State Will Collect Data To Help Gauge Health Of Great Lakes As Part Of Federal Effort

The state will be gathering water and sediment samples along the Lake Superior shoreline next week as part of a federal effort to gauge the health of the Great Lakes, although fewer sites will be sampled due to state budget cuts.

The Environmental Protection Agency began surveying the condition of the Great Lakes in 2010. Department of Natural Resources research scientist Paul Garrison said he’ll collect data for the agency on temperature, nutrients and more from seven random sites east of Superior to Saxon Harbor in Iron County.

“This is done every five years,” he said. “If the water quality changes over time, they’ll be able to document that. But, initially, they’ll just be able to tell what the general condition is.”

Garrison said they’re sampling fewer sites this year, down from about 20 in 2010.

“Normally, I would hire some summer help for this, and because of the budget issues I wasn’t able to do that,” he said.

Garrison said the state has also been collecting data from 13 sites along Lake Michigan and expects sampling to continue through the end of August.