Lakes Huron and Michigan now over two feet below average
Tuesday, October 02, 2012 by: SooToday.com Staff
NEWS RELEASE
INTERNATIONAL LAKE SUPERIOR BOARD OF CONTROL
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Update on Lake Superior outflow
The International Lake Superior Board of Control, under authority granted to it by the International Joint Commission, has set the Lake Superior outflow to 1,560 cubic meters per second (m3/s) (55.1 thousand cubic feet per second (tcfs)) for the month of October, effective October 2, 2012.
This is a decrease from the September outflow, which was 1,860 m3/s (77.0 tcfs).
This outflow is as prescribed by Plan 1977-A.
The October outflow will be released by discharging about 1,462 m3/s (51.6 tcfs) through the three hydropower plants and passing most of the remaining flow through the control structure at the head of the St. Marys rapids.
The gate setting of the control structure will be maintained at the existing setting equivalent to one-half gate open (four gates open 20 centimeters (cm), or about eight inches each).
There will be no change to the setting of Gate No. 1 that supplies the Fishery Remedial Works.
This past month the water supplies to the Lake Superior and Michigan-Huron basins were well below normal.
Lake Superior is currently six cm (two inches) below its chart datum level.
The level of Lake Superior is expected to remain steady or drop slightly in October.
Currently, the Lake Superior level is about 38 cm (15 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-October level, and is nine cm (four inches) lower than the level recorded a year ago.
This past month the level of Lake Superior fell 11 cm (four inches), while on average it falls two cm (one inch) in September.
The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron fell 15 cm (six inches) this September, while on average it falls six cm (two inches) in September.
The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is now about 70 cm (28 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-October level, and is 33 cm (13 inches) lower than it was a year ago.
Currently Lakes Michigan-Huron is 23 cm (nine inches) below its chart datum level.
The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is expected to fall in October.
The board continues to monitor conditions both on Lake Superior and downstream and will advise the International Joint Commission accordingly on those conditions.
BG Margaret Burcham is the United States board member.
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Zing 10/2/2012 7:30:58 PM ReportI am baffled by this....if you have water which is low, why give it away?
moose23 10/2/2012 8:20:39 PM ReportHow is the level of Lakes Huron/Michigan related to the amount of water released at our end? You can open all of the gates but the dredged St. Clair River will just let it out the other end just as fast ... isn't this the real issue?
friendlyone24 10/3/2012 7:27:42 AM ReportThere is hardly any water on some of the inland lakes, which is killing vegetation and further food sources for other animals.
There is no need to keep the gates from allowing water into the bays.
The dry land at all the camp spots is hardly any fun.
Beaches are to have water....????
Chris
derek 10/3/2012 9:27:38 AM ReportThe only Lake the can control is Superior.
Makes you wonder...
WHere is the water going????hhhmmmmm
Big Nestle water plant in Michigan isnt taking any?? at all been there 10 years and water keeps going down. Stop drinking bottled water. There making a million dollars a day....
Here is a must watch..you decide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx65EeLk4Ro
oh ya all inland lakes are full...thunder bay floods...where is it all going....
Nunavut 10/3/2012 9:35:53 AM ReportThe only way Lake Michigan people and Chicago people will realize their mistake with the dredging of St Clair and reverse flow river to an outflow at Chicago a few decades ago, is for the people of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to see the low levels and complain to their state and provincial memebers that diversions and dredging was mistake. By having Lake Superior just mask the problem by having more outflow just postpones the problem and leaves the Great lakes with no "backup" source of water to balance the system.
Also with not enough people around Lake Superior, to complain about their Lakes low levels, then their voices could be drowned out by Huron on Michigan people who don't realize United States caused most of the problem with their dredging and reverse flow of river at Chicago to help bolster barge traffic etc to Missisipi system. We may not be able to change the global warming trend and inland lake feeders but we should demand action from USA man made outflow mistakes they caused.
AAP 10/3/2012 12:42:21 PM ReportThe Chicago River was reversed in 1900 and has been flowing out of Lake Michigan since. I doubt this is the cause of our water disappearing.
I believe warmer winters & less snow are big factors. Ice slows down evaporation (even in the winter) but there has been a lot more open water in recent years. Less precipitation to add to water levels & more evaporation depleting water levels.
Although I'm far from being an expert, I'm sure these are relevant factors.
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