Rising Lake Level

1624 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by J Nelligan, Mar 23, 2002

J Nelligan

Discussion Starter · Mar 21, 2002

4 There has been some recent articles suggesting that Great Lakes water levels should rise this year. I found this post at Great Lakes Angler.

"There was an article in last weeks Detroit Free Press in regards to rising lake levels. The reason for this increase is due to the larger snow pack this year up on Lake Superior. Although the snowfall this year was at 10% less than the normal average, it was greater than what we have been recieving the last few years. I've read numerous articles stating that the Lake Superior snowpack is the greatest factor in determining lake levels, regardless of how mild our winters are in the lower peninsula. The snow pack refers to the amount of base snow on the northern shore of Superior. This is determined by helecopter and plane surveys. I believe they survey visually, how large of area is covered, combined with other factors i.e. depth of existing snowfall. Snowfall is determined, and excludes lake effect snow, which is basically moisture robbed from the lakes turning into snow under the right conditions, which then falls onto the nearest land mass. It was mentioned that a good amount of spring rain can help, but that snowpack far outweighed any other natural influences on lake levels."

I hope that does happen. I don't know about you guys , but launching your boat at Burnham or Waukegan has been a real challenge without damaging a transducer or something else. At Waukegan the only one I'll use is the ramp as far to the left as possible.

Jim

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· #2 · Mar 21, 2002

Water level's higher???
Well from what I've seen....The water level's are down even more from this same time last year...Then you add to the fact that the snowbelt had yet again..another year of low snowfalll...Yes technicaly it had more snow that recent year's....But most snow fell east of the great lakes(i.e. lake effect)..Then you add the fact that the great lakes only had about a 10% freeze over where normally it's 90%...Makes for a lot of water evaporating into the dry winter air...All that snow will melt & some will find it's way back into the great lakes where it's badly needed....But don't let them kid you.....Most water will be absorbed into the ground & help the already depleting ground water resources...

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· #3 · Mar 21, 2002

Deer Slayer is exactly correct. I have been racing large sailboats (with deep keels) on Lake Michigan for the last 18 years, and am all too familiar with the low Lake levels and getting in and out of harbors. We would have to have many winters with way above average snow falls up north, to get the Lake back to an average level(we're more than 2 ft down), combined with some really cold winters to freeze the Lake (if you leave the lid off a jar of water, you will lose some every day put the top on, and it stops). The amount of water we are losing to evaporation is astronomical. Just looks at all the record snow totals on the Eastern sides of the Lakes just for this year (Buffalo received their yearly average, in just one storm). If you look at the radar images at this very moment, we are losing more water to Lake effect snow and it's the 21st of March !!! This cold,dry Artic air that is pushing across the lake right now from the NW, is sucking up millions of gallons of water, and dumping it on the leeward side of the Lake in the form of snow and rain. It is NOT draining back into the Lake !!!!!--------------------------------------------So, as you can see, there will be no miracle 1 year increase that will make much difference to boat lanching at all. Even if it rained for 40 days, and 40 nights, we still need enormous amounts of snow up North, and a lid on the jar, to make any difference at all. More than 90% of all the spring rain water, soaks into the ground, or goes down the storm drains.--------------------------------------------One thing you can bank on----The people who own beach property, and the people who go to beaches, are loving it. The sailors and anglers, are not.
Some days you Angle, some days you scrape your bottom :sad:

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· #4 · Mar 21, 2002

Now lets add into the "Low water" mix the bizillions (is that a real number?) of gallons of water The City of Chicago sells anually to surrounding Suburbs so we don't have to bathe in sour-egg smelling well water that turns our bath tubs, sinks, toilets, and underwear brown, and the enormous amount of water we send down the Chicago river each year to reverse the flow so we don't all die from Cholera and/or Ecoli! But hey...there is good news...due to what environmentalist blame on "Global Warming" a large chunk of th e polar ice cap has broken lose & is melting, they say the oceans could rise as much as 15 ft. thats gotta send some water into the Great Lakes by way of the St Lawrence Seaway!?
Right?! yeah right! LOL

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Woodbutcher68

· #5 · Mar 23, 2002

I drink a pot of coffee before I go fishing, take a thermos full on the lake, and leave it all in the lake. What more can I do?

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skitterpop

· #6 · Mar 23, 2002

now THAT was funny, thanks woodbutcher. dave

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fishead

· #7 · Mar 23, 2002

I just finished a job, working at the Wakegan power house, in 96 I worked there also. The water gage in the in take channel read +6in. in 1996. This year it read -3ft

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Woodbutcher68

· #8 · Mar 23, 2002

Guess I better drink more coffee!

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J Nelligan

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 23, 2002

Here's a link on Lake Michigan that shows a projection that compared to last year Lake levels are expected to rise a bit this year. Also, the lowest lake levels on record came in 1964 for some reason and the highest were in 1986. 1986 lake levels were 4 feet higher than they are now. Check it out, but you need adobe reader. One more thing, according to the recorded levels by the Army corps of engineers, Lake Michigan water levels are approximately 6 inches higher this year than last at the same time, but we still are over 1 foot below average based on the lake levels since 1918. Believe it, or not!

http://huron.lre.usace.army.mil/levels/cbulletin.pdf

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: J Nelligan on 2002-03-22 22:22 ]</font>

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