THUNDER BAY — The water level on Lake Superior has set a new record for the second month in a row.
Federal monitoring agencies report that it is currently 183.84 metres above sea level, eight centimetres higher than the previous record for June.
Lake Superior's level has continued to climb since May when it reached the highest level recorded in that month since record-keeping began more than a century ago.
Shoreline property-owners were advised in the spring to take any measures they could to guard against damage from erosion through the summer and into the fall.
Jacob Bruxer, the Canadian Representative on the International Lake Superior Board of Control, says if there is any good news for property-owners right now, it's that the rate of increase has recently slowed.
"it's been a fairly dry month on Lake Superior. We haven't seen a lot of precipitation, especially on the western side and around Thunder Bay. So the rise has kind of slowed, especially as we approach the end of the month," Bruxer said in an interview Tuesday.
He noted, however, that the lake doesn't typically reach its peak annual level until August, September or October.
"It will really depend on water supplies and the weather conditions that drive those. We can probably expect to see some additional climb heading into the summer, but hopefully, we continue to see this pattern of drier conditions, and won't see additional ground being gained on those record levels."
Bruxer noted that all the other Great Lakes are also either at or above their record highs for this time of year.
