Crying Over Spilled Oil
Oil disasters like the Exxon Valdez and Deep Water Horizon are nightmares that we on the Great Lakes have not had to worry about. At least not yet.
But recent developments in the oil transportation industry compel us to pay attention to proposed and existing oil routes in the Great Lakes region.
In Lake Huron, existing oil pipelines cross the lake bottom in the Straits of Mackinac, and the St. Clair River at Sarnia. Both lines are now transporting crude oil from the Alberta oil sands. That’s different than the regular crude that previously flowed through these lines. Oil sands crude is heavier, and if it gets into water will sink to the bottom. That makes it much tougher to clean up in the event of a spill. And that should be concerning for us in the Great Lakes region who preside over 20% of the planet’s fresh water.
University of Michigan researchers recently modelled what a spill would look like if caused by a pipeline break in Mackinac. The results would impact pristine ecosystems, and would be extremely challenging to clean up.
Meanwhile, a proposal has been made to develop a port in Superior, Wisconsin that would enable shipment of oil by tanker through the Great Lakes. While the issue is currently on hold, it may be just a matter of time before it gets a green light.
Of course, it’s easy to envision the possibility of an oil spill in the abstract, and hypothesize that a cleanup would be extraordinarily challenging. But we’ve had a recent dose of reality. The pipeline break in the Kalamazoo River in 2010 spilled over 3 million litres of oil into this Lake Michigan tributary. Four years later, the cleanup goes on.
A report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes details the issue of oil transport through the Great Lakes, and outlines many of the shortcomings that we have here in our ability to respond to environmental emergencies, such as spill cleanups.
U.S. Coast Guard officials admit that the region is ill-prepared to deal with a spill of heavy oil on the Great Lakes. This, along with federal cuts to Environmental Emergencies' capabilities recently, makes the situation a serious concern. We in the Great Lakes should expect much better contingency and response planning. Our two federal governments have already spent billions since the 1970s trying to clean up toxic 'hot spots' around the basin. We shouldn't burden our children and grandchildren with more toxic legacies that result from poor foresight.
Going Up!
Levels have continued to climb on Lake Huron. And they are climbing at a time when the seasonal decline is expected. Typically on Lake Huron, the annual lake level trend is to reach a low point in February, begin to rise as snow melt and spring rains flow to the lake. The rise typically continues until early July, and then levels decline during the remainer of the year.
This year, levels continued to rise into July, August and September. September levels usually decline fairly dramatically as cooler air begins to blow over warm lake water. This usually draws water levels downward due to higher rates of evaporation. This year, however, September was cool and wet, and the lake was relatively cool as well. A decrease in evaporation, coupled with inflows from rain and inputs from Lake Superior have kept levels climbing.
Lake levels on Huron have risen sharply from their record lows in January 2013. Since then, levels have risen around one metre, adding about 53 trillion litres to Lakes Michigan-Huron (the two lakes are hydrologically connected through the deep Straits of Mackinac, so they behave as one single lake).
Read more on how Lake Huron has risen to its highest point in 15 years here.
Halloween and Beaches
What kind of witch likes to sunbathe at the beach? A Sand Witch. Like the rest of us, sand witches prefer clean, healthy beaches. That's what the Coastal Centre is all about. This Halloween, consider a donation to the Coastal Centre to support its beach conservation work. It'll be just the right potion for a Happy Halloween!
You can donate online through CanadaHelps, or send a donation cheque by mail. For more information on donating to the Centre, visit our donate page.