Low lake levels hurt Michigan economy

Lower water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron are hurting Michigan marinas, tourism and the shipping industry, the Detroit Free Press reported.

This is not the first summer Michigan's boaters and beach-goers have seen more shallow water, but many are saying it is the worst, the report said.

"It's not just down a little -- it's down a lot," said Jim Doran, who owns a house on Lakeshore Drive in Harrison Township. Doran said garbage, weeds, bottles, rotting seaweed and dead fish have piled up along the shoreline due to the diminishing water levels.

The Free Press said marinas have seen more empty boat slips and the shipping industry has reported lighter loads and less profit, as low levels result in less revenue.

Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., said Lakes Michigan and Huron dropped 4.3 feet between 1997 and 2000.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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