Public Hearing on St. Clair River Study

The International Upper Great Lakes Study has reversed course and added a public hearing about the St. Clair River Study to its schedule, bowing to public pressure.

Originally, no public hearings were scheduled in any community on Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline. Now, a special hearing to discuss the study and gather public input is scheduled for July 7 at the Door Community Auditorium from 7 – 9 pm. It is the only hearing scheduled for Door County. The study looked into whether dredging performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1962 and ongoing erosion it caused has created a “drainhole” sending water out of Lakes Michigan and Huron, through the St. Clair River, and into Lake Eerie.

The study determined that climate change is the major factor in the 16-inch drop in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron water levels, contradicting an earlier study that blamed dredging for the drop. Conservation groups have criticized the study’s authors for not releasing scientific data behind their conclusions.

To comment on the study, or get more information, visit http://www.iugls.org or read this Pulse article on the study.