the salmon fishery collapsed the following year, according to state data.
The four states surrounding Lake Michigan reduced salmon stocking by 25 percent in 2006 due to concerns there were more fish than the lake could support. Those concerns were fueled in large part by the decline of alewife, the primary food source for salmon.
Great Lakes fish expert David Jude said the precipitous decline of prey fish in Lake Michigan is startling.
"I think we're starting to see what quagga and zebra mussels have wrought," said Jude, a University of Michigan research scientist. "When they first arrived we wondered what kind of impact they might have and now we're starting to see it in lakes Michigan and Huron; I didn't think it would happen this quickly."
Madenjian said he is not yet convinced that zebra and quagga mussels are the lone culprit behind a steep drop in prey fish abundance in lakes Michigan and Huron, which geographically are one lake.
"The natural urge is to blame the mussels but I've resisted that," Madenjian said. He said other factors, such as natural fluctuations in the bloater population and the possible presence of too many salmon in Lake Michigan could be depleting prey fish populations.
Madenjian said the next three to five years will be very telling for the Lake Michigan fishery. He said a rebound in the bloater population could pump new life into the salmon, whitefish and lake trout fisheries.
The volume of bloaters in the lake dropped from 13 kilotons in 2006 to 5 kilotons last year, Madenjian said. The current bloater abundance is about 1 percent of the record volume recorded in 1989, he said.
"The big cause for concern in my mind is whether the bloaters are going to come back or not," Madenjian said.
The lone bright spot in data generated by the USGS' annual sampling of the lake bottom was the abundance of perch. Madenjian said he believes there will be terrific perch fishing this summer.
"Perch might be on their way to a recovery in Lake Michigan," he said.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Waterfront homes have more beach; ships sail lighter
Times Herald - www.thetimesherald.com - Port Huron, MILake levels nearing record lows
Waterfront homes have more beach; ships sail lighter
By BOBBY AMPEZZAN
Times Herald
When Jerry Eschenburg, 49, surveys the scene in front of his East China Township home there are a few things that stand out: a two-year-old "For Sale" sign, a beach spreading in front of a flood wall, a Jet-Ski lift suspended above sand that once was covered by water.
Eschenburg said he doesn't think low water levels in the St. Clair River and Lake Huron are turning prospective homebuyers away from his waterfront property - "nothing's selling right now, let's face it" - but it's not helping.
ADVERTISEMENT
Water levels in lakes Huron and Michigan are teetering just above an all-time low, and everything from shipping to power generation, to recreational boating to water habitat may be hurt.
On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a six-month forecast that predicts water depths for the lakes will hover just above record-setting lows through the winter months.
The all-time low water depth for the lakes for the month of January - 576.12 feet - was set in 1965. As of Friday, the depth was 576.31 feet.
Lake Huron is more than 2 feet shallower than average, and 5 feet shy of the record high set in 1987.
"We have been below average on Michigan-Huron for quite some time, since about 1999," said Keith Kompoltowicz, a meteorologist with the corps. "There have been times where we've seen above average rainfall, but it hasn't been enough to get the level climbing back to closer or higher than average."
Kompoltowicz said lake water levels are determined largely by the amount of water running into the lake basin, fueled either by rain or melted snow and ice, and the amount of water evaporating from the surface of the lakes.
"Looking back at January (and) February, 2007, almost 8 inches evaporated just in that two month period," a period when the average evaporation rate is 5½ inches, the meteorologist said.
The low lake levels have meant area boaters are doing more with less.
Eschenburg said his neighbor takes her Jet Ski to a local marina to put it in the water, and his brother had to push the family's 40-foot house boat out into the St. Clair River before he could reach water deep enough to run the propeller.
Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, said marinas on lakes Huron and Michigan are spending more money on dredging, hydropower plants are running at half capacity or less, and floodplains and wetlands are drying up.
But the biggest impact has been on commercial shipping. For every inch of clearance lost in the lakes, freighters must shed between 11,000 and 22,000 pounds.
Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, said the largest recorded shipment carried through lakes Huron and Michigan in November was about 63,000 tons. When the water is high, freighters may carry upward of 72,000 tons in a trip.
Shipments of coal to Detroit Edison's St. Clair Power Plant were down 10,000 tons in December to about 61,000 tons, he said. The reduced amount of coal could produce electricity for the entire greater Detroit area for three hours.
