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High waters in Great Lakes risk flooding, erosion, help shipping industry

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Water levels in the Great Lakes continue to rise and are nearing record levels. The high water, partnered with strong winds, pushed some water over the banks at the boat harbor in Alpena on Sunday. Although the water has receded, somewhat, it is still only several inches from the top of the banking and remains a threat for minor coastal flooding.

ALPENA –Water levels in the Great Lakes continue to climb and were near record-high levels as of the end of May as forecasters expect levels to continue nudging upward until later in the year.

In some locations, including Northeast Michigan, water is creeping closer to running over docks, sidewalks, and other infrastructure located on the shores of the lakes and adjoining rivers.

Lakes Michigan and Huron, considered one lake because they are connected at the Straits of Mackinac, saw an increase of nine inches in water since May 1, 13 inches higher than at the end of May 2018, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Higher-than-average rainfall and temperatures below norms, resulting in little evaporation, contributed to the high water, the Army Corps said, as did continued runoff from inland snowmelt just now reaching the lakes.

Lauren Fry, team lead for Great Lakes hydrology at the Army Corps, said water levels have risen at a rapid rate since the middle of 2013, after years of historically low levels. She said areas which were once void of water, such as Squaw Bay, have now refilled and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

“Right now, we are about four inches below the record high, but are forecasting another rise of about two inches for June,” Fry said. “The water levels should peak in the middle of July and then begin to gradually decline as the amount of runoff reduces and the amount of evaporation increases in the fall and early winter.”

Fry said some coastal communities have already been impacted by the high water and will continue to see the effects of it until later in the year.

“We are seeing more lakeshore flooding, especially when the wind is blowing onshore,” she said. “We’re also seeing some erosion getting closer to people’s homes and businesses.”

THE SEICHE EFFECT

Alpena has been severe swings in water depth in Thunder Bay and places like the boat harbor, caused by a phenomenon called seiche, which causes water in a lake to slosh back and forth like in a swimming pool or bathtub.

Jeff Zoltowski, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said seiches typically happen when strong winds and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure push water from one end of a body of water to the other. When the wind stops, the water rebounds to the other side. The water then continues to oscillate back and forth for hours or even days before calming.

Zoltowski said at least one seiche occurred in Alpena on Sunday, when the water depth peaked at 7 p.m., then retreated until 10 p.m., when it peaked again. Photos from the harbor Sunday circulating on social media showed water coming up over the bank and onto the sidewalk near Kiwanis Kiddie Park.

The water has come down some, but still remains only about four inches from the top of the banking, setting the stage for future and more intense seiches.

“If the water continues to go up, there can be larger impacts from from them,” Zoltowski said. “You could see things like docks, boat launches, and other things being impacted. Erosion could also become an issue. The changes in water levels can swing dramatically in a matter of hours, so it is something people need to be aware of.”

MINOR FLOODING IN ALPENA

Alpena Harbormaster Don Gilmet said water levels at the harbor and in the Thunder Bay River are the highest he has seen since the harbor went through major renovations and a breakwall was added in the late 1980s. He said the impact is already being felt in some areas.

“The water has began to flow over onto the street when it gets too high,” he said. “It has also played heck with some of our docks … We have to move the docks in and out as the water level fluctuates so they are at the proper height so people can use them.”

Gilmet said water in the river is so high that it is getting closer to the tops of the banks. Behind the old Cellar Restaurant, near the 2nd Avenue bridge, water has come completely over the bank and caused minor flooding.

Not long ago, however, the water was so low it caused issues for most shoreline communities, Gilmet said. Some boats struggled to utilize the harbor. The state released emergency funds several years ago that paid for drudging in harbors in Alpena and around the state, which helped.

Gilmet said having the water higher than normal is still better than it being extremely low, in terms of recreational boating and commercial shipping.

“Now, the large sailboats have enough water to get into the harbor, when, before, they had to park on the side of the river,” Gilmet said. “It’s also great for shipping, because the higher water levels allow them to fill the freighters with more product. To put it into perspective, one inch of additional water level gets 200 trucks off the road because of the increased cargo (ships) can carry.”

Though Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are not at all-time-high levels, Fry, of the Army Corps of Engineers, said they are the highest they have been since the mid-1980s. It is still possible the record could be reached or eclipsed if the region continues to get rain, which is a possibility for the next two weeks.

“There is a chance of rain Wednesday and then there will be a little bit of a dry-up,” Zoltowski, of the Weather Service, said. “Then the pattern shifts and there are several days next week where we could get some precipitation.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpeanews.com.

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