Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/category/nearshore/)
The nearshore encompasses beaches and wetlands. It extends from uplands through the coasts and into the water near the shore.
By Julia Belden
From November 2022 to February 2023, scientists – and a small army of undergraduate research assistants – braved frigid temperatures and deep snow to document winter lightning along the easternmost shores of Lake Ontario as part of a National Science Foundation-funded study.
By Anna Rossow
Capital News Service
A new Government Accountability Office study of hazardous waste facilities found them at risk of damage from climate-related events such as flooding and hurricanes.
Some are in the six-state Great Lakes region, including ones near southern Lake Michigan.
According to the study, there are more than 700 treatment, storage and waste facilities in the U.S., 68% of which are at risk of a climate hazard such as wildfires, storm surges and rising sea levels, which can be exacerbated by climate change.
The study recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency provide assistance and training on managing facility climate risks. Kimberly Tyson, the manager of the hazardous waste section in the materials management division at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, said hazardous waste includes ignitable chemicals that may harm people.
She said the department tries to inspect Michigan facilities at least four times a year.
The department’s district staff inspects waste containers to see if they are being stored properly and are of good integrity without any leaks, she said.
“They’re also looking at the facility and making sure that it’s in compliance with our rules and nothing is out of place,” said Tyson. “They’re not getting sloppy with housekeeping and stuff like that.”
Facilities have backup plans or contingency plans in case a leak occurs, Tyson said. For example, there may be a secondary containment area to catch leaked waste, and facilities may have dust on hand to soak up leaked waste as well. She said part of a facility’s contingency plan in case of a leak includes working with first responders and medical personnel in training scenarios so they know how to address any hazards.
Secondary containment areas are sloped to catch leaked material in one area, she said, and some facilities have a “blind sump” which pumps out the waste to dispose of it or put it through a treatment process until it is no longer hazardous.
However, according to the EPA website, flooding and rising water can cause facility infrastructure to fail.
Alan Steinman, the Allen and Helen Hunting Research professor at the Annis Water Resource Institute at Grand Valley State University, said that a hazardous waste spill can affect water quality in different ways, depending on what chemical leaks.
By Anna Barnes
After seven years of planning, a new marine sanctuary now protects a portion of Lake Ontario rich with history and shipwrecks. The community-driven designation aims to benefit the area through preservation, economic development and conservation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designates marine sanctuaries to preserve sites with national significance, such as important archeology, culture or marine life. The new sanctuary, established in June, covers a large swath of eastern Lake Ontario bordering New York’s Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga and Wayne counties, according to NOAA. NOAA selected the area for its historic, cultural and archaeological significance, referring to it as the gateway between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
By Eric Freedman
A Rochester, N.Y., man who deliberately abandoned and sunk his 25-foot Bayliner in Lake Ontario must pay $15,442 restitution to cover the cost of unnecessary search-and-rescue operations. Vyacheslav Migitskiy admitted lying to federal investigators about his ownership of the boat, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Migitskiy “intentionally sunk the vessel without reporting his actions” on Aug. 25, 2022. The next day, civilians spotted the partially submerged boat, triggering an immediate search-and-rescue operation by the Coast Guard, New York State Police and other agencies.
The smell of cigar smoke lingers as visitors walk through the dark living quarters of Gulliver’s Seul Choix Point Lighthouse.
“There are so many public ghost towns,” Tedsen said. “But to me, paranormal is very important — it begs the question ‘is there life after death?’”
Now three of Michigan’s four Great Lakes are back to historically normal levels, and the sandbags must go.
State park beaches across Michigan remain devoid of lifeguards to correct the flag system.
Walleye and pike surveys start in early spring, followed by muskie surveys. In May, the DNR starts surveying general fish communities like panfish and bass, and from July to September it surveys streams.
The bay is eroding quickly, leaving the inland vulnerable.
The BeBots and Pixedrones will be deployed to Olander Park near Toledo, and then Hinckley Reservation, North Coast Harbor, Fairport Harbor Beach of the Cleveland area.
On Christmas Eve, up to 20-foot waves are expected on all five of the Great Lakes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns of high winds, big waves and freezing spray across all coastlines.
