Friday, June 4, 2010

Low Water Problems

The news media is reporting that the Great Lakes' water level is dangerously low. I can attest to that just by looking out front at the St. Marys River. As I was taking the picture of the Atlantic Huron this morning, I noticed how far out the edge of the river is. This close-up picture shows just how bad it is.

This flower bed is actually a sea wall that was build in the 1950's to keep the water from washing out the yard. In the 70's the water was up to the sea wall again but it hasn't been since then.
This quote is from boatnerd.com

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported this month that in April, the biggest of the Great Lakes lost about three centimeters during a time when spring runoff usually swells the lake by as much as eight centimeters.

The Corps said that was only the fourth time Lake Superior declined in April in the past 110 years and was the lowest level since 1907. The levels are also low in lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario -- as much as 25 centimeters lower in some places."

This low water level has great implications for Great Lakes shipping. How has the low water level affected you or what have you noticed? Thanks for sharing, Brenda

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dan and I were so surprised when we returned home this spring to see how much lower everything was than when we left. It makes one wonder if the levels will ever be normal again. So between worrying about this, the birds in the oil sludge and life in general, I think I'll hide for a while!

Soo Boat Watcher said...

Cathy, I agree with you and we also have to add the Asian carp to our worry list. I talked to a fish scientist and he said they 'probably' couldn't survive in the St. Marys River. But that probably is too vague for me. I'm worrying about them.