In a three-week span in August and September this year, two 1,000-foot freighters ran aground in the mouth of the harbor in Muskegon.
"We can't control evaporation. We can't control precipitation, but we can dredge the Great Lakes," Nekvasil said.
Commercial shippers pay into the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which Nekvasil said has a surplus of between $3 and $4 billion, some of which he thinks should be used for dredging.
Nekvasil said according to estimates from the Army Corps of Engineers $230 million is needed to "clear up the dredging backlog on the Great Lakes."
Dredging may be part of the problem.
Sellinger said the International Joint Commission, a bi-national organization formed to solve water management disputes, has commissioned a $14 million study that will in part evaluate whether dredging - particularly in the St. Clair River - has accelerated the speed at which water in lakes Huron and Michigan is draining into Lake Erie.
She said the study may recommend the corps implement "compensating work," such as a weir, which would slow the flow of water out of the lakes.
Waterfront homes have more beach; ships sail lighter
By BOBBY AMPEZZAN
Times Herald
When Jerry Eschenburg, 49, surveys the scene in front of his East China Township home there are a few things that stand out: a two-year-old "For Sale" sign, a beach spreading in front of a flood wall, a Jet-Ski lift suspended above sand that once was covered by water.
Eschenburg said he doesn't think low water levels in the St. Clair River and Lake Huron are turning prospective homebuyers away from his waterfront property - "nothing's selling right now, let's face it" - but it's not helping.
ADVERTISEMENT
Water levels in lakes Huron and Michigan are teetering just above an all-time low, and everything from shipping to power generation, to recreational boating to water habitat may be hurt.
On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a six-month forecast that predicts water depths for the lakes will hover just above record-setting lows through the winter months.
The all-time low water depth for the lakes for the month of January - 576.12 feet - was set in 1965. As of Friday, the depth was 576.31 feet.
Lake Huron is more than 2 feet shallower than average, and 5 feet shy of the record high set in 1987.
"We have been below average on Michigan-Huron for quite some time, since about 1999," said Keith Kompoltowicz, a meteorologist with the corps. "There have been times where we've seen above average rainfall, but it hasn't been enough to get the level climbing back to closer or higher than average."
Kompoltowicz said lake water levels are determined largely by the amount of water running into the lake basin, fueled either by rain or melted snow and ice, and the amount of water evaporating from the surface of the lakes.
"Looking back at January (and) February, 2007, almost 8 inches evaporated just in that two month period," a period when the average evaporation rate is 5½ inches, the meteorologist said.
The low lake levels have meant area boaters are doing more with less.
Eschenburg said his neighbor takes her Jet Ski to a local marina to put it in the water, and his brother had to push the family's 40-foot house boat out into the St. Clair River before he could reach water deep enough to run the propeller.
Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, said marinas on lakes Huron and Michigan are spending more money on dredging, hydropower plants are running at half capacity or less, and floodplains and wetlands are drying up.
But the biggest impact has been on commercial shipping. For every inch of clearance lost in the lakes, freighters must shed between 11,000 and 22,000 pounds.
Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, said the largest recorded shipment carried through lakes Huron and Michigan in November was about 63,000 tons. When the water is high, freighters may carry upward of 72,000 tons in a trip.
Shipments of coal to Detroit Edison's St. Clair Power Plant were down 10,000 tons in December to about 61,000 tons, he said. The reduced amount of coal could produce electricity for the entire greater Detroit area for three hours.
In a three-week span in August and September this year, two 1,000-foot freighters ran aground in the mouth of the harbor in Muskegon.
"We can't control evaporation. We can't control precipitation, but we can dredge the Great Lakes," Nekvasil said.
Commercial shippers pay into the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which Nekvasil said has a surplus of between $3 and $4 billion, some of which he thinks should be used for dredging.
Nekvasil said according to estimates from the Army Corps of Engineers $230 million is needed to "clear up the dredging backlog on the Great Lakes."
Dredging may be part of the problem.
Sellinger said the International Joint Commission, a bi-national organization formed to solve water management disputes, has commissioned a $14 million study that will in part evaluate whether dredging - particularly in the St. Clair River - has accelerated the speed at which water in lakes Huron and Michigan is draining into Lake Erie.
She said the study may recommend the corps implement "compensating work," such as a weir, which would slow the flow of water out of the lakes.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Storm rings in new year
Storm rings in new year
Snow buries area, takes out power
By NICOLE GERRING
Times Herald
Heavy snowfall marked the first hours of 2008 on Tuesday as a winter storm moved through the area, dumping more than one foot of snow in some locations.
