Spring brings concerns about Lake Huron water levels
With the promise of 40-degree weather for this weekend, a hint of spring is in the air, as is the ominous forecast for probable boating difficulties on the Great Lakes. ?We are presently nine inches below the water level at this time last year,? said Rogers City Harbor Master Ken Rasche. ?That?s actually 12 inches below chart datum (meaning the lake average) which is a benchmark for construction projects that may be planned on the lakes.?
According to Rasche, when the harbor was dredged two years ago, it was brought to eight feet below chart datum, which in reality leaves it at about the seven foot mark.
?Right now it?s (water level) at the lowest point and should begin to rise again…of course that?s in relation to the amount of snow and rain,? Rasche added. Rasche surmises that with the very cold temperatures, and the Great Lakes being frozen over, it was actually a good thing because the ice would serve to prevent evaporation — a major cause of low water levels — from occurring. ?These levels present a problem for everyone,? Rasche continued, ?not just the recreational boater or the sailboats, but especially the big freight and stone carriers…well, the propeller repair and towing companies should do well this summer!?
RASCHE SAID that what happens in the Lake Superior watershed helps to determine the water levels in the other Great Lakes. ?We?ll just have to live with it. But most boaters are aware of the levels and adjust accordingly,? he added. Rasche said if the levels continue on the down trend there could be trouble with the annual Double Handed Sailboat Race as some of those vessels have an eight-foot draft and the harbor may only have a seven foot draft this season.
?The forecast for the next 30 days is a two-inch increase in the water level with increases to continue through mid-July,? Rasche said. ?We?ll just have to wait and see.? The good news was that the ice suppression system, which has undergone the utmost test this season with the frigid temperatures, seems
nothing is broken,? said Rasche. ?A piling way out by the outside wall was forced up a full three feet and that hasn?t happened out there since the 1960s. We did have some movement in several pilings closer in around 1995.? According to Rasche, the harbor is in pretty good shape and will be put into seasonal use with only a week or so worth of work to perform. The harbor master is looking forward to another season, and hopes for the best with the uncertain economy and high gas prices. He is only concerned at this point with securing summer help.
Anyone interested in summer employment at the harbor should consider filling out an application available at city hall as Rasche said there will be new selections made this year in his harbor crew.