Water quality issues fall into three categories:
The Water Committee works with Georgian Bay Forever and other NGOs to voice the interests of GBA members on water levels.
Learn more about what we do, as well as get tips on what you can do in this section.
Water Satellite Imagery
View a real time satellite image of the Bay here:
Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels. From a month ago, water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are down 1, 1, 4, 1 & 4 inches respectively. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are 4, 17, 6, 2 & 11 inches higher respectively than they were at this time last year, and 14, 36, 28, 25 & 17 inches, respectively above their long term December average. In a month’s time, the levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan Huron are predicted to be 3 and 2 inches lower, respectively, while Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are forecasted to be 2, 1 and 2 inches higher respectively. - Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow int
GBA joined Environmental Defense (ED) and the Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA) in their submissions on Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act which includes legislation that will reduce environmental protections on such matters as permits to take water, exposure to toxins, pollution enforcement, groundwater quality, and risks to human health. The ED submission and the ORA submission (GBA wrote separately to add our name to this) can be viewed here: - Environmental Defense Submission on Bill 132 Nov 2019 Ontario Rivers Alliance submission on Bill 132 Nov 2019
The microplastics problem in the Great Lakes is mirroring the problem currently seen in the oceans. According to Gail Krantzberg of McMaster University, small organisms are mistaking microplastics for plankton, allowing the plastics to work their way up the food chain. Krantzberg is hoping government action can curb consumer behaviours and reduce the microplastics in our water. Read more about the microplastics situation here. In 2018, GBA along with Environmental Defence and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) urged the federal government to move toward a ban on single-use plastics by 2025. Read more about GBA’s call for a national waste reduction strategy here.
The Great Lakes basin was relatively dry over the past month, receiving just two-thirds of its average precipitation in November. Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels - in fact, the lakes are 14 to 37 inches above their monthly average December levels. From a month ago water levels on all the Lakes are down 1 to 4 inches. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are 3, 16, 8, 2 & 12 inches higher respectively than they were at this time last year. In a month’s time, the levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are predicted to be 2 to 3 inches lower, while Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are all expected to remain at the same level. Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron
Forecasts indicate a strong storm arriving this weekend in the basin. - Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels - in fact, the lakes are 18 to 33 inches above their monthly average November level. From a month ago water levels on all the Lakes are down 2 to 3 inches. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are 3, 16, 7, 2 & 13 inches higher respectively than they were at this time last year. In a month’s time, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are projected to be 2, 3, 1, 1 & 1 inches lower respectively. - Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow into the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for November. Lake St.
Canada’s abundance of clean, fresh water may soon be a myth. According to a new report by the Global Water Futures project, toxic algae, climate change, and bad policy are threatening Canada’s fresh water supply. GBA continues to work on protecting water quality from potential impacts from non-functioning private septic systems, and municipal overflows in the basin. This report also underpins the need for change in the open-net aquaculture industry in Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Read more about the report here. The full report by the Global Water Futures project can be found here: Water Futures for the World We Want
Water levels continue to be well above average and near record high levels. From a month ago water levels on Lakes St. Clair and Erie are unchanged, Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are 4 & 2 inches lower respectively, and Lake Ontario is about an inch higher. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie & Ontario are 2, 16, 9, 4 & 16 inches higher respectively than they were at this time last year. In a month’s time, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are projected to be 3, 2, 2, 1 & 2 inches lower respectively. - Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow into the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for November. Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the De
From a month ago water levels on Lake Michigan-Huron are unchanged, Lakes Superior, St. Clair, and Erie are 4, 1 & 2 inches lower respectively, and Lake Ontario is up 2 inches. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are 1, 16, 9, 4 and 17 inches, respectively, above their levels of a year ago. In a month’s time all the Lakes are projected to be 3 to 4 inches lower. - Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow into the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for November. Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River and Lake Erie’s outflow through the Niagara River are also forecasted to be above average in November. In addition, Lake Ontario’s outflow through the St. Lawrence
From a month ago, water levels on Lake Ontario are unchanged and Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie are 1, 1, 4 & 4 inches lower respectively. The lakes are 2 to 18 inches higher than they were at this time last year. In a month’s time, Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie are projected to be 2 to 3 inches lower, while Lake Ontario is forecasted to fall 5 inches. Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow into the St. Clair River are predicted to be above average for November. Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River and Lake Erie’s outflow through the Niagara River are also forecasted to be above average in November. In addition, Lake Ontario’s outflow through the St. Lawrence River is
From a month ago water levels on Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are the same, Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are 3, 4, and 4 inches lower respectively. The lakes are 4 to 18 inches higher than they were at this time last year. Over the next month Lake Ontario is expected to be unchanged, and Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie are projected to each decline 3, 2, 4, and 3 inches, respectively. Outflow from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River is forecasted to be above average for November. Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River are also projected to be above average in November. Moreover, Lake Erie’s outflow through the Niagara River and Lake Ontario’s outflow through the St. Lawr
New York State has finally launched their long threatened lawsuit against the International Joint Commission (IJC) claiming that the IJC has caused the flooding there in recent years (read the rationale behind the lawsuit here). However the science does not appear to support their contentions. GBA has worked closely with the IJC for most of our 103 year history and we value our strong relationship with them. Our interpretation of the science is that precipitation levels and evaporation are the main drivers of changing water levels. Almost all evaporation occurs in the cold months whenever there is little or no ice cover, and the water temperature is higher than the air temperature. Flow rates between the lakes and down the St Lawrence have a limited impact, which is particularly apparen
Since last month Lake Superior’s water level is the same, Lake Michigan-Huron is down by 2 inches, and Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are all down by 6 inches. The lakes are 4 to 17 inches higher than they were at this time last year. Lake St. Clair is forecast to fall 1 inch over the next month, while Lakes Michigan-Huron, Superior, Erie, and Ontario are projected to decline 2, 3, 3, and 5 inches, respectively. Outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are forecasted to be above average for October. Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River, are also projected to be above average in October. Moreover, Lake Erie’s outflow through the Niagara River and Lake Ontario’s outflow through the St.
