Notice of Public Interest: Icebreaking Operations to Help Mitigate Potential Flooding for Port Maitland/Grand River

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - March 27, 2014) - The Canadian Coast Guard in partnership with the United States Coast Guard and the Ontario Provincial Police, is advising residents and visitors that spring icebreaking operations will start on or around March 30, 2014 in the Port Maitland / Grand River area, located on Lake Erie, Ontario.

The CCGS Samuel Risley will make its way to Port Maitland on Lake Erie to conduct icebreaking operations related to flood control for the area, as requested by the Grand River Conservation Authority.

Dates and routes are subject to change with little or no notice due to operational requirements or sudden and significant changes to weather and ice conditions.

The 2013-2014 winter has produced unusually heavy and persistent ice conditions throughout the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Canadian Coast Guard crews and icebreakers have been working hard to provide icebreaking services during such a challenging time.

The Canadian Coast Guard strongly recommends that fishermen and snowmobilers and other recreational users leave the ice immediately if they see an icebreaker in the vicinity. The ice may move or break apart even at a significant distance, creating a hazard for anyone in the area of an icebreaker. All personal property, temporary structures and recreational equipment, should also be moved to shore well before these dates.

Quick Facts

• Icebreaking operations and shipping traffic create fragmented ice or open water that may be: difficult to see from afar; may be obscured by newly fallen snow; may not refreeze immediately and may be further weakened due to changes in weather.
• Icebreaking creates locally unstable ice conditions or open water that may persist long after ships have left the area.
• All ice near icebreaking operations and shipping activity should be considered unsafe.
• Canadian Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard assets in the Great Lakes are working hard together to maintain or open routes for maritime commerce, despite extreme and persistent ice conditions on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Associated Links

• http://www.uscg.mil/d9/sectDetroit/
• http://www.opp.ca/

For more information about the Canadian Coast Guard, visit www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca.

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