What’s lowering Detroit River water levels?

The Detroit River on Dec. 8, 2024. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

If you’ve noticed the current along the Detroit River sitting lower than usual, you’re not alone.

It’s a noticeable change Peter Berry, the Windsor Port Authority harbour master and chief operating officer, said can be chalked up to a seiche.

“[Lake] Superior, [Lake] Huron, Lake Erie are facing squall effect through snow, but also through the winds, the gusts that we're feeling, all that pulls the water out of here and drives it further back out into the larger lakes,” Berry said.

Berry estimates the river has lost about three to four feet worth of water in recent days.

As a result, along the shore, the mudline is apparent where water previously rose. Berry said there are some areas that are exposed for the first time in more than a decade.

“We're 23 centimetres less than we were this time last year,” he explained. “We're still eight centimetres above the mean average for the Great Lakes, so Lake St. Clair is only eight centimetres above where it should be.”

Berry noted the water will begin to return as the winds turn.

“Think of it like a bowl,” Berry suggested. “If you turn it on its side, part of the bowl's exposed, the other part is getting a lot more water. You turn the bowl back, everybody has the same water they did before.”

Despite the increased levels of movement, Berry does not expect the water to cause extreme levels of flooding when it returns.

He expects it will likely be a couple of weeks until the winds die down and water levels return to a normal height.