Great Lakes water experts now believe lake levels in 2020 will be just as high, if not higher, than levels were this year.

While less dredging may be needed of water navigation routes because of the high water, conversely, it means even more chance for beach erosion and damage along the Great Lakes.

Information released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week shows forecasters predict Lake Huron will start the year 11 inches higher than it started in January 2019.

When you think about it, nearly a whole foot higher is quite significant. It has been years since residents have seen water levels like this in the Great Lakes.

A few weeks ago, I went on an autumn walk through the forest at Besser Bell and walked along its shoreline. I was amazed at the water level there and how close the shoreline now was to the small dunes of that area. Places where, in the past, beach blankets would have been spread out now were well under a foot or more of water.

Consider Squaw Bay, and how that area has filled up in the past two years. Remember decades ago when fishermen used to line its banks? It has been nice to see a new generation of fishermen returning to the bay and doing the same.

In June of this summer, Alpena News staffers were divided as to whether The News had enough shoreline of sand to realistically hold the paper’s Fourth of July sandcastle contest at Starlite Beach.

Many hours were spent debating back and forth the merits of holding the event and whether people’s spirits would be dampened by the lack of sand and shoreline.

In the end, we opted to continue the contest, and the event was enjoyed by everyone.

However, when I was down at Starlite Beach this week, looking at the shore I — who argued the loudest to continue hosting the event — thought to myself that, if the contest was to be held now, there would be no choice but to cancel it.

I was surprised at how much more shoreline has disappeared since that July holiday.

Water is an amazingly powerful tool, and, when fueled by wind, can do some major reshuffling of sand and rock on the lake bottom. In many instances, areas where once there were small drop-offs have now been filled in with rock, sand, or both. In other instances, where once there were nice sand islands, there now is normal depth because the sand has been moved elsewhere.

All of which makes navigating the lakes, or owning property that lines the lakes, that much more challenging these days.

Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology at the Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit, told the Detroit Free Press in a recent story that, based on the scientific information available, 2020 will be another year of high water for the Great Lakes.

“If we see another winter with a very healthy snowpack, coupled with the flooding rains that we saw last spring, then we would be dealing with even higher, record-breaking water levels next year,” Kompoltowicz said.

Even average precipitation would keep things pretty much status quo.

The Midwest, in particular Michigan, would have to experience some real dry conditions over a long, extended period to realize any noticeable decrease in water levels, officials said.

In many ways, the high water is nice and makes for exciting shoreline changes from day to day, based on the weather.

But the destructive side of water is unforgiving and relentless. Take, for instance, this week, when on Wednesday the National Weather Service issued gale-force wind advisories for the area.

Officials anticipated waves of five feet or more near shore, which, according to them, could lead to “flooding and erosion impacts along the coast.” It was anticipated that debris could be washed onto roads along the coast and motorists were warned to be vigilant.

We need to prepared for these kind of warnings being more of the norm from this point forward, as, from the sounds of things, the high water is here to stay.

Bill Speer can be reached at 989-354-3111, ext. 311, or bspeer@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @billspeer13.