Boaters take own action on 'unprecedented' level of Lake St. Clair debris (2024)

With lack of clarity over whose responsibility it is to clean up trees and other natural marine hazards floating or stuck in Lake St. Clair, some boaters are taking their own initiative.

Meanwhile, Lakeshore’s mayor is urging boaters to be extra cautious when navigating the higher levels of hazardous debris currently washing into Lake St. Clair.

“While the maintenance and clearing of waterways are not a municipal function, we certainly encourage boaters and other recreational water users to exercise caution during these unprecedented conditions,” Tracey Bailey told the Star.

Article content

While it’s common to see stumps and branches emptying into the lake from the Thames River during the spring thaw in March and April, area boaters and marina operators say they have noticed more debris — including entire trees — clogging the waterway and lake this summer than ever before.

Some boaters have even reported collisions with the hazardous debris, resulting in costly repairs to their vessels.

Last week, officials from the area conservation authorities that monitor the Thames River told the Star that unprecedented rainfall and upstream flash flooding in London is causing more debris to flow down the 273-kilometre waterway that empties into eastern Lake St. Clair.

But since the task of removing waterway hazards does not lie with the municipality, Bailey, whose Essex County municipality hugs Lake St. Clair’s southern shore, is urging boaters to report any such sightings to the Canadian Coast Guard, which shares information to their broadcast channels.

Contacted by the Star, a Canadian Coast Guard spokesperson, however, said the federal maritime service “does not have any protocols for removing large debris.

Article content

“If there were reports of a significant, immediate danger to navigation, a vessel may be sent to remove the debris.”

As of Wednesday morning, the spokesperson said there had yet to be any reports filed so far this summer of debris hazards in the area.

The Canadian Coast Guard recommended the Star contact Transport Canada’s Navigation Protection Program, which handles waterway “obstructions” under the Canadian Navigable Waters Act.

But it, too, might not be the answer to local boaters’ concerns.

The legislation defines an obstruction as “anything that is left anchored, moored or adrift, or a wreck, that obstructs or impedes navigation or renders it more difficult or dangerous.”

Since the definition omits “objects of natural origin,” the debris in Lake St. Clair is not deemed an obstruction, according to a Transport Canada spokesperson. However, the spokesperson said the local municipality can choose to remove hazards from the waterway, or mark them with buoys.

In some cases, boaters themselves have taken the initiative, stepping in to drag whole trees out of the water. Photos of their efforts have been shared on a marine community Facebook group.

Article content

The owner of a boat club in Michigan, who also created a volunteer team to remove hazards from the American side of Lake St. Clair, told the Star he would love to extend their reach to the Canadian side.

“We’re boaters, you know,” said Steven Dobreff, owner of Freedom Boat Club and lead of the Hazard Mitigation Team.

“I’ve always had the belief that we’re there to help other boaters.”

With no clarity as to which official government body might be responsible for removing the debris, Dobreff said he launched the Facebook group in February 2023 for boaters to report the coordinates of hazards. The group has amassed nearly 5,000 members since then.

“If we’re available, we’ll go out and grab it right away before it causes more problems,” said Dobreff.

“But if we’re not, we’ve seen a number of other boaters that have volunteered to go mark things, and it’s been really a movement that we’ve created on the lake.”

Last year, he said his team crossed the border to help remove a tree from the mouth of the Thames at the request of a resident.

Article content

Dobreff said he has noticed an “uptick” in debris flowing into the lake from the Clinton River and St. Clair River — including some trees measuring 50-feet-long and weighing over 5,000 pounds — though the sources are unknown.

Last Saturday, a rail company called CSX reported that one of their trains in Sarnia had a ruptured fuel tank, spilling about 10,000 litres of diesel.

Though it is unclear how much of the fuel entered the St. Clair River — a 65-kilometre international waterway connecting Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair — the company said it continues its clean-up efforts.

mmazak@postmedia.com

Article content