Biggest Great Lake Seen Heading For Record Lows

[lovuian]

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43719/story.htm

TORONTO - Warmer, drier weather coupled with alterations to the waterways of North America's Great Lakes will likely drive Lake Superior down to record low water levels sometime this year, experts say.


Lake Superior, the world's largest body of fresh water by surface area, has declined precipitously over the last decade but plunged down another 30 cm (1 foot) in the last year alone amid an "extreme drought," putting pressure on both commercial shipping and fish habitats.

"That's a dramatic fall," Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist at the US Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, told Reuters. "Lake Superior has been in and out of an extreme drought since 2003, and now the drought has got more extreme on the lake's western basin."

Lakes Huron and Michigan, into which Superior flows, are similarly low -- down 1 metre (3.3 feet) in the last ten years -- leaving dried out marshes and some inaccessible ports.
more...
Not good news

[Robbien]

1. And BP has just gotten the go ahead to put more mercury in them

Less water, more mercury. Yum. The EPA is sure doing a fine job watching out for us.

[MissMarple]

2. Oh dear god, this a major world waterway. I love Duluth.

Ladies, let's just think about where we would like to put KKKarl's family jewels, in a manner of speaking. He is responsible for much of this. And he chortles about it, gets positively weepy about all the opportunities he has been afforded, and may miss in near future. This entire administration is an obscenity to civilization.

[mduffy31]

3. Hey now

Don't forget us here in Superior too, we are more fun than Duluth

[MissMarple]

4. Apologies, when I'm there I have no car.

I'd love to visit Superior. It's a Cirrus thing. I'm pushing for a car rental. Hubby, the pilot, doesn't understand that yet.
I just love you guys! I feel like I just fell into home.

[mduffy31]

5. A person I work with her husband is a pilot for Cirrus as well

[Kip Humphrey]

6. Untrue... Last year Army Corp of Engineers settled with Superior homeowners who were suing

to get the Corp to lower the lake level back to pre 1967 levels. The Corp settled the suit, agreeing to lower the lake level 1 foot. The beach I enjoyed growing up returned last year. The drought referred to has added to lake level reduction about 6 inches.

[semillama]

7. Which lawsuit was this? I can't find a reference using Google and keywords.

You'd think that would be major news. Do you have a link you can supply us? Just seems like the lawsuit isn't common knowledge.