The five Great Lakes have a lengthy history of rising in spring and summer and dropping in fall and winter. Over the years, Great Lakes residents have attempted to tame Mother Nature’s fluctuating water levels; but now, Donald Scavia, director of the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute, says we should stop trying to control and start trying to adapt to changing levels, according to a recent article published by the Associated Press (AP).
The Graham Sustainability Institute announced in March that it would conduct a survey over the course of year to determine options for dealing with fluctuating water levels in the Great Lakes.
According to the AP article, that same month more than 50 Great Lakes policymakers, scientists and advocates gathered to debate the best options for dealing with lake-level fluctuations. Some advocates argued a push for more engineering in Lakes Huron and Michigan in order to build up water levels, while others maintained levels are beyond our control.
For more information on the study’s progress, visit graham.umich.edu.
Photo courtesy of Tom Gill
