The Great Lakes have been adversely affected by man-made changes to the system that have amplified the impacts of extreme water levels throughout the system. Record setting extremes, including both high and low water levels have become the norm, not the exception. Human modifications over the last 150 years include diversions into and out of the lakes, channel modifications between the lakes and o
utflow regulation from lakes Superior and Ontario. All of these human changes have conspired to amplify the environmental and economic damages caused from extreme water levels. For example, extreme high water on all of the upper Great Lakes since 2014 has been increased by the continuation of diversion inflows into Lake Superior from the Long Lac and Ogoki diversions. The Province of Ontario has been unwilling to shut off this damaging diversion and the International Joint Commission (IJC) has simply ignored promoting its cut-back. During the 2000-2014 extreme low water period, outflows from Lake Huron were adversely affected by unnatural conveyance increases in the St. The resulting reduced water levels have dried up wetlands upstream. The consequence is a rapidly deteriorating ecosystem, with fish and waterfowl dying, massive algal blooms, stranded cottages boathouses and docks, and dry marinas. Over the last 20 years, water levels in the middle Great Lakes have met the IJC's definition of Crisis Conditions. Previously, an IJC Study Board recommended that governments implement a series of measures to minimize extreme water levels throughout the system. Unfortunately these recommendations have been ignored by the IJC and the U.S. The IJC is unable or unwilling to solve the problems. Therefore the public needs to lobby the Canadian and U.S. governments to direct the IJC to act. Join the small and growing band of volunteers who have been working on a solution for 10 years.
