HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech's new Great Lakes monitoring buoy, sponsored by Enbridge, was successfuly deployed in the Straits of Mackinac, just west of the Mackinac Bridge, on Aug. 18, 2015, a few days after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder visited Michigan Tech's Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) to learn about the buoy and other new technology that will be used in the Straits to provide real-time environmental monitoring of the water conditions and to improve safety for Enbridge's pipelines under the Straits.
GLRC Director Guy Meadows described the deployment of the new buoy as "flawless." He noted the buoy has been reporting every 10 minutes ever since.
"The buoy (like all others), is available from the Great Lakes Research Center web site or directly at: http://greatlakesbuoys.org/," Meadows said.*
The buoy uses sonar to measure the flow of the water beneath the buoy. It also measures wind direction and speed, wind gust speed, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, water temperature, wave height and direction.**
Guy Meadows named to Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board
More recently, Meadows was named one of the 15 members of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board, established by the Governor's Sept. 3 executive order. The group is expected to to ensure safety, upkeep and transparency of issues related to the state’s network of pipelines. It will also be charged with advising state agencies on matters related to pipeline routing, construction, operation, and maintenance. State officials hope to implement recommendations on Michigan oil pipeline safety included in a state report focused on Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. On this board Meadows represents public universities.
Others appointed to the advisory board include Michigan DEQ Director Dan Wyant, co-chair; Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (or his designee); Michigan DNR Director Keith Creagh (or his designee); National Wildlife Foundation Great Lakes Regional Director Michael Shriberg, representing statewide conservation groups; Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Policy Specialist Jennifer McKay, representing environmental groups; members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police; Marathon Pipeline Co. and Enbridge Inc.
In addition the state and Enbridge Energy Co. signed on Sept. 3 an agreement preventing the future passage of heavy crude oil through Enbridge’s Line 5 pipelines running under the Straits of Mackinac.***
Gov. Rick Snyder visits GLRC
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials, and Michigan 110th District Rep. Scott Dianda learned about the buoy, Michigan Tech's Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and the university's Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for underwater research during their visit to the GLRC on Aug. 13, 2015.
Michigan Tech's new Autonomous Underwater Vehicle uses ultra-high-resolution sonar to provide very high imaging resolution and full three-dimensional mapping capabilities.
Michigan 110th District Rep. Scott Dianda said he was pleased to learn about Michigan Tech's partnership with Enbridge to monitor the Straits of Mackinac.
"The Straits of Mackinac are important to shipping, fishing, ferries and tourism, so the more eyes we have looking at these waters the better," Dianda said after attending the Aug. 13 event at the GLRC. "This additional buoy will also give Enbridge more information and data to help them keep Pipeline 5 operating safely."
During Gov. Snyder's visit Meadows described the features of the new AUV:
Robert Shuchman, co-director of the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, addressed the Governor and other visitors on seeking support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund for a Predictive Alert System for the Straits of Mackinac.
In Shuchman's presentation, this Predictive Alert System (PAS) "will dramatically improve disaster responsiveness and protect the environment using Michigan Tech's supercomputer, numerical hydrodynamic modeling, remote sensing and on site monitoring capabilities to protect this vital region of the Great Lakes."
Shuchman said he and Meadows are working together on a $1.7 million, 3-year PAS program for the Straits of Mackinac in order to be prepared for a potential oil spill or other disaster. In Year 1 $850,000 would fund development of a Dynamic Decision Support System; in years 2 and 3, $425,000 would fund a Test and Refine System and a Simulation and Practice.
Shuchman and Meadows hope to fund the PAS through the Great Lakes Protection Fund -- a private, permanent endowment created to benefit the Great Lakes ecosystem.****
GLRC staff, students highlight marine technology
During Gov. Snyder's visit GLRC staff and students explained the capabilities of the new Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) used in their current underwater research and monitoring activities.
The AUV, an IVER 3, offers GLRC researchers access to a host of new technologies, including a high-resolution, downward-looking video/still digital camera and forward looking obstacle avoidance sonar.
Here Jamey Anderson, GLRC Marine Operations coordinator, points out the features of the Enbridge-funded AUV, which will be used to monitor the pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac:
The Governor and other visitors also learned about a program for training State Police using another underwater vehicle, the Towfish.
In addition to the new AUV, the GLRC maintains and operates two Outland 1000 ROVs, which can dive to depths of more than 1,000 feet. Both are fully equipped with a collection of sampling tools, including scanning imaging sonar, one-function articulated arm for selective sampling, two color (and one black-and-white) low-light video cameras, and flood lights.
Two Michigan Tech students told visitors about their experiences with the GLRC's Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs):
Toward the end of their visit Gov. Snyder and other visitors took a short ride on Michigan Tech's RV Agassiz (research vessel) to learn more about some of the GLRC's research and educational projects. They also had a chance to board the NOAA research vessel R 5501, which was later used to deploy the new buoy in the Straits of Mackinac.
Finally, Gov. Snyder met with members of the media and fielded questions about Enbridge's Line 5 in the Straits, the same company's 2010 oil spill in the Kalamazoo River and more ...
Notes:
* Click here to visit the GLRC Web site.
** Click here for recent conditions at the Mackinac Straits West buoy.
*** See the Sept. 3 announcement of Gov. Snyder's executive order creating the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board and the agreement with Enbridge.
**** Click here to read about the Great Lakes Protection Fund.
***** Read the July 2015 Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force report here. See also our June 17, 2015, article on a different report about the pipelines under the Mackinac Straits: "Scientific report on Enbridge pipeline under Mackinac Straits warns of risks; citizens call for pipeline shutdown."
No comments:
Post a Comment