Lake Superior expected to rise in July

NEWS RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL LAKE SUPERIOR BOARD OF CONTROL

**************************** 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 1,940 cubic meters per second (m3/s) (68.5 thousand cubic feet per second (tcfs)) for the month of July.

This is the outflow recommended by the regulation plan for the month of July and is a decrease from the June outflow, which was 2,140 m3/s (75.6 tcfs).

The July outflow will be released by discharging about 1,818 m3/s (64.2 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 cm, or about eight inches each).

There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1 that supplies the Fishery Remedial Works.

This past month the water supply to the Lake Superior basin was below normal, while the water supply to the Lake Michigan-Huron basin was near the long-term-average.

Lake Superior is currently 10 cm (four inches) above its chart datum level.

The level of Lake Superior is expected to rise in July.

Currently, the Lake Superior level is about 19 cm (seven inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-July level, and is six cm (two inches) below the level recorded a year ago.

This past month the level of Lake Superior rose by two cm (one inch), while on average the lake rises 8 cm (three inches) in June.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron rose by six cm (two inches) this June, which is one cm (1/2 inch) more than its average rise.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is now about 13 cm (five inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-July level, and is 22 cm (nine inches) higher than it was a year ago.

Currently Lakes Michigan-Huron is 44 cm (17 inches) above its chart datum level.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron may rise in July.

The board continues to monitor conditions both on Lake Superior and downstream and will advise the International Joint Commission accordingly on those conditions.

Brigadier General John W. Peabody, commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the United States board member.

Mr. David Fay is the board member for Canada. Additional information can be found here or here.

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