St. Claire Study Hearing in July

The International Joint Commission, a bi-national committee overseeing U.S. and Canadian boundary waters, will host a public hearing to discuss the recently released St. Clair River Study draft report in Door County in July.

Initially, the commission scheduled none of their 14 public comment sessions for any communities on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline, but was pressured to add one. John Nevin, the IJC’s communications advisor, told me this morning that plans are in the works for a hearing shortly after July 4th. We’ll update with details on ppulse.com as soon as they are available.

The committee has seen sparse turnout at previous sessions in Detroit and Evanston, IL, but last August more than 300 people turned out for a discussion of the issue in Baileys Harbor.

The study investigated whether dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1962 has had ongoing effects on the riverbed, creating a “drainhole” effect taking water our of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The study concluded that the dredging has accounted for no more than 4 inches of the 9-inch drop since 1962, while climate factors and a 1984 ice jam caused the rest.

Visit http://www.iugls.org/en/home_accueil.htm for more information.