A special group examining water levels on the upper great lakes wants to hear from you.
The Public Interest Advisory Group of the International Upper Great Lakes study is holding public meetings in Collingwood and Owen Sound today.
The group was established by the International Joint Commission to find the reason behind declining water levels in Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and Lake Michigan.
Owen Sound resident Dick Hibma is part of the Advisory Group.
He says while the overall thrust of the study is to examine water levels on the upper lakes, of more immediate concern is outflows through the St. Clair River.
He says the group will be looking at what impact, if any dredging of the river back in the 1960’s had on lowering the water levels of the upper lakes.
That part of the report will be completed by next year while the overall report on the lakes won’t be completed until 2012.
Hibma says the study also will examine whether regulation of outflows from Lake Superior might be improved to take into consideration climate change and the needs of people who rely on the lakes for either recreation or business purposes.
He says the public meetings will give the study group a chance to report on what progress has been made examining lake levels and allow the public to provide their views on the impactsof water level fluctuations.
The group will be holding its first meeting at the Legion in Collingwood beginning at 2 PM this afternoon.
The second meeting takes place in Owen Sound at the Bayshore Community Centre, beginning at 7 o’clock tonight.
