by J. Marie Ruen

Created on: June 12, 2009   Last Updated: June 16, 2009

As the largest freshwater lakes on Earth, the Great Lakes are an important source of potable water and their size and location, make them major shipping lanes. These factors drew the first European settlers to the area in the 17th century and as population and eventually industry poured into the Great Lakes Basin, the fragile ecosystem of the area has struggled to adapt to the stresses.

As Michigan exploded as a manufacturing hub, power plants, automobile factories and other industries sprang up along the shores of the Great Lakes, to take advantage of the convenient water source for cooling and transportation. Every day, billions of gallons of water are pumped through power plants on the shores of the Great Lakes. This process kills any living creatures in the water and releases heated water back into the lake, which raises the lake's temperature.

The impact of the power plants is especially notable on the relatively shallow Lake Erie, which has struggled with high phosphorous levels, algae bloom epidemics and zebra mussel infestations. All of these have been attributed to the warmer water, which in places doesn't freeze during the cold Michigan winters.

The temperature shift is only one of the major changes occurring to the American Great Lakes. For the past several decades, the Great Lakes have shown a marked drop in water levels. Reduced water levels impact the ability of the large shipping barges that transport iron ore, coal and manufactured goods to navigate the Great Lakes. Also affected are recreational boaters and fishermen, who represent vital revenue for states with acres of state parks and thousands of boat launches.

The Great Lakes Basin Compact was signed by the states bordering the Great Lakes (along with an addendum that includes the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec), to protect Great Lakes resources and keep water from being diverted from the Great Lakes Basin. The fear was that states facing droughts would try to obtain water from the Great Lakes.

As water levels dropped beginning in the 1980s and reached alarming levels in recent years, conflict has arisen among Compact member states regarding their respective water usage. Methods used to divert inland rivers that flow into the Great Lakes have been questioned, and scrutiny has increased upon the source and destination of drinking water pumped from the Great Lakes.

While a recent study indicated that the drop in lake levels was mainly due to climate change, governments and citizens of the Great Lakes Basin area still struggle to mitigate the effects. More favorable weather will help the cause, but the governments of the Great Lakes Basin will continue to struggle to reach a consensus regarding preservation of wildlife, proper usage of Great Lakes water and access rights. Impacted shipping routes will lead to higher delivery costs, lack of water for fishing and boating will cause a drop in revenue from permits and tourism and reduced access to drinking water for municipalities, will result in higher taxes. All of this hits governments where it hurts most: their pocketbooks.

Money, however, is replaceable. The most important thing on the line is the future usability of the American Great Lakes themselves for recreation, shipping, transportation, drinking, irrigation, and recreation - the rare combination of gifts that drew our ancestors to their shores so many centuries ago.

Sources:

IJC hosts Superior hearing on lake water levels

Lake level concerns depend on location

Lawsuit to stop Lake Huron water diversion

Sandy Bihn and the Waterkeepers take on Lake Erie pollution

Study: Climate change altering lake levels

Water diversion questioned

Zebra Mussels Threaten Inland Waters

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