Great Lakes Disappearing??

[Bransher]

A news video on the Internet this morning said that the water levels in the Great Lakes is at the lowest point in 50 years. Some people are blaming it on “Global Warming.”

Has anyone who sails the lakes noticed the lower levels?
Is it creating any problems for you when docking or launching?

[March]

Yup, that's true.

Last year we sailed the Apostle Islands. We got stuck on the Devil's island, South dock--we moored facing the beach and the waves prevented us from turning around. We managed to get out after 36 hours of constantly bumping against the wooden dock. The waves were so high that we couldn't use the engine to turn around--we would have hit rock bottom in between wasves.

This year we revisited the island. The level had gone down at least two feet, but since there were no waves, we still managed to squeak in by simply dragging the boat with a rope. If the level had been so low last year, we would have certainly ruined the boat.

This was the only area that posed a problem. The rest of the docks were still serviceable. The beaches were wider and the water shallower in anchoring spots, but there was still enough water.

We'll see about it next year

[Catigale]

You guys know my position on "global warming" (more correctly discussed in scientific as "climate change") but in this case this attribution is probably hoohey

On Ontario, for example, the lake levels are regulated by what happens at the St Lawrence Seaway - around this time of year (actually several weeks ago) there are dams and spillways opened which make the lake levels drop.

I can certainly attest this is true on Ontario - this particular man-made effect wouldnt reach back to the other lakes (courtesy of a small falls in between)


Certainly attributing it to Climate change would require a lot more evidence in my book.

[Derrick]

It is our first year in the marina we are at in South Haven Michigan. We are up the Black River from Lake Michigan and there are many boats sitting on or near bottom right now. Some boats have had to pull out earlier than normal.

A couple owners of the big boats say they will likely have to get pulled out.

When anybody comes or goes the bottom gets stirred up so bad the all the mud gets sucked through your motor.

People who have been there for years say it has never been this bad.

Last Saturday 5 diffrent sailboats got stuck in the river. There are people who have been using the river for years. Everybody on the sailboats were warning us to be careful.

We assured them we would! Of course we had no problem with the Mac!

[NiceAft]

According to an article I read weeks back, part of the problem is the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers. Apparently they dredged (not recently) a river that empties one of the lakes into another, and the increased flow is greater than the replenishment rate. One of the effects has also been lowering Georgian Bay. I posted a comment on this when I first read it, but I could not find it in SEARCH.

Ray

[Bransher]

This is the CNN video that I was referring to: Great Lakes

[ronacarme]

You are at which marina at South Haven? We were at Oak Harbor 1990-2005 then moved to Holland MI.....Anchorage Marina on N side of Lake Macatawa with 4-5 feet depth in slip now. Ron

[ronacarme]

I had heard dredging was in st. Clair or Detroit Rivers b/t Lakes Huron and Erie. Maybe 2-3 years ago? But have not researched it. Ron

[Derrick]

We are at Woodland Harbor, up the river. Our first year with the Mac M and first year at South Haven. Have had a great summer there!

[albion]

I was coming out of the channel at Catawba Is Lake Erie on Fri and rand agound while in the center of the channel. I did have both rudders down as it was very windy and wanted to be able to steer. I was only motoring when the rudders got stuck in the mud.I never even intended going out on the lake but son in law wanted to take a trip in the channel before we took the boat out of the marina. I also noticed the sand banks were above water & have not seen that before.

[Divecoz]

Humm no one has mentioned it at North Point Harbor Winthrop Ill. My Slip Neighbor has had his same slip for 17 years.
I'll ask around next weekend.

[tangentair]

Yes, the water levels are lower but not due to Global Warming - that should raise them as the Canadian Shield drains into them. It is a combination of many factors and each lake has its own set of problems.

Blaming theArmy Corp of Engineersfor the problems with the lakes is like blaming them for the levee failures in New Orleans (sarcasm). Perhaps they had a small part in it. But there are too many other governmental agencies, local locks, and power requirements. Notice that most consumptive use is caused by evaporation of power plants cooling towers.

The first time I tried to launch at Highland Park's ramp (before the ramp was dredged) the boat rose out of the water the further down the ramp I went, this was caused by winter storms piling up a huge sand bar. Still, there are some ramps, like the one at the Navy Base's marina that are all but unusable for anything over 14 ft or that you can not lift off and onto the trailer. And Waukegan is taking down all of their fixed concrete docks and putting in floating docks this winter. You need a ladder to get down to your boat there. Belmont in Chicago the docks float and the harbor seems deep enough 8ft or more in most places for our Morgan, so I haven't noticed a problem there but one of the ramps at the marina next to Soldier's Field/McCormick Place is much shallower than the others. (it may need dredged also) But if your planning to visit I would come ahead, if the one where you want to launch is to shallow, there are so many others in the area, that it is no problem.

But back to global warming - I want to trade in my gas guzzling SUV for some green machine - but it has to tow the Mila K. So can I be environmentally friendly and own a Mac?

[Catigale]

The most environmentally friendly thing to do is keep your old car on the road vs buying a new one - the green impact of building a new car is HUGE (and negative of course )and often neglected by the Prius crowd.

[baldbaby2000]

The most environmentally friendly thing to do is keep your old car on the road vs buying a new one - the green impact of building a new car is HUGE (and negative of course )and often neglected by the Prius crowd.

It's hard to find an honest comparison of these hybrids with a totally ICE. The hybrids take more energy to make, we have a bunch of dangerous heavy metals tied up in the batteries, and the mpg is good but not exceptional. A friend of mine has owned 2 of them (Prius). He gets about 45 mpg, his wife has a lead foot and gets about 36 mpg. This is average driving conditions. I have a 1985 Suzuki Swift I bought used for $2500 about 8 years ago and have only done basic maintenance. Going into the mountains for sailing (we have a slip) and back home is about 80 miles and requires crossing the continental divide. I get between 36 and 39 mpg pretty consistantly (I check it every time I fill up). I have to admit my Suzuki is kind of a clown car but I'm the kind of guy that doesn't care much. I think I'm being more environmental than the Prius crowd.

Daniel

[Currie]

Blaming theArmy Corp of Engineersfor the problems with the lakes is like blaming them for the levee failures in New Orleans (sarcasm). Perhaps they had a small part in it.

IMO the Corp had the biggest, biggest part in it, as far as Lakes Huron and Michigan are concerned. The vast majority of water exits Lake Huron thru the St. Clair River. Prior to the dredging of the river in the early 60's, the basin's cross section had a natural half-elliptic shape. This causes the river to narrow as the level drops. The result is a natural check-valve. The dredged cross-section was deep and squarish which doesn't choke off the flow near as much at low lake levels. In the 40+ years, the original dredge has eroded making the problem much worse.

Here's a graph.....

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/greatlake ... kGraph.pdf

What's to notice is that how, prior to the 60's, the natural fluctuation of lake levels was reflected in *all* of the lower Great Lakes (i.e. not Superior which is connected thru another waterway). Compare Lakes Huron/Michigan to Ontario for instance...Now look at today. The levels of Huron/Michigan continue to drop, Erie much less and Ontario not at all.

The answer is simple, IMO - the contruction of a proper weir to balance the levels of all of the lower lakes. People have been proposing that for years (decades?) and screaming about it, but the Corp just now launched a new 5 year study. Good Lord.

~Bob