This is literally demented on so many levels. The lake levels vary up to a couple feet anyway, quite independent of any long term trends. And the notion that lake levels will just keep rising and rising is absurd because the lakes have an outlet - have these clowns never heard of Niagara falls?
Even if there was sustained heavier rain and snowfall in the water shed, who cares? It would be absolutely trivial to drain off some towards the Mississippi river (the watershed of which literally reaches Chicago city limits). Or the western states that are always clamoring for water to be sent their way from the Great Lakes could pay for just such a project.
File this under opportunities, not alarmism. Sheesh.
You got to it faster! I had the same idea.
Only I forgot that there’s a canal system from the lake to the Des Plaines river.
I am not sure of the difference in levels, but currently they have locks to control the direction of the current.