One Eye for the Nation, One for Yourself:
Boating Safety on the Great Lakes

MADISON, Wis. (5/17/2002) — Boaters on the Great Lakes this spring should take to the water with an eye toward safety—that of the nation as well as their own, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and marine safety experts. 

Security Zones Around Nuclear Power Plants.  The U.S. Coast Guard has established unmarked security zones around the power plants at Point Beach and Kewaunee, Wis.  Boaters are prohibited from entering or moving within the zones.

The temporary zones are in effect until June 15, 2002.  The Coast Guard has proposed making the security zones permanent.  The Point Beach zone would extend 250 yards north and south of the power plant, and 250 yards offshore.  The Kewaunee zone would extend 250 years north and south of Observation Point.  The northern edge would extend 150 yards from shore; the southern edge 440 yards from shore.

There are no buoys to mark these zones, so boaters are advised to stay well clear of both power plants.

Violation of the zone can result in a warning, a fine up to $10,000 and/or up to 10 years imprisonment.

For further information contact:  U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Milwaukee, (414) 747-7155.

Read a U.S. Coast Guard news release on the security zones.

 

Milwaukee Harbor Watch.  The Coast Guard has launched a Homeland Security Harbor Watch in the Milwaukee Harbor area.  The program encourages recreational boaters to watch for anything suspicious, such as unattended vessels, unusual boat characteristics, and fishing or hunting in unusual locations, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard says boaters should also watch for any aggressive activities, unusual filming or diving operations, and recovering or tossing items into the waterway or onto shore.  Places of particular interest include bridges, tunnels, locks, dams, power plants and water intakes.

While this program has been developed for the Milwaukee Harbor, boaters everywhere on the Great Lakes should be alert for suspicious behavior, said Chief David McClintock, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, Milwaukee.

Boaters should report any questionable behavior to the U.S. Coast Guard, (800) 424-8802.

For further information contact:  U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Milwaukee, (414) 747-7155.  Read a flyer from the U.S. Coast Guard on Harbor Watch.

 

Dangerous Breaking Waves.  Although water on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is six to eight inches higher than last spring, it is still below the long-term average level.  The continued low levels increase the chances of dangerous breaking waves forming outside of harbor entrances, according to Philip Keillor, UW Sea Grant coastal engineering specialist.

Breaking waves are most likely to occur in approaches to harbors whose channels are too shallow for large ocean freighters and lakers, Keillor said.  Some breaking waves can develop very quickly and, for a few seconds, can be nearly vertical walls of water, Keillor said.

“In just a couple hours, wave heights out on the lake can go from a couple of feet to nine feet or more,” Keillor said.  “When waves that high reach shallow harbor entrances, they can form breakers and present a danger of capsizing to recreational boaters.” 

Boaters should carry marine radios and watch the weather closely, Keillor said.  They should return to shore before large waves develop. If breaking waves do form outside a harbor they wish to enter, they should go to the nearest harbor with a wave-sheltered entrance or with deeper water in the entrance and less chance of large breaking waves.

For further information contact:  Philip Keillor, UW Sea Grant coastal engineering specialist, (608) 263-5133.

 

Potentially Lethal Cold Water.  The cold water of the Great Lakes can disable a person quickly, according to James Lubner, UW Sea Grant marine safety specialist.  “Cold water – or even cool water – saps body heat 25 times faster than air of an equal temperature,” Lubner said.  “That makes water potentially dangerous, even at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Surface temperatures of Lake Michigan near Milwaukee are currently in the low 40s.  In Lake Superior they are in the upper 30s.

“You become completely helpless very, very quickly in water that cold,” Lubner said.  Loss of limb movement happens first, with unconsciousness following in 15-30 minutes.  Death can occur in less than an hour.  Precise survival time depends on many factors, including water temperature, clothing and physical condition. 

The most important steps boaters can take are wearing a personal flotation device (PFD), moving carefully in the boat to avoid falling out and dressing for the water temperature rather than the air temperature.

Lubner recommends that boaters leave a “float plan” with friends and family, indicating where and when boaters plan to be on the water.  “And remember to cancel the plan when you return,” Lubner said.

For further information contact:  James Lubner, UW Sea Grant marine education specialist, (414) 227-3291.  Read a fact sheet titled “Hypothermia: Surviving in Cold Water."

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Conceived in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 30 university-based programs of research, outreach and education dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States' coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry and the National Sea Grant College Program , National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is administered by the Sea Grant Institute on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

 

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last updated 24 May 2002

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