IS THE WATER LEVEL GOING TO BE HIGHER THIS YEAR?

The water level WILL be higher –  by a long shot!

We have many terrific customers. One customer has been following the Bay of Green Bay water conditions for years using government supplied data to ensure accuracy. We rely on Bill A. for his knowledge of current, as well as past, Bay water level history.

According to Bill A.:

Water levels are running very high in comparison to the Army Corp average numbers. The average for May is 580.75 ft. The readings he sees at the monitoring station near Green Bay has been peaking out at 582.47 ft which is 20.64 inches above the predicted average for May. An additional update from Bill A. shows that we are going to set a new record high if we continue to get rain this month.

The low-end numbers are around 581.05 ft which is 3.6 inches above the average for a typical May.  Our current water level has been between 7.56 inches to 26.64 inches higher than May of last year (when we are at high tide).

What do all these water level numbers mean?

First, you can expect deeper water levels through-out the summer months.

Second, when there are storms, you will see the water reach higher onto your beach along with more turbulence.

Third, with the higher water levels, there is likely to be more floating debris (logs, rafts and floating boats).

What Do Higher Water Levels Mean for Installs?

With near record levels for water depth, it means all docks have to be raised again this year. This helps protect them from the storms.

That’s not a big deal in a normal year.  The problem this year is that many docks already had short legs last year. 

With water levels nearing historic levels, we have to take a great deal of time at almost every site to change the leg lengths. The extra time required to change the legs out means we are getting far less installs done per day than previously.  Shortages in the labor market have compounded the problem.  We can’t get enough people to make another crew despite better than average wages.

What can you do?

If your dock is not already installed, please give serious consideration to allowing us to lengthen the legs.  In fact, we’ll go a step further and recommend that you contact John directly,  (920-493-4405).  Give us permission to shorten your dock length this year OR change the leg lengths on your dock, if needed.

Simply by not installing all the sections of the dock,  you may avoid the need for longer legs.  That’s not a guarantee if the water continues to rise but it may get you through this year.

What Else Can You do?

1. Keep your boat secure on your boat lift. It’s better to have your boat bouncing up and down on the boat lift than floating into your dock or your neighbors’ dock.
2. Keep your possessions higher on the beaches. The breaking waves may come further up on the beach and sweep them away.
3. Check your boat lift cables. Consider replacing any frayed or rusty cables. The added stress of high waves will break already weakened cable. See this post.
4. Keep your boat as high as possible on your lift. At the same time, be sure you don’t hit the top of the cable travel. Be especially careful with electric winches.I
5. If you see logs or large debris washed up on the shore near you, try to move it up to the higher ground to prevent it from floating out again.
6. Check your insurance coverage. SEE this related article.

Thank you Bill A. for providing the information for this post.

For more background about the water levels, see this article.

Do you have a friend that may be interested in this information? Please share a link to this page with them.

Pier & Waterfront Solutions

PWS is located at 7325 St. Hwy 57. That’s 1 mile North of County MM (Hwy 42) and 3 miles South of Sturgeon Bay at the Idlewild Road intersection.  Our staff is here year-round to assist you.