Running on empty

The National Weather Service predicts many states will experience drier than normal conditions this year.

Mild winters, intense summers
drain Great Lakes' water supply

In this story:

Big freighters lose tons of money
Swimming, fishing could improve

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From Correspondent Ed Garsten

PORT HURON, Mich. (CNN) -- The Great Lakes are a long way from drying up, but they've lost almost 30 trillion gallons of water.

It's a situation that is creating better beaches as more shore becomes exposed, but has boats running aground and shipping companies losing money.

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Mild winters have robbed the lakes of water-replenishing snow. Hotter summers mean more water is evaporating. So with less water coming in and more water going out, the water levels on three of the five lakes could reach record lows this summer.

The news from the National Weather Service offers little hope for improvement. The long-range forecast calls for a continuation of the trend of dry, mild winters in the region.

Scientists predict that could mean a drop in water levels of another two to three feet over the next few years -- and no quick turnaround in the Great Lake's lowering tide.

Lakes Huron, Michigan and Erie have dropped 3.5 feet since 1997 and are on pace soon to reach historic low marks set in 1964. Climatologists blame the situation on a number of unusually warm years, a trend that shows no sign of letting up.

"Just from Lake Michigan and Huron alone, we've lost 27 trillion gallons of water that have disappeared. And the real problem is there's not water coming in to replace it," said Frank Quinn of the National Oceanic of Atmospheric Administration.

By July, the water level is expected to be about 19 inches below the long-term average.

That's bad news for Paul Decker and his U.S. Coast Guard crew who patrol the waters of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River leading into it.

"There's been people run aground with water depths the way they were. And now they're so much lower we're expecting to have quite a few more boats run aground this year," Decker said.

At Mac and Ray's Marina on Lake St. Clair, which connects Lakes Erie and Huron, many luxury boats remain in their winter shrink-wrap, perched in dry dock, instead of in the water.

The marina had to take expensive action to make the harbor safe. Last year it conducted a major dredge project within its waters.

The dredging of the lake continues. Along Lake Michigan at Traverse City, another marina owner is already counting her potential losses.

"Unless we get some water to come back, it looks like we're going to be down 30 to 50 percent," Kris Mils said.

For the freighters that ply the lakes, the drop in water levels is dangerous and expensive.

"We've lost the ability to carry 2,000 or 3000 tons on some of the 1000-footers (freighters) since last year," said George Ryan, president of the Lake Carriers Association. "That's a loss of about $100,000 on every voyage."

There are some positive results of the lower lake levels.

Fishing could be enhanced because shallow water promotes the growth of plant life on which certain species thrive.

"The juvenile fish of all sports species feed in that area, so this will open a new habitat for them," said Bob Haas of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Also, receding waters are leaving wider beaches in their wake.

"We're probably going to have the best beaches we've had in the Great Lakes in the past 35 years," Quinn said.