As part of its public comment process, the International Joint Commission (IJC) has scheduled a series of public hearings on a report addressing water levels on the Upper Great Lakes. One of those hearings will be Wednesday, July 11 at 6 p.m. at the Door Community Auditorium in Fish Creek.
The public will be able to comment on the final report of the IJC's International Upper Great Lakes Study Board, Lake Superior Regulation: Addressing Uncertainty in Upper Great Lakes Water Levels.
Comments will also be taken by mail, email and online until August 31, 2012.
The report examines whether the regulation of outflows from Lake Superior through the compensating works and power dams on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie might be improved to take into consideration the evolving needs of users on Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Erie. The report also addresses the potential future impacts of climate change, a management strategy to better anticipate and respond to future extreme water levels, the feasibility and implications of restoring water levels in lakes Michigan-Huron and multi-lake regulation and its impacts throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system. The report and related supporting documents and peer review are available at the Upper Great Lakes Public Hearings website.
“We are asking people who live on the Great Lakes to tell us if the Study Board’s recommendations for managing water supplies on the Upper Great Lakes meet their needs or if other changes need be considered,” said Joe Comuzzi, chair of the IJC’s Canadian Section.
Written comments may be submitted to the IJC for receipt by August 31, 2012 from the Upper Great Lakes Public Hearings website or to either address below:
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U. S. Section Secretary
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Canadian Section Secretary
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International Joint Commission
200 L Street NW, Suite 615
Washington, DC 20440
Fax: 202-632-2006
commission@washington.ijc.org
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International Joint Commission
234 Laurier Avenue West, 22nd Floor
Ottawa, ON K1P 6K6
Fax: 613-993-5583
commission@ottawa.ijc.org
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Technical questions should be sent in writing to the Commission if a detailed response is expected.
The International Joint Commission was established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters the two countries share. Its responsibilities include considering applications for projects that affect the natural levels and flows of boundary waters.
