By Staff
With the belated salmon run finally starting up the St. Joe River we are once again reminded how lucky we are to live amidst one of the world's greatest treasures, the Great Lakes. They are literally fresh water oceans that not only offer us unparalleled recreation, but bless us with a bountiful supply of life's most valuable commodity, water.
In combination, the Great Lakes cover 94,000 square miles, an area almost twice the size of Michigan. They hold some 6,000 trillion gallons of water. That's twenty percent of the world's supply of fresh surface water. Only the polar ice caps contain more fresh water.
It's generally considered that 32,000 square mile Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake in the world. Technically that is erroneous. Early explorers traveling up Lake Huron, crossing through the Straits of Mackinaw and down into Lake Michigan deemed Lakes Huron and Michigan to be separate lakes. Scientifically speaking, though, lakes Michigan and Huron are one single lake. They are at the same elevation with exactly the same water level. Separate lakes are connected by rivers but the three and a half mile wide, 120 feet deep Mackinaw Straits connecting the two bodies is not a river. There is no appreciable current. In fact, currents in the Straits shift back and forth to stabilize varying water levels. It is simply a narrows in what many scientists are now calling Lake Michigan/Huron. Their combined area is 45,400 square miles, dethroning Lake Superior and bumping Lake Victoria in Africa down to third.
Due to their immense size most of us take the priceless waters of the Great Lakes for granted, assuming its an unlimited supply. That's far from the case, however. It's a thirsty world out there and many interests have an eye on that water. Over the years there have been uncountable proposals to transfer Great Lakes water elsewhere. Some propose filling ships with the precious liquid and freighting it around the world. Others talk about building canals and pipe lines to siphon water as far away as our Southwest. At least one bottled water company wants to tap off over 100 million gallons of water a year from Lake Michigan's critical underground aquifers.
Fortunately, the Great Lakes have been studied extensively and their frailties are well understood. A number of private and governmental organizations are watching out for the lakes well being. State, Federal and International (Canada) use agreements have been adopted and strict protective measures are in place. Of course, with all the lakes falling under multiple jurisdictions and bureaucratic vagaries being what they are the mighty lakes are not bullet proof. At the moment, though, Great Lakes management appears relatively sound.
One thing that has many folks wringing their hands is the recent low water level of Lake Michigan/Huron, rumored to be nearly six foot low. Checking historic levels recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this appears to be part of a natural cycle. In 1926, 1934, 1967, and 1999 levels were as much as 2-feet below their norm. But on six other occasions during the 1900s levels were as much as two-feet above the norm. From 1969 to 1997 the level was far above norm. Though now the lake is only a routine couple of feet below average, when compared to the previous high levels we grew accustomed to for three decades it appears a lot worse than it really is. No worries mate. Carpe diem.
Larry Lyons writes a weekly outdoor column. Reach him at larrylyons@beanstalk.net