Concern growing over rising lake level

ST. JOSEPH, Mich – Rising water levels in most of the Great Lakes are causing some concern.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released their water level forecast that shows increasing water levels that are impacting some lakeside communities.

“”Lake Michigan is currently at a level near 581.1 feet and that’s a measure above sea level that’s approximately 8 inches above the level one year ago, 25 inches above the long term average level which is based on a period of record that goes back to 1918 and that’s about 6 inches below the record high that was originally set in 1986,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Hydrologist Keith Kompoltowicz said.

Meteorologists say there are many factors that lead to the rise.

“Over the last few years Great Lakes levels have risen and that’s courtesy of a warming climate and you get a warmer atmosphere you get heavier rain events that rain drains into rivers and eventually those rivers go into the lakes the lakes see rises and now because of continued heavy rain events and melting snow that we get in the Winter Great Lakes water levels are rising and that does include Lake Michigan it’s not expected to be record breaking in Lake Michigan but it is rising and that could lead to some problems through the summer,” ABC57 Meteorologist Tyler Sebree said.

Local Berrien County residents are noticing the difference at beaches along Lake Michigan.

“You can really tell when you go down to Lions Beach not so much Silver Beach but really Lions Beach you can tell the erosion there and what its done all you gotta do it go down there,” St. Joseph resident Jim Rose said.

The current water levels for Lake Michigan are a shift from the low lake levels in 2013.

Lake Erie and Superior are projected to break record high lake levels.