Most Great Lakes show higher water levels in March

Jim Lynch / The Detroit News

Water levels for most of the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair during March were higher than the previous year -- evidence that the lakes may be recovering from nearly a decade of losses.

Average water levels in Lake Superior, the Lake Michigan/Huron system and Lake St. Clair were all above the previous year's numbers. Despite the rise over 2008, those lakes remain slightly below their historical averages.

"I think with Lake Superior and Michigan/Huron, we are still below the long-term average and we'd expect to stay below the long-term average over the next six months," said Scott Thieme, who heads the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Great Lakes Hydrology and Hydraulics Office. "But we're getting closer to that average than we've been in some time."

Lake St. Clair, while not officially a Great Lake, also registered a water level that exceeded its historical average, as did lakes Ontario and Erie.

Ontario and Erie are considered the lower lakes and their March averages were slightly down from last year's figures. But like Lake St. Clair, they both still exceeded their historical averages.

Erie posted a March average of 174.072 feet above sea level, which was down from 174.259 the previous year. Lake Ontario's March average was 74.827 feet above sea level compared to last year's 74.874.

The latest numbers provided by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers show:

• Lake Superior's March average was 600.72 feet above sea level, up four inches from last year.

• The Lake Michigan/Huron system's March average was 577.47 feet above sea level, up a foot from last year.

• Lake St. Clair's March average was 573.99 feet above see level, up six inches from last year.

The lower lakes, Erie and Ontario, were both lower this March than last year by two and a half inches.

jlynch@detnews.com (586) 468-0520