Reply #7: This doesn't make sense to me [View All]

"And for every inch of water that the lakes lose, the ships that ferry bulk materials across them must lighten their loads by 270 tons — or 540,000 pounds — or risk running aground"

I think this is a bogus comparison. A lowering of level may make certain harbours more dangerous - if the port authorities can't be bothered to dredge them out by another inch than they used to - but you can't equate that to "the ships must lighten their load".

And given this: "The water, however, is still about 2 feet above the lake’s low of 242.19 feet, registered in 1934, according to the Corps of Engineers", then the port authorities should already have known the lakes vary in height a bit, and they should be prepared to keep their channels clear. I mean, all the sea ports in the world can cope with that.