Transcript THE INTERNATIONAL ST. LAWRENCE RIVER BOARD OF …

Regulating Great Lakes
Water Levels and Water Use
Presentation to the Workshop
Climate Change and
Great Lakes Water Levels
March 30, 2001
Chicago, Illinois
Gerald E. Galloway, Jr., P.E., Ph.D.
International Joint Commission
United States and Canada
Washington, DC
Boundary Waters Treaty
of 1909
• Provided Principles and Mechanisms to
Prevent and Resolve Disputes Concerning
Water Quantity and Water Quality and
Other Environmental Issues Along the
U.S.-Canada Boundary
• Established the International Joint
Commission (IJC)
• Required IJC Approval of Actions
Causing Changes in Levels and Flows
The International Joint Commission
Principles of Operation
• Operation Without Instructions from
Governments
• Balanced Membership:
– Three Commissioners From Each Country
– Equality on IJC Boards and Working Groups
• Service in Personal and Professional
Capacity
• Good Science - Joint Fact-Finding
• Full Public Involvement
Lake Levels
• Human Control Over Great Lakes
Levels is Minor in Comparison to
Nature’s Ability to Change Levels
• Humans Impact Level by:
– Regulating Flows
– Modifying Channels
– Removing or Adding Waters
574
573
Year/Month
Jan-99
Jan-98
Jan-97
Jan-96
Jan-95
Jan-94
Jan-93
Jan-92
Jan-91
Jan-90
Jan-89
Jan-88
Jan-87
Jan-86
Jan-85
Jan-84
Jan-83
Jan-82
Jan-81
576
Jan-80
Jan-79
Jan-78
Jan-77
Jan-76
Jan-75
Jan-74
Jan-73
Jan-72
Jan-71
Jan-70
Jan-69
Jan-68
Jan-67
Jan-66
Jan-65
Jan-64
Jan-63
582
Jan-62
Jan-61
Jan-60
Elev. IGLD1985 (Feet)
Lake Michigan-Huron
585
Range of Levels
584
583
RECORD HIGH
Oct 1986
581
580
579
578
577
RECORD LOW
Mar 1964
575
Order of Use Precedence
•
•
•
•
Domestic and Sanitary
Navigation
Hydropower
Riparians
Lake Superior
•
•
•
•
•
Systemic Regulation (balancing)
Upper & Lower Limits on Lake Superior
Maximum and Minimum flow limits
Winter Operations
Rapids Requirements
Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence
UPSTREAM CONDITIONS
LOCAL CONDITIONS
DOWNSTREAM CONDITIONS
•CRITERIA
•RULES OF PLAN
FLOW DOWN
ST. LAWRENCE
RIVER
•DO NOT EMPTY LAKE
•DO NOT OVERFILL LAKE
•DO NOT EXCEED RIVER CAPACITY
•MAINTAIN MINIMUM LEVELS
•MAKE ROOM FOR SPRING RAINS
OPTIONS
• Further Regulation
– Three Lake
– Limited Regulation of Lake Erie
• Diversions Management
• Emergency Preparedness
• Land Use / Shoreline Zoning
• Education
• Shoreline Protection
• Dredging
IJC Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
No Additional Regulation
No Diversion Management
Improve Emergency Preparedness
Initiate Comprehensive Shoreline Management
Review Current Regulation
Improve Education
Consider Climate Change
Address Technical Issues (Forecasting, Mapping,
Analytical Techniques)
Order of Use Precedence
•
•
•
•
Domestic and Sanitary
Navigation
Hydropower
Riparians
• Environment
• Recreational Boaters
Explicit
New
The Environment
• Environment Requires Extremes
in Levels
• Changes in Mean Levels Modify
Existing Habitat or Create New
Habitat
• Lower Levels May Disturb
Sediments
CLIMATE CHANGE!
Lake Ontario -St. Lawrence River
Regulation Review
• $20 Million (US), Five-Year Study of
Criteria Governing Regulation
• Address Competing Needs of:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Navigation
Hydropower
Riparians
Domestic Users
Environment
Boaters
• Address Climate Change Impacts
Current Water Use
• Removals – Bottled water - 0.01cfs
– Ballast water - 0.7cfs
– Chicago Diversion- 3250cfs
– Other (net) - 0
• Consumptive Use - 4270cfs
• Inflow
– Long Lac/Ogoki - 5632cfs
– Bottled Water - 0.14 cfs
• Outflow (St. Lawrence) 244,000 cfs
The Concern
“The Governments are concerned
that current management principles
and conservation measures may be
inadequate to ensure the future
sustainable use of our shared
waters.”
Reference to the IJC on the Consumption, Diversion
and Removal of Water. February 10, 1999.
IJC Conclusions
• There
is never a ‘surplus’ of water
in the Great Lakes system.
• Because there is uncertainty about
the availability of Great Lakes
water in the future caution should
be used in managing water to
protect the resource for the future
Water Uses Reference
• Recommended
– Principles to Govern Removals and
Consumptive Uses
– Development of Standards by States
and Provinces
– Attention to Water Management
Issues
• Climate Change
Current Actions
• Governors and Premiers Develop
Standards for Removals and
Consumptive Uses
• Congress- Parliament Affirm
• IJC Review
• Climate Change?
Lake Levels
• Human Control Over Great Lakes
Levels is Minor in Comparison to
Nature’s Ability to Change Levels
• Humans Impact Level by:
– Regulating Flows
– Modifying Channels
– Removing or Adding Waters
Climate Change and Levels
• Climate Change May Severely
Stress Current Regulatory
Regimes
• Uncertainty Demands Caution
and Intense Study
• IJC is :
– Studying St Lawrence
– Planning for Superior (Michigan
and Huron)
IJC Recommendations
•To protect the integrity of the ecosystem of the
Great Lakes basin, permit no proposals for
major new or increased CONSUMPTIVE
USE to proceed unless:
•Full consideration of cumulative impacts
•Effective conservation in requesting area
•Based on sound planning
•All returns meet quality objectives of GLWQA
IJC Recommendations
•Permit no REMOVALS unless proponent
can demonstrate that the removal would not
endanger the integrity of the ecosystem of the
Great Lakes Basin…and that:
• No practical alternatives
•Full consideration of cumulative impacts
•Effective conservation in recipient area
•Based on sound planning
•No net loss in process but in no case greater
than a 5% loss
Conclusions - Future Demand
• There are no active proposals for major
diversions
• There remains little reason to believe such
proposals will be economically, socially or
environmentally feasible in the foreseeable
future
• Alternatives Exist to Great Lakes Water Use Desalination; Water Rights Transfers;
Conservation
• Potential exists for requests from Near-basin
Communities