8 Year Monthly Lake Level Summary

Here's a fun chart. This is a candlestick chart of each month for 8 years (2010-2017).

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or click here for a full size downloadable image

A couple of interesting statistics. The eight year high level and low level occurred only three months apart of each other and the difference was nearly 11 feet! That's quite dramatic for a body of water that most people's experience is less than a foot difference during the summer months.  December 28, 2015's high of 663.83 was followed on March 9th, 2016 with a low of 652.92.

As for how much water passed through the gates of Bagnell Dam in those 8 years? About 19,725 BILLION gallons, or technically 19.725 Trillion gallons. That sounds like a lot of water, and it is, but comparatively speaking it's not as much as you might think. By the numbers, it took eight years for enough water to pass through Bagnell Dam to cover an area the size of Missouri to a depth of only about one and half feet (1.36 to be precise), but it was enough that it could raise the level of Lake Michigan four feet. To really put it in perspective? Water flowing over the Canadian Horseshoe falls of Niagara could pass that same amount of water in one year and fifteen days. But it's a tremendous amount of water no matter how you look at it.

Here Come the Leaves

Remember, while blowing your leaves into the lake is not illegal for homeowners it is frowned upon and can lead to a loss of "lake access privileges". Please dispose of your leaves properly this season.

Don't Dump Your Leaves!