Erie's resurrection

Lake Erie is by far the shallowest of the Great Lakes, and contains the least volume of water. It is also in an area of fertile soil and relatively temperate climate, which means lots of agricultural runoff. So Erie's pollution problem showed up most quickly.

On the other hand, because it is so shallow it has a retention time of only 2.6 years, basically a measure of how long it takes water flowing into the lake to replace old water. Compare Lake Superior, with a retention time of 191 years. Even Lake Ontario, which is smaller but deeper, has a retention time of six years. You'll still find smelly, sick-looking water around Toronto Harbour and other places on Lake Ontario. Fortunately a short retention time means it is easier to clean up Lake Erie.

International co-operation worked. By the 1980s our beach had become a beautiful place. During my summer jobs, co-workers liked to come over for a swim after work. Seaweed and dead fish had become scarce.

In the past two decades zebra mussels, an exotic invader, have spread through the lakes. Their ravenous filtering action has made Lake Erie's water clearer and clearer. But it's a mixed blessing because their sharp-edged shells readily cut one's feet underwater, adding peril to the soft sand.

Another pleasant change, also possibly the outcome of human activity, has recently altered the beach. The past four years have brought some of the lowest water levels in almost half a century. It is partly a result of the winters of 1997-98 and 2001-02, which were two of the mildest on record. Whether this is partly the result of global warming, or merely an outcome of El Niño and other natural phenomena, is debatable.

But it's a relief from the 1970s and 1980s, when high water levels caused severe erosion. Especially in the 70s, some nearby property owners lost their backyards overnight, and several cottages toppled over the brink. Fortunately our house was set at a safe distance from the top of the bluff. My parents had tons of boulders dumped, which gave our property some protection. But for 20 years, we had little beach.

In the past four years it has grown wide, so much that for the first time I can remember, plants have taken root. They are all small, fast-growing and slightly thorny. They broadcast seeds, but their pale stems and branches persist

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