Great Lakes water levels in unusual decline

[mojaveman]

Seems like we're always hearing in the media that the world's fresh water supply is going to be in jeopardy in the coming decades but with 20% of that water sitting in the Great Lakes I was confident we were safe.

That might not be the case.

http://news.yahoo.com/great-lakes-water-levels-unusual--decline-150819545.html

[JJ_BPK]

"What that tells us is some hydrologic driver is operating on all of these lakes, and groundwater in the region, and controlling the water levels," Watras said.

http://news.yahoo.com/great-lakes-water-levels-unusual--decline-150819545.html

I wonder if the reported expansion of the polar caps is drawing away from the Great Lakes aquifer? It is used to operate the locks on the St Laurence, just like the rain water in the PZ operates the canal.

:munchin

[Team Sergeant]

It's Bush's fault.......;)

[Max_Tab]

It's not just the Great Lakes it's the entire western United States..

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/RegionalDroughtMonitor.aspx?west

Ogallala aquafer is being depleted

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/07/texas-water-district-acts-to-slow-depletion-of-the-ogallala-aquifer/

United States
Water Scarcity

18 States are currently facing droughts, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor
40 percent of all U.S. water withdrawals are for export
Unless measures are taken, California will demand three times more groundwater than can be supplied over the next 100 years
Florida‚ rapid use of groundwater has created thousands of sinkholes that devour anything, houses, cars and shopping malls, unfortunate enough to be built on top of them
The Western U.S. is facing its warmest decades in over 500 years
In 2007, Lake Superior, the world‚ largest freshwater lake, dropped to its lowest levels in 80 years and the water has receded more than 15 meters from the shoreline
Lake Mead, the vast reservoir of the Colorado River, has a 50 percent chance of running dry by 2021

Water Quality

35 percent of U.S. rivers and streams are too dangerous for fishing, or drinking
60 percent of U.S. lakes are too dangerous for swimming or drinking because of massive toxic runoff from industrial farms, intensive livestock operations and the more than 1 billion pounds of industrial weed killer used through the country each year
Two-thirds of U.S. estuaries and bays are moderately or severely degraded
Four and a half percent of beaches are closed or under advisory at a given time
1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are carried by the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico every year

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/interesting-water-facts/

When full, Lake Mead could cover all of Pennsylvania under a foot of water. But since 1998, the lake's capacity has plunged more than half, down 5.6 trillion gallons, enough to supply the entire United States for about six months.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americas-dwindling-water-supply/

Obama Allows Great Lakes Water To Be Sold To China As Half The U.S. Faces Extreme Water Crisis

Obama Allows Great Lakes Water To Be Sold To China As Half The U.S. Faces Extreme Water Crisis

The wet 20th century, the wettest of the past millennium, the century when Americans built an incredible civilization in the desert, is over....

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/drying-west/kunzig-text/3

[Pete]

I am wary of an article that uses the terms Plunged & Crashed without stating just what the Plunge or Crash was.

Judging by the picture of the dock it's what - 1 1/2 feet or 2 maybe?

Still, 2 feet in a big lake is a lot of water.

The Northern Great Lakes are not hit as hard for irrigation purposes as the Ogallala aquafer.

[Paslode]

I remembered reading of water from the Great lakes being sold to China.

http://www.examiner.com/article/sell-china-water-from-great-lakes

[MR2]

If you like your great lakes, you can keep your - oh never mind you blasted deceivers.

Climate change, climate change, climate change, science is settled, ohmmmm...

[JHD]

I remembered reading of water from the Great lakes being sold to China.

http://www.examiner.com/article/sell-china-water-from-great-lakes

Interesting side note, I have read in more than one location in the not too distant past that China is buying up water rights in the US. Why would we be so stupid to sell? We are our own worst enemy at times. Will see if I can find any links to the items I was reading.

[MAB32]

Living here in Ohio and about 29 miles away from Lake Erie (our North Coast) we have had an unusually cold winter with allot of snow. Plus we have had two so far of those North Polar vectors coming down quick out of the north by northwest. This year doesn't even qualify in the top 10 worst northeastern Ohio winters. Still at number one was the winter of 77-78. That was a bad one. I live near the Cuyahoga River that flows north into Lake Erie and it is the same depth as always. With the amount of snow we have seen so far we should be good on drinkable water.

OHhh, one other item about this river, it caught fire once in Cleveland.:D