Fresh Water-Healthy Lives Mary McKinney Schmidt Writer and Great Lakes Advocate |
| If you have suggestions and comments, contact mary@freshwaterhealthylives.org. Copyright 2008 Mary McKinney Schmidt |
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| Heroes of the Great Lakes Continued When people chose to get informed and engaged, things happen! |
As a result of public outcry, the U.S. Coast Guard scrapped plans to conduct military manuevers on the Great Lakes using live ammunition. The Holland Sentinel October 9, 2006 The Real Threat To The Lakes I remember standing on the family platform overlooking the smoldering debris of the World Trade Center. It had been only four months since September 11th and the air still had a strange, poignant odor, a mixture of cement dust and burning steel. The sound of dump trucks lugging the remnants of a once thriving community droned in the background. As I looked at the wooden handrails before me, tears spilled over my cheeks. Etched into the wood were the hand-written goodbyes from children, parents, spouses. At the time, I was a board member of the National Committee for Quality Healthcare, invited to learn from the New York experience, to study ways to minimize injuries in a catastrophic event. Unfortunately, on September 11th, 2001, there were few injuries, only deaths. What kind of people would have such disregard for human life? I asked myself as I returned to Chicago. And how do we prepare for an invasion that defies traditional warfare? From the plane, I could see the waters of Lake Michigan, stretching for miles below me. I felt my breath quicken as I thought the unthinkable. “Please God,” I said quietly. “Don’t let them spray chemicals into our fresh water. Don’t let them destroy our lakes.” It has been a long time since I thought about that trip to New York. But when I read the recent Coast Guard decision to fire machine guns and other weapons into the Great Lakes, the memories came flooding back. According to the Coast Guard, the drills are necessary to prepare for terrorists. But if the terrorist want to invade the Great Lakes region, will they really use traditional weaponry? I don’t think so—particularly after what I have learned over the last year. For decades, ocean vessels have dumped ballast water into the Great Lakes--untreated and untested. As a result, 160 invasive species have already invaded our waters. While scientists say the invasive species are the single most damaging element of the Great Lakes ecosystem, what happens if terrorists decide to add something else to that ballast water? Unfortunately, we would never know. There is no standardized testing and monitoring of the five massive lakes that represent 20% of the world’s fresh water. One of the components of the Great Lakes Restoration legislation currently pending in the U.S. House and Senate is the creation of a sound information base and representative indicators so we can understand what is happening to these waters. So the Coast Guard plan makes little sense to me. Why spend millions of dollars blasting machine guns and pistols into fresh water already vulnerable, when there is no money available to address what appears to be a much more deadly threat? And while poisoning our water may sound far-fetched, my threshold for the absurd changed when I stood on that platform overlooking the gaping hole and read a note in black crayon from a little girl looking for her Daddy. If the Coast Guard wants to make me feel more secure, I would rather see the money invested in the funding of the Great Lakes Restoration legislation—particularly the portions that address the lack of standardized testing and the inspection and treatment of ballast waters. So I plan to attend the Coast Guard meeting scheduled for October 18th in Grand Haven. And while I share others concerns about the environmental ramifications of these military operations, about safety and the potential disruption to the boating, fishing and tourism industries, my greatest concern is one of priorities. It seems there is a better way to invest our tax dollars than investing in military maneuvers. A higher priority should be defending the drinking water of 42 million people against terrorists who hold no respect for human life. |
allowing BP to increase its discharge into Lake Michigan. As a result, BP found ways to expand its refinery without releasing increased levels of ammonia and suspended solids into the lake. The Holland Sentinel September 11, 2007 BP Story a Wake-Up Call Thomas Jefferson once said “action will delineate and define you.” For those who live in the Great Lakes region, Jefferson would call this a defining summer. Over 65,000 people signed petitions protesting a decision by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to allow British Petroleum to increase its daily discharges of ammonia and suspended solids into Lake Michigan. Over 10,000 people signed letters pledging to boycott BP gas stations. In an incredible display of outrage at the government’s decision to further pollute Lake Michigan, people chose to get involved. Our elected officials should view it as a wake-up call. Yes, the 2,000 construction jobs and 80 permanent positions created by the expanded BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana are important to an economically depressed region. But we can no longer afford jobs at any cost. We must pursue sustainable economic growth, growth that protects the fresh waters that differentiate our region from any other in the world. BP’s request to increase the discharge levels was not illegal. It was criminal given the deteriorating state of the Great Lakes ecosystem and their corporate commitment to produce products and energy without damage to the environment. But it was not illegal. The giant oil company followed the permitting process and IDEM granted the request following the regulations outlined in the Clean Water Act of 1972. Critics charge IDEM based the permit on an “antidegradation” clause that allows increased pollution when no affordable pollution reduction technology is available. Critics say IDEM granted the exception without proof BP had considered other options. If true, IDEM erred and should be held accountable. But it may also be time to scrutinize legislation that is over thirty years-old, ensuring it protects our dwindling supply of fresh water. To their credit, BP changed course and promised to expand its Indiana oil refinery without increasing discharge levels into Lake Michigan. In what could become a catalyst for breakthrough