TRAVERSE CITY -- Climate change could worsen a litany of problems plaguing the Great Lakes, pushing water levels even lower, depleting fish populations and causing more storms that result in sewer overflows, advocates said.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which represents more than 100 groups, released a report that paints a dire picture as the U.S. Senate prepares for debate next week on proposed global warming legislation.
The bill could represent a new source of funding for the Great Lakes and other large aquatic ecosystems, said leaders of the coalition, which is pushing a $20 billion package to restore the ailing lakes.
Even if Congress takes strong action -- which is far from certain -- it will be too late to prevent climate change from damaging the lakes, said Donald Scavia, a University of Michigan environmental scientist.
"But we can counter those impacts by restoring the Great Lakes to make them more resilient," Scavia said in a conference call with reporters. "At the same time, we need strong national efforts to cut greenhouse gas pollution so that the impacts don't become so severe that they overwhelm the Great Lakes."
The coalition's report contains no new research findings, but highlights data from previous studies. It warns that climate change will boost daily high temperatures from 5 to 11 degrees and create larger biological "dead zones" with no fish or plant life.
Evaporation rates are likely to rise, causing already-low water levels to fall 1 foot on Lake Superior, 3 feet on Lakes Michigan and Huron, 2.7 feet on Lake Erie and 1.7 feet on Lake Ontario over the next century, the report says.
Such changes likely would make the Great Lakes more hospitable to invaders that steal food and shelter from native species, it says. Coastal wetlands that filter pollutants and provide fish spawning grounds would shrink. Exposed toxic sediments would endanger people and wildlife.
If predictions of more frequent and severe storms prove accurate, it could mean more sewage overflows that lead to beach closings, the report says. Meanwhile, arid regions could get even less rainfall, making the Great Lakes a more tempting target.
"It's like a sign saying, 'Fresh Water Here for the Taking,'" said Andy Buchsbaum, director of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Natural Resource Center. "We can't allow that to happen."
Five of the eight Great Lakes states have approved a compact designed to prevent Great Lakes water from being sent outside the drainage basin. Congressional approval is needed for it to take effect.
The coalition's restoration plan seeks funding to repair the region's creaky sewage treatment infrastructure and clean polluted harbors. Other priorities include protecting habitat and preventing new exotic species arrivals.
A House subcommittee this month discussed a proposal to increase from $50 million to $150 million the amount authorized yearly for cleaning Great Lakes toxic hot spots.
But such spending is subject to the annual scramble for money among competing interests nationwide. The Great Lakes need a "permanent, stable, dedicated source of funding" for the restoration plan to be completed, Buchsbaum said.
"We're not nearly close enough" to the $20 billion goal, said Jeff Skelding, the coalition's national campaign director.
One possible pool of cleanup money would be fees businesses would pay to emit global warming gases under legislation the Senate is expected to consider next week, Buchsbaum said. It's expected to generate from $1 billion to $3 billion a year.
But the bill, sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., faces strong opposition. Some GOP senators have said threatened a filibuster unless it is significantly changed.
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On the Net:
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, www.healthylakes.org
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