St. Clair River clogged with ice in Mich.

MARYSVILLE, Mich., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard cutters are attempting to break apart chunks of ice clogging up portions of the St. Clair River in Michigan, officials say.

The Detroit Free Press said Sunday the ice chunks are plugging up the river for nearly nine miles starting near Marysville, Mich., wreaking havoc on water levels to the north and the south.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said water levels to the north have reached unusually high levels, while the river's water levels to the south have fallen significantly.

"It's literally like a plug in a bath tub," Miller said Sunday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the St. Clair River ice jam is the worst since 1984, when the normal river flow was decreased by 65 percent.

Miller said the potential environmental impact of the current ice jam remains unclear, but the combined Coast Guard project is intended to limit any negative effects, the Free Press reported.

"It's a unique set of circumstances, and it will be a laborious operation," the congresswoman said.