Local conservation authorities are keeping an eye on the ice levels along the Lake Huron shoreline.
Ausable Bayfield Water and Planning Manager Geoff Cade says because of the low level of ice cover, it could lead to increased erosion problems along the shoreline this spring.
Cade says in December and early January, the ice cover was as low as it's been in years adding the long term average for ice cover on Lake Huron is 60 to 65 percent.
“But about the third part of January it did bump up, still below average, but at least we started getting quite a bit of shore ice," said Cade. "And we got up to, in mid-February, about 45 percent of ice cover, which is still below average but at least it was moving in the right direction,” said Cade.
He says monitoring the ice level is important.
“The amount of shore ice plays an important part in how much erosion is taking place in those shoulder times when we have the storms, so early spring it can be an important thing. So we'll keep our fingers crossed that we get a snap that maintains the shore ice there,” added Cade.
Cade explains that the lower ice levels could lead to more evaporation and that may keep water levels a little lower.
