Low water levels

[numberguy77]

I was only 5 back in 1964 when Lake Michigan had its lowest level ever. Now they are saying we are going to break that low level later this year.

Had to pull my boat out of the small marina I keep it at this past Sunday with 3 weeks still to go on the marina season, because the water was so low there. If I waited 3 more weeks, I think I'd be sitting in mud.

Took it over to Snug Harbor on Muskegon Lake to pull it out and that's pretty shallow, too.

All the sun predicted this week is great, but that will probably evaporate some more water out of the lake.

We really need to get a ton of snow this winter and get that lake level back up. Or a really wet fall.

Has anyone ever seen Muskegon Lake so low?

[Line Dancin]

the marina i keep my boat in over on erie is worried as they have dredged to the bedrock. At the end of june i had a heck of a time with the water being low then. The owner is worried that he may have to for the first time shut down part of the marina as the water is so low in that area. Pray for snow. I hate it but man we really need it bad.

[whatadeal]

I personally did not notice much of a change at our marina. I did however notice a lot more sand bar showing where the Betsie river dumps into the bay

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

It's a tragic site at most all the ports on Lk. Michigan, and getting worse by the day and year. I heard it was the lowest since 1961, and 1964 too, don't know which, but it's bad. And here's the issue. The joint waterways commission of Canada and the USA have total control over these lake levels and can do something about it. So what's the secret that keeps this happening that we don't have a need to know about? And why? It must be down at least 4 feet since 2 years ago or more.

[coralee]

I almost fell in the drink getting out of my boat on the S side of lake Mac as you about need a ladder its so low.

[gooob1]

a friend that owns a small marina on the North side of Muskegon Lake said the level has dropped 5 inches in the past week! They have dry ground in front of their launch

[Priority1]

Lake MI and Lake Huron are essentially one body of water joined by the Straits of Mackinac. All the the lower parts of rivers running into these lakes are also very low. Most of the marinas and launch sites are effected to some extent. This problem is truly a trickle down one. The upper watershed of Lake Superior has the most effect on the water levels of the Great Lakes. A lot of snow in the Superior watershed will do the most good.

[MoJoRisin']

I'll be heading out possibly up by Hesperia on the White River soon and will first hand see how low the river is up there.

Also in a month or so I'll be heading out on the piers to search for steel and will also see how low it really is. On the S pier in Muskegon about 3 years ago we could crawl under the pier and see the wooden piles that the pier sits on and still stay dry.

We need rain plain and simple - weatherman said last night we could see a streak where we have no rain of up to 3 WEEKS!! They were going all the way into the 2nd week of Oct before we may see the next rain. Crazy.......

[fisf crazy]

iwas on the grand obove 6th street this weekend wont be doing that again never seen it that low it is making for some tuff fishing thats for sure the one nice thing the low clear water lets me know where the the walleys are at night a new method shinning for walleys kinda fun to spot and stalk walleys look for the eyey glowing and game on

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

Guys, it would have to rain for forty days and forty nights to just start to get the correct water levels back in Lake Michigan, and I don't see that happening in this lifetime. What everyone needs to do is start writing and calling to complain to that joint waterways commission to get water down from Lk. Superior to us to start with. Their reasons in the past have been suspicious and capricious at best, favoring some unknown Canadian reasons that they need our water worse than we do.

[mincmi]

Guys, it would have to rain for forty days and forty nights to just start to get the correct water levels back in Lake Michigan, and I don't see that happening in this lifetime. What everyone needs to do is start writing and calling to complain to that joint waterways commission to get water down from Lk. Superior to us to start with. Their reasons in the past have been suspicious and capricious at best, favoring some unknown Canadian reasons that they need our water worse than we do.

Maybe in your lifetime . . .!

Was reading yesterday from the Benzie paper that not only was the record low in 1964, but the recorded record high was in 1986, just 22 years later. Now 26 years after that high, we are back at near record lows again.

There once was a gate on the north Pier in Frankfort (you can still see the iron piping in the concrete if you look) that they would close during high waves to keep idiots from venturing out and being swept off. We would catch browns in the spring inside that gate in the mid 70’s, just a decade after the record low water levels. Now there must be at least 50 feet of beach west of where the gate was.

Was surprised that the difference between the record high and the record low was “only†six feet so that peaked my interest in seeing some data on just how cyclical the lake levels are.

I looked up the NOAA records for rain fall in Michigan (they did not specify the site that data is recorded). In the period from 1896-2012 Michigan receives about 31.5†of precipitation.

From Aug-July of the following year:

Years Total Avg. Notes

1900-1909 307.38†30.74â€

1910-1919 294.78†29.45â€

1920-29 302.45†30.24†(Record low of 22.45†in 1925)

1930-39 291.09†29.11†(1930-31 avg. 23.73 as Plains Dust Bowl sets up)

1940-49 313.29†31.33†including 37.62†in 1943

1950-59 315.32†31.53†Avg. 35.2†from 1950-52

1960-69 311.06†31.11†37.52†in 1960 before fall to avg 27.70 from 61-64 leading to record low lake levels in 1964. Then from 1965-69average 32.54

1970-79 325.18†32.52â€

1980-89 332.16 33.22†From 1971-1987 only one year below 31†of precipitation (1977 – 27.42†a year in which I recall heavy snows in NW MI) including 37.28†in ’85 and 35.60†in ‘86 leading to a record high lake level in 1986.