The Blue Water Area was one of the regions hardest hit by heavy snowfall that began at midnight and continued steadily throughout the day Tuesday.
Oakland, Livingston and Lapeer counties also received between a foot and 15 inches of snow.
By late Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac had declared the day one of the snowiest New Year's Days. It also was declared one of the most intense snowstorms in recorded history across southeast Michigan. The storm reached from Brighton in South Livingston County to Lexington.
The snow fell at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour throughout early Tuesday, according to the weather service. More than 12 inches of snow fell in less than seven hours between the M-59 and I-69 corridors. The amount of snow within a short time frame made the storm one of the area's most notable in history, according to the weather service.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 16 inches of snow was recorded in Capac, 13 inches in Yale, 13 in Imlay City, 12.3 in Lexington, 9 inches in Armada and 7½ in Marlette, according to the weather service.
The weather service in Oakland County's White Lake Township did not have snowfall data available Tuesday for Port Huron. A measurement taken outside the Times Herald building showed about 9 inches of snow.
The winter storm system lifted up from the Central Plains and moved through Detroit before hitting surrounding counties, said Steve Considine, meteorologist at the weather service.
Although it was expected to diminish, snow continued to fall throughout the day Tuesday as winds from the north brought lake-effect snow showers to St. Clair and Sanilac counties, said Randy Sharpe, another meteorologist at the weather service.
Several car accidents were reported, although only a few resulted in injuries. Many cars swerved off snowy roads and into a ditch or median. Other vehicles had trouble navigating rural routes and main highways and got stuck in the heavy, wet snow.
At about 3:50 p.m., police said a Ford pickup traveling north on Water Street slid across the center line and slammed into a minivan being driven by Ashley Collier, 17, of Port Huron. Also in the van were her brother, Andrew, 4, her boyfriend Ronnie Sullivan, 21, and his brother Cody, 9. Another vehicle then slammed the van from behind.
"The pickup was going too fast, and it came straight into our lane and came dead on into us, and as soon as we hit everyone else hit us," Collier recalled.
The driver of the pickup was issued a citation for speed too fast for conditions.
Police and meteorologists were advising drivers to stay home rather than risk the hazardous road conditions.
Although county road commissions and city crews took care of many streets, the continuous snowfall and high winds that caused blowing snow made driving dangerous.
Many roads nearly were impassable, said Sgt. Jerry Basset of the St. Clair County Sheriff Department.
Even those who stayed indoors found a few problems. A power outage affected about 750 customers in the north end of Port Huron. In all, more than 30,000 DTE Energy Co. customers were without power at some point Tuesday.
Despite the inconvenience to many area residents, those who love to ski and participate in winter activities were grateful for the abundant snowfall.
Joe Peters, 44, and his nephew, Tony Ayers, 24, both of Port Huron, took out their snowmobiles to enjoy the winter wonderland.
On Tuesday morning they were looking forward to spending a day zipping along snow-covered country roads between Clyde Township and Croswell.
"You don't get to go out in the snow and play like you used to in Port Huron," Peters said, recalling the harsher winters of his childhood.
Matthew Sharrow and his two sons also were happy to wake up to a snowy front yard.
Jeremiah, 4, and Matthew, 6, spent a few hours Tuesday morning building an igloo with shovels and spoons.
"It's the first day of good packing snow, so they're having fun," he said.
Kim Bower and her daughter Aleesha Carrier, 14, both of Port Huron, hoped to turn a profit shoveling snow for their neighbors.
Dressed head to toe in snowsuits, hats and other warm winter clothes, the pair were walking along 10th Street offering their services.
Bower said the family could use extra cash.
"Christmas was hard, and it's the New Year," she said. She wanted to buy a phone card, and her daughter wanted to earn enough money to pay for developing her photos.
This isn't the first strong storm to hit the area on New Year's Day.
On Jan. 1, 1985, an ice storm hit southern portions of lower Michigan, resulting in significant ice accumulations that caused many power outages. The loss of power lasted for as long as a week in some areas.
