Detroit News: Great Lakes water levels drop worries boaters, shippers

[marmar]

Great Lakes water levels drop worries boaters, shippers
Jim Lynch / The Detroit News


Each of the Great Lakes, as well as Lake St. Clair, will be lower this summer, and that means headaches for those who use the waters for work and play.

For waterfront homeowners, it will mean the retreat of the lakes from their property. For the beleaguered shipping industry, it will mean the loss of carrying capacity at a time when every ton of cargo counts. For the region's boaters, it will mean a greater need for care entering and leaving their slips.

And in the western portion of Lake Erie, it's likely to bring even more of the troublesome algae that has become an increasing problem along the shores of Michigan and Ohio.

"We're below last year's lake levels across the board," said Keith Kompoltowicz, a meteorologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit. "That's largely due to the very dry conditions we had during the winter and early spring."

The drops are a reversal of two years of improvements. In 2007, Lake Superior reached a record low, and the Michigan-Huron system came close to doing the same. But until this year, the lake levels have steadily risen. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100512/METRO/5120371/Great-Lakes-water-levels-drop-worries-boaters--shippers#ixzz0nib6U620