Water levels in Lakes Huron, Michigan to break record lows

[SpartanDem]

Source: Detroit News

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is anticipating all-time record low water levels for Lakes Huron and Michigan in early 2013 after a continued lack of rain and snowfall impacting the Great Lakes Basin.

In a report released Friday, the corps of engineers projected Huron and Michigan will break levels set in March 1964 — 576.05 feet above sea level — while all of the Great Lakes are predicted to see low water levels.

"It's looking like new record lows will be set in January and February on those lakes," said Keith Kompolotowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the corps of engineers, of Huron and Michigan. "This is the first time we've gone out of our low range for Huron/Michigan, which we consider to be one lake because they're joined."

According to the report, Lakes Michigan and Huron were 28 inches below normal respectively for November. Lake Superior was 14 inches below normal while Lakes Erie and Ontario were down 6 and 10 inches. Lake St. Clair was 12 inches below average.





Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121130/METRO/211300454/Water-levels-Lakes-Huron-Michigan-break-record-lows?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

[AllyCat]

1. In addition to no rain/snowfall...could overuse by fracking

contractors have a hand in this?

[FarCenter]

10. No -- have you ever visited Niagra Falls?

[ClusterFreak]

2. I live in a town on Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada...

...and I would take issue with the 6 to 10 inches figure quoted in the article. The water level in our bay is perhaps 3 or 4 feet below normal. Not to mention how much further our shorelines reach outward as well, exposing all kinds of rocky shoals which were always submerged. And yeah...no snow last winter, no rain all summer. Hope things are different over the next 12 months.

[Faygo Kid]

3. Meanwhile, California supposed to get most rain in 150 years

Nah, no climate change happening, not at all.

That eminent scientist Rush Limbaugh sez it, and that settles it.

Seriously, this Michigander is worried.

[riderinthestorm]

4. Obama will come home to Hyde Park Chicago, blocks away from Lake Michigan

His good buddy, Rahm Emmanuel is the mayor of Chicago who is certainly worried about Lake Michigan.

Hopefully political considerations mean something.....

Global climate change is upon us. I'm glad its in the news...

[rurallib]

5. think of how many billions of gallons one inch is

someone probably has a figure for that - bet it is huge.

[blackspade]

6. Glacial rebound is a cause as well.

The whole Great Lakes basin is rising.

[GreydeeThos]

8. US Army Corps of Engineers dredged the St. Clair channel in 1961

They estimate the St. Clair dredging alone lowered lake Huron and lake Michigan by 15 inches. Today any talk about restricting the water flow into the St. Clair river to raise the water level of lake Michigan is met with determined opposition from groups in the lower Great Lakes. The people in Niagara do not want the water flow to change because it effects things like hydro electric power generation and river transportation.

[blackspade]

11. Interesting.

I didn't know that.
The law of unintended consequences strikes again!

[hunter]

13. I think control structures are inevitable....

... if our economy and political system are still capable of such things after a few years of climate extremes.

[hrmjustin]

7. Maybe some of the republicans that live there might tell their leadership that Global Warming

is real. They can see it.

[Sunlei]

9. time to reverse the Mississippi (that's what it wants to do)...

reverse the Miss. cut channel into the great lakes and up through Canada all the way to the now open NW passage.

A new water transportation super-highway for passangers & shipping.

[Earth_First]

12. Lake Ontario as well...

This is a view of Irondequiot Bay looking north towards Lake Ontario.



11' 1/2" deep short of where it should be.

Lowest level since 2007.