DETROIT (AP) -- Water levels in the Great Lakes are headed downward because of dry weather during the winter and early spring.
A meteorologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tells The Detroit News levels are down from the same time in 2009. That resumes a low-water trend that lasted about a decade, until the lakes recovered somewhat the past two years.
The decline is bad for commercial shippers, who can't haul full loads of cargo when levels are down. It also can affect waterfront homeowners, marina operators and others who depend on recreational boating.
Scientists say it also may worsen the problem of excessive algae growth in Lake Erie because there is less water for sunlight to penetrate.
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