International Joint Commission recommends plan to raise Great Lakes levels

Responding to low Great Lakes levels, the International Joint Commission officials want U.S. and Canadian governments to build a flexible structure in the St. Clair River that will reduce water drainage from the Lakes Huron and Michigan because of low water levels in the lakes, according to a Radio Canada International Report.

The structure should slow outflows from the lakes and, in theory, increase lake levels by 25 centimeters.  The International Joint Commission, which was created to settle water disputes between the U.S. and Canada, also suggests new regulations and a management plan.

A news video from the Canadian Broadcasting Channel reports that evaporation is the greatest cause of the low water levels in the two lakes.

Image: Low lake level at Mission Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan (Credit: C. Darnell/NOAA)