Experiences and Perceptions of Great Lakes Water Level Change

Abstract

This report presents findings of an online survey of 1,815 Great Lakes property owners, managers, and other interested stakeholders. The survey was administered between September and November 2014 following a period of extremely low Great Lakes water levels in 2013 and the rapid rebound to average-above average water levels in 2014. The purpose of the survey was to inform the University of Michigan Graham Sustainability Institute’s Integrated Assessment of Water Levels in the Great Lakes. The results of the survey indicate that property owners and managers surveyed are highly concerned about water levels in the Great Lakes. Some key impacts that respondents have experienced include a decrease in recreational opportunities due to low water levels, an increase in operating expenses due to low water levels, a decrease in water quality due to low water levels, and property damage due to erosion. The most popular forms of information for obtaining knowledge about water levels among respondents are personal contact with friends, family members, and neighbors, websites of organizations dealing with water levels, news media, and email updates/alerts. The greatest number of respondents reported wanting to know more about the causes of water level change, what water levels will be like in the future, and adaptation strategies for dealing with low water levels. The most common barriers to obtaining knowledge among respondents are difficulty finding or accessing information and not looking for information.