Shallower Lake Erie spells deep trouble

[GLF]

Latest estimates see water level dropping significantly, posing threat to shipping, power

Beaches that stretch hundreds of feet from the water's edge.

Great Lakes shipping grinding to a halt.

Hydroelectric power plants left high and dry.

New wetlands unlike those seen in centuries.

Lake Erie's water level could fall by as much as 32 inches by 2050, due to changes in global climate, according to the latest estimates by Environment Canada, driving sweeping changes through the region's environment and its economy.

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