innovation, BP also agreed to work with Purdue Calumet Water Institute and Argonne National Laboratory to identify new technologies to improve the wastewater treatment processes. It is this type of innovation that promises to keep the United States a leader in an increasingly competitive market where fresh water is the world’s scarcest natural resource. I’d like to think the BP story becomes one we share with our grandchildren. It is an example of democracy at work. When we had the choice, we chose action rather than apathy to protect the Great Lakes waters that nourish our bodies and feed our souls. But we must do more. Pressure to find other sources of oil will continue as the volatility increases in the Middle East. The decision to expand the Indiana refinery was BP’s response to processing a heavier crude oil from Canada. Marathon Petroleum is planning a similar expansion for its refinery in Detroit If we are serious about protecting Great Lakes waters from oil refinery discharges or renewed pressures to drill below the waters of Lake Michigan, we must change our oil consumption levels. I’d like our grandchildren to know we value their access to fresh water more than our need to continue consuming 25% of the world’s oil. But it will be our actions that tell the story, not our words. |
February 11th, 2008 Lakes' Future Depends on Will of the People White foam spilled over the waves as they crashed against the shore. As I jogged the misty light of early morning, winter winds hurled snow against my face, stinging my cheeks and freezing my eyelashes. My mind churning, I barely noticed. I was reflecting on the single greatest obstacle that continues to derail bipartisan efforts to pass legislation designed to clean-up and protect the Great Lakes. What is missing, I am told repeatedly, is the political will of the people. Until three years ago, I would not have given this much thought. Like many in the baby boom generation, I pushed political involvement to the background as I worked my way up the corporate ladder. Consumed by a demanding job, I had enough difficulties balancing my role as a wife, daughter, sister, friend and corporate executive without adding the pressures of political participation. Besides, I always assumed my tax dollars were paying salaries to those who would realize the importance of protecting our drinking water, our quality of life and a resource that provides the economic backbone for our community. But as Mark Twain said, “common sense is not common.” Unless we pick up the phone and ask our elected officials what they are doing to clean up Lake Michigan, to prevent it from being diverted outside our region, nothing will happen. There are too many other priorities. History suggests the threat of a crisis usually sparks political involvement. When the Coast Guard announced plans to use live ammunition in training exercise on the Great Lakes, thousands signed petitions, attended hearings and phoned elected officials. The Coast Guard reversed its decision. Similarly, because of public outcry, BP found ways to expand its oil refinery in northern Indiana without discharging higher levels of metals and ammonia into Lake Michigan. We can make a difference. But the longer we wait to address the issues facing the Great Lakes, the more expensive the solutions. And at some point, the damage will be irreversible. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said “To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected.” Both hold true for our generation. We have a responsibility to clean up the damage we have done for decades—some knowingly, some in innocence. We need to stop polluting the groundwater, streams, and rivers flowing into the lakes. We need to protect the wetlands, the dunes and the natural habitat that ensure a healthy ecosystem. We need to start conserving our water. History will judge our generation. Our legacy will be shameful unless we make our waters a priority. This will be my last column for The Sentinel. To the scientists, environmentalists, religious leaders, government employees, teachers, fishermen, and people from all walks of life who have shared their stories with me, I say thank you. You have given me hope. And hope is the first step to creating the political will of the people. The second step is getting involved. It means phoning those we elected and asking what they’ve done for our waters lately. Admittedly, political involvement is a new phenomenal for me. But something happened when I moved to Holland and began jogging to the rhythm of Lake Michigan waters. Something stirred deep within my soul. These waters are home. And home is worth fighting for. It is worth protecting. |
| Storm clouds gather over Lake Michigan. |
| Sunset over Lake Michigan from the Holland, Michigan shoreline.. |
| A distant view of the Big Sable Lighthouse from the Ridge Trail at Luddington State Park. |
| A view of Gary, IN from the top of Mt. Tom at the Indiana Dunes State Park. |
| Linear Dunes line the southern end of Lake Michigan. |
| Freighters are responsible for the invasive species that threaten the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. Legislation designed to address the issue was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in the spring of 2008. It now is up to the Senate to take action. (Above photo taken in Lake Macatawa. Photo below taken outside the Muskegon harbor.) |
| Marshlands in early spring provide the Indiana Dunes State Park with one of the largest assortments of birds in the region. |
| Antiquated storm sewers dumped thousands of gallons of raw sewage into Lake Michigan following heavy rains in the spring of 2008. The dark, murky water could be seen several miles from shore. Legislation designed to fund necessary water treatment facility upgrades remains stalled in Congress. |
| The Coast Guard reversed years of strong public support when they announced plans to conduct live ammunition training in the Great Lakes. Widespread opposition reversed the decision. |
| Over 550 shipwrecks have occurred in Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay. |
| While I hiked most of the trails at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the spring of 2008, I avoided the Sleeping Bear Dune Trail leading to the ship graveyard. I've been caught in too many violent storms in the Great Lakes to intentionally view those ships and vessels unable to survive. |
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| A view from the top of Sleeping Bear Dunes, looking down at the waters of Lake Michigan. |