Lakeshore Town Council is moving ahead with repairs to its boat ramp docks after high water levels submerged parts of it.
A report to councillors Monday night said water levels have not been this high on Lake St. Clair since 1918. It blames climate change explicitly.
Many of the docks at Lakeshore's Belle River Marina are floating docks, which adjust to water levels, but the boat ramp docks are stationary. Three sections are underwater four to six inches and are no longer safe to use.
Marinas across the region have suffered similar circumstances, and Belle River Marina is one of the few that has been able to continue operating. As a result, it has seen an uptick in business.
Council signed off on installing a new two-foot section of dock on top of the existing stationary dock for the rest of the boating season. That will take about two weeks, starting early in August.
The cost will be $22,430, including taxes. The money will come out of the facilities reserve fund, which has a balance of $1.5-million.
However, that is just an interim solution. Councillors were told a permanent solution would take the marina out of service the rest of the season. Instead, a new floating boat ramp dock will be proposed when council starts work on the budget for 2020. A separate report on the cost will come at that time.