1990-99 328.97 32.90â€

2000-2009 334.60 33.46†Including the all time record of 37.87†in 2002 plus 37.43†in 2004 and 37.65†in 2009 the only decade with three 37†rains.

2010-2012 98.59 32.86

Looking at this data, the trend is up for precip over the century. We have fallen back slightly over the last three years, but not dramatically, especially in light of coming off a record decade.

There has to be other factors leading to the near record lake low at this time, but would look at this as an off year in precipitation and not a downward spiral.

.

[Patio]

Greetings

Today my son and I thought it might be a good day to trailer the boat and bring it home to prepare for winter. Starcraft Islander 221V. Our port is in Sarnia Ontario. I left the marina and the canal out to the St. Clair River had mud flats on both sides approx. 5' out from the normal edge. It was like navigating down a 30' wide creek 5' deep. Not so bad. I motored around to a neighboring marina to use their their ramps. Big mistake. With the high winds and low water levels I ran aground on a mud flat not 200' from the ramp. As soon as my depth sounder hit approx 3' I trimmed up and dropped anchor. The wind did the rest. I took my bimini side windows down to stop acting like a sail. After some time my son and I ran a line to the dock at the ramp and entered the water. It was thigh deep. We waited for the wind to change and you could see the water rising on the mud flat. We managed to free the boat and with bystanders helping on the dock we walked the boat back to the ramp. When I was grounded the channel marker was next to me lying sideways in approx 2' of water. I will admit to my inexperience with this ramp and approach , but maybe it should be shut down or better marked. A couple larger boats made it through to the ramp after we docked. They needed help at the dock because of the high winds. No apparent damage to the hull. The boat is slightly higher and drier in my driveway. Be careful out there.

Patio:no:

[Patio]

Check this out.

http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/water/levels/levels-cur/stclairwlc.html

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

Thanks Evans, great statistics. But, if you look at the over 100 year cycles, you will note that only about 4 inch of differences per year in rain is reported. That certainly cannot account for 4'-7' depth changes on any lakes, esp. not such huge great lakes, it's simply not possible. Example: if the reported 35" rain in 1986 made the lake levels their highest in 100 years, then why didn't the over 37" rains of 2009 not do the same, or worse? No, the lake levels of 2009 were also very low. Like I have said, it's the international joint waterways commissions of Canada the USA that are directly controlling our great lake levels by decisions for hydroelectric plants, dams, and many other detours of natural flowing water, on both sides of the borders. Check out www.ijc.org/en/background/ijc_cmi_nature.htm. Our local office is as follows: Great Lakes Commission, P.O.Box 32869, Detroit, Mi. 48232, 313-226-2170, ext.6733. Of course if asked and putting pressure on them got any real answers in the past, like late 1980's when I contacted them several times about too high water levels, they declined to comment on their activities, beyond their news letters, and press releases, more propaganda is what I say. They know.

[Nailer]

Wait till the end of November when the water condenses, and evaporates more yet.

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

Nailer, in the last 4-5 weeks I now have boats in sandbars on their bows, where in June they were in 2 ft. of water, & now beached. The front south docks where usually is 5' of water on the landside of the dock, there is barely 2-1/2' of water, coming close to the props of big boats that usually dock there. Sandbars and low water levels this low are definitely not the fault of rains alone, it's too much to accept.

[Paulywood]

I think there are a lot of factors that affect the water levels. One of the biggest is the warmer winter we had last year. That means the lake doesn't freeze and we keep losing moisture in the form of rain or snow all winter long to other areas of the midwest. The second is the dredging on the St. Clair River channel. I remember a few years ago they said the dredging had caused water flow to increase. That led to erosion of the bottom. Which led to more water flowing through. Which led to more erosion. And on and on. This actually drains water from Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron. I hope that it is only cyclical but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Oakley]

From a recent WSJ article

In 1962, the Corps deepened the channel to accommodate bigger ships on the St. Clair River, which connects Lake Huron to Lake Erie via Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. That dredging, along with others in previous years, permanently lowered the levels of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron by 16 inches, according to a study commissioned by the International Joint Commission, a bilateral organization that monitors transborder environmental agreements. By 1993, erosion in the St. Clair River had caused a further drop of about 4 inches in the two lakes, but commission researchers believe that by 2003, it had stopped, said commission public affairs officer Frank Bevacqua.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444752504578024920103784566.html

[MoJoRisin']

I'm thinking the 5 inches of rain my rain gage has had in it over the last 10 days will start to bring her back up. I'm sure it will have a positive impact on the previously dreadfully low rivers. Should be a banner pier and surf steelie season - once indian summer is over.