GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Port of Green Bay has seen more incoming cargo per ship.
Dean Haen, the Port Director for the Port of Green Bay, tells FOX 11 that’s thanks to higher than normal water levels on Lake Michigan.
“Especially Lake Michigan, where we’re at here, that’s just been an incremental climb from 2013 which was a record low to now we’re well above average.”
We’re not approaching records, but the increase is significant.
Just a few years ago, the Michigan-Huron basin set a record low average water depth in January 2013 of about 576 feet.
Now, this June so far is running a basin-wide average of a shade over 580 feet.
That’s an increase of about four and a half feet from that record low level and about 4 inches more than this time a year ago.
The additional depth means more cargo per ship and not just a little more.
The rule of thumb is for every additional inch of water in the port, another 100 tons of cargo can be added.
Haen tells FOX 11 he’s done the math.
“We’re up 48 inches, that’s 48 times 100, that’s 4800 additional tons that a ship can carry into Green Bay versus five years ago.”
That’s good news not just for companies in port, but for customers as well.
“The crew, the ship, and fuel costs are fixed, but they’re able to put more raw materials on board, so those can come in and they can actually sell those at a lower unit cost. So if you need as an individual pour a new cement driveway or build a new foundation for your home, that cement is actually cheaper.”
And as we head into summer, Lake Michigan levels are forecast to continue their upward trend.
Another side-effect of higher water levels in the port, though, is that the currents in the Fox River tend to run a little faster.
This makes it harder to steer the large cargo ships that arrive in the port.
It’s advised recreational boaters give the ships a wider than normal berth as they enter and exit the port.
