Concerns are growing that record low water levels in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan will impact shipping, marinas and fish stocks this summer.
A study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found the lakes were at 175.57 metres in January, the lowest since the organization began keeping track in 1918.
That’s nearly 74 centimetres below their long-term average and a 43 centimetre decline from January 2012.
Levels in Lake Superior, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are also lower than usual, with a mild winter, drought and dredging of connected rivers partly to blame.
The low levels mean businesses like Goderich’s Sifto Salt can’t load as much cargo on their ships, costing them money.
Boating will also likely be a challenge this summer without a big snowfall or heavy rain in the coming months.
Ian MacAdam, Goderich harbour master, says “This is the lowest I’ve ever seen it…with the water this low getting out of the river and up and down the shoreline is going to be a hazard.”
But the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation is scoffing at the numbers, saying the numbers have changed far more drastically over the last 11,000 years.
They have varied so much in fact, that the names of the lakes have actually changed, with Lake Algonquin and Lake Stanley among those that are just memories.
Glacial melt-water and the changing shape of area rivers contributed to the drastic re-shaping.
Geoff Peach of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation says “The predecessor to Lake Huron was a lake called Lake Stanley, and it was about 100 metres lower than it is currently. So any cottager along the lakeshore would have had to drive to the shoreline back in Lake Stanley days.”
According to the centre, Lake Huron has only been around in its current storm for about 2,000 years.
And while current levels are a concern, Peach says he’s confident things will turn around, “If we have patience, we’ll likely see things come back.”
With files from The Associated Press.
