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Article: Is Lake Michigan draining?; Amid history of fluctuating levels, drop stands out
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- September 17, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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People are worried Lake Michigan water levels are lower than
normal, but most have no grasp of what "normal" is for the world's
fifth largest freshwater lake.
When you chart the lake's levels over the past century, the
picture you get looks something like a cardiogram almost rhythmic
pulses of highs and lows. It is never a flat line for a lake where
levels can swing by about 6 feet in just a matter of years. That
means the lake is rarely at its "normal" level; it's either on the
way above it, or on the way below it. At the moment, the lake is
about 18 inches below it but still about a foot above its all-time
low for September, recorded in 1964.
Yet there are signs of trouble ahead.
The U.S. ...