Corps of Engineers video explains monthly water level bulletin

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases its second ‘On the Level,’ Great Lakes water level and forecast video today.

Great Lakes Watershed Hydrology Chief Keith Kompoltowicz talks through interpreting the Detroit District’s most popular product, the Great Lakes water levels monthly bulletin. Property owners, boaters, industries and many others use the bulletin as a source for water level information.  

“Each lake’s water level is portrayed in a hydrograph, or a plot of water surface elevation over time,” according to Kompoltowicz. “The District is happy to offer this edition of ‘On the Level’ to help anyone better understand the information the Corps of Engineers regularly provides.”

The Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office forecasts and monitors water levels of the Great Lakes and the conditions that lead to water level fluctuations. The District’s Great Lakes coastal program encompasses the entire U.S. shores of lakes Superior and Huron, the shore of Lake Michigan except for the Illinois shoreline, and the western portion of Lake Erie.

The monthly bulletin illustrates recorded, projected and average water level data with solid and dashed lines of different colors for Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario.

The most recent six-month forecast, covering months September through February is available on the district’s website at: https://go.usa.gov/xFEWx.

‘On the Level’ videos are available on the District’s website and YouTube page at: https://go.usa.gov/xFEWx and https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqtbMFyAaYYNkKS2wxdyBsDYSBQXP3HLq.

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Editor’s Note: The top five Hydraulics and Hydrology related questions asked by the media are recorded for use as part of the On the Level videos. The b-roll questions and high-quality video of On the Level are available on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, or DVIDS. To access DVIDS, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USACE-Detroit.