The water in lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie sunk to their lowest levels in decades last year - and even worse may be on tap for this summer. Federal forecasts predict the level in the three Great Lakes could drop as much as 10 inches below last year's lows. Already, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received 225 dredging requests, well above last year's pace.
Water levels are the hot issue right now.
It's going to get hotter as soon as people try to put their boats in the water. During last year, there were 1,000 dredging projects along Michigan's coasts - more than twice that of the previous year. Already this winter, several Detroit-area communities have applied for dredging permits, including Grosse Pointe, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores. People have been running aground. If we don't dredge, we think we'll lose 50 percent of those boat slips.