Ojibway sails on her final trip
The classic laker Ojibway, left its berth in Sorel, QC, Saturday morning headed to Port Colborne where she’ll end her career. According to Seaway guestimates, her second last stop will be Lock 8 on Tuesday at 7:29 a.m. This year marks the 70th anniversary of her launch at Bay City, MI.
800 gallons of paint make Lake Michigan car ferry look like new
Ludington, MI – After sandblasting and 800 gallons of paint, the 69-year-old S.S. Badger looks like new again. The exterior of the moving historic landmark has been restored to its original glossy black, white and red aesthetic, said Sara Spore, general manager of Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc., which owns the Badger.
“There wasn’t a complete paint job done since the railroad owned it,” she said. That was more than 40 years ago. There had been touch up, she said. Several layers of paint came off when the ship was sandblasted.
Painting the ship coincided with its five-year drydock inspection, which is required by the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship finished its 2021 season in October, docked and turned off its coal-fired engines in Ludington and then was towed by tugboat to a dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. on Nov. 3.
Read more and view images and a video at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/04/800-gallons-of-paint-make-lake-michigan-car-ferry-look-like-new.html?utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR34lf_mCG7ImzyzACOcldA5uK4-6RuWf8f-Wy0GDAHtcqoTLr57KEBRrL4
Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron expected to rise over the coming weeks
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are typically near their seasonal low point at this time of the year. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are expected to rise over the coming weeks in response to spring rainfall and snowmelt runoff. Lake Superior water levels remain below the seasonal long-term average while Lake Michigan-Huron water levels remain above the seasonal long-term average. Lake Superior outflows continue to be set in consideration of water levels upstream and downstream.
The Board expects the total outflow to be 1,530 m3/s (54 tcfs) in April, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the setting equivalent to one-half gate open (Gates #7 through #10 partially open 20 cm (7.9 in)). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.
Lake Superior declined 1 cm (0.4 in), which is the average decline in March. Lake Michigan-Huron rose 5 cm (2 in) last month, while on average the lake rises 4 cm (1.6 in) in March.
At the beginning of April, Lake Superior is 9 cm (3.5 in) below the long-term average water level (1918 – 2021) and 29 cm (11.4 in) below the level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron is 24 cm (9.4 in) above average, 36 cm (14 in) below the level from last year, and 70 cm (28 in) below the record-high level set at this time in 2020.
Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may rise by as much as 16 cm (6.3 in) and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels may rise by as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) in April.
The International Lake Superior Board of Control is responsible for managing the control works on the St. Marys River and regulating the outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Michigan-Huron. Under any outflow regulation plan, the ability to regulate the flow through the St. Marys River does not mean that full control of the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron is possible. This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes (i.e. precipitation, evaporation, and runoff) cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict. Outflow management cannot eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions. Additional information can be found at the Board’s homepage: https://ijc.org/en/lsbc or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalLakeSuperiorBoardOfControl
