Some Great Lakes water levels hit record highs in June and are only expected to keep climbing, prompting concern from Michigan officials for waterfront communities already flooded.
Lake Superior, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario set record high monthly mean water levels in June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported this week. Lake Michigan-Huron was less than 1 inch short of its June record.
“Water levels continued to rise in June and have reached some of the highest levels in our recorded history, which dates back to 1918,” said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the Corps’ Detroit district.
ater levels on Lakes Erie, Superior and St. Clair broke records in May, too.
The situation has prompted emergency response measures from the local and state levels as communities deal with the consequences of simply having too much water.
Overflowing lakes have flooded lakefront properties, eroded shoreline and erased beaches, officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said. High waves, strong currents and hidden debris create hazards for recreational boaters