There's a chance of light snow showers today.
m Reporter Bobby Ampezzan contributed to this report. Contact Nicole Gerring at (810) 989-6270 or ngerring@gannett.com
Snow buries area, takes out power
By NICOLE GERRING
Times Herald
Heavy snowfall marked the first hours of 2008 on Tuesday as a winter storm moved through the area, dumping more than one foot of snow in some locations.
The Blue Water Area was one of the regions hardest hit by heavy snowfall that began at midnight and continued steadily throughout the day Tuesday.
Oakland, Livingston and Lapeer counties also received between a foot and 15 inches of snow.
By late Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac had declared the day one of the snowiest New Year's Days. It also was declared one of the most intense snowstorms in recorded history across southeast Michigan. The storm reached from Brighton in South Livingston County to Lexington.
The snow fell at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour throughout early Tuesday, according to the weather service. More than 12 inches of snow fell in less than seven hours between the M-59 and I-69 corridors. The amount of snow within a short time frame made the storm one of the area's most notable in history, according to the weather service.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 16 inches of snow was recorded in Capac, 13 inches in Yale, 13 in Imlay City, 12.3 in Lexington, 9 inches in Armada and 7½ in Marlette, according to the weather service.
The weather service in Oakland County's White Lake Township did not have snowfall data available Tuesday for Port Huron. A measurement taken outside the Times Herald building showed about 9 inches of snow.
The winter storm system lifted up from the Central Plains and moved through Detroit before hitting surrounding counties, said Steve Considine, meteorologist at the weather service.
Although it was expected to diminish, snow continued to fall throughout the day Tuesday as winds from the north brought lake-effect snow showers to St. Clair and Sanilac counties, said Randy Sharpe, another meteorologist at the weather service.
Several car accidents were reported, although only a few resulted in injuries. Many cars swerved off snowy roads and into a ditch or median. Other vehicles had trouble navigating rural routes and main highways and got stuck in the heavy, wet snow.
At about 3:50 p.m., police said a Ford pickup traveling north on Water Street slid across the center line and slammed into a minivan being driven by Ashley Collier, 17, of Port Huron. Also in the van were her brother, Andrew, 4, her boyfriend Ronnie Sullivan, 21, and his brother Cody, 9. Another vehicle then slammed the van from behind.
"The pickup was going too fast, and it came straight into our lane and came dead on into us, and as soon as we hit everyone else hit us," Collier recalled.
The driver of the pickup was issued a citation for speed too fast for conditions.
Police and meteorologists were advising drivers to stay home rather than risk the hazardous road conditions.
Although county road commissions and city crews took care of many streets, the continuous snowfall and high winds that caused blowing snow made driving dangerous.
Many roads nearly were impassable, said Sgt. Jerry Basset of the St. Clair County Sheriff Department.
Even those who stayed indoors found a few problems. A power outage affected about 750 customers in the north end of Port Huron. In all, more than 30,000 DTE Energy Co. customers were without power at some point Tuesday.
Despite the inconvenience to many area residents, those who love to ski and participate in winter activities were grateful for the abundant snowfall.
Joe Peters, 44, and his nephew, Tony Ayers, 24, both of Port Huron, took out their snowmobiles to enjoy the winter wonderland.
On Tuesday morning they were looking forward to spending a day zipping along snow-covered country roads between Clyde Township and Croswell.
"You don't get to go out in the snow and play like you used to in Port Huron," Peters said, recalling the harsher winters of his childhood.
Matthew Sharrow and his two sons also were happy to wake up to a snowy front yard.
Jeremiah, 4, and Matthew, 6, spent a few hours Tuesday morning building an igloo with shovels and spoons.
"It's the first day of good packing snow, so they're having fun," he said.
Kim Bower and her daughter Aleesha Carrier, 14, both of Port Huron, hoped to turn a profit shoveling snow for their neighbors.
Dressed head to toe in snowsuits, hats and other warm winter clothes, the pair were walking along 10th Street offering their services.
Bower said the family could use extra cash.
"Christmas was hard, and it's the New Year," she said. She wanted to buy a phone card, and her daughter wanted to earn enough money to pay for developing her photos.
This isn't the first strong storm to hit the area on New Year's Day.
On Jan. 1, 1985, an ice storm hit southern portions of lower Michigan, resulting in significant ice accumulations that caused many power outages. The loss of power lasted for as long as a week in some areas.
There's a chance of light snow showers today.
m Reporter Bobby Ampezzan contributed to this report. Contact Nicole Gerring at (810) 989-6270 or ngerring@gannett.com
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