GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - Lake Michigan is a huge part of our lives in West Michigan, from drinking water to irrigation to recreation. And, if you have been to the lake recently, you see that lake levels are at a 17-year high.
Record rain, snow and ice have caused the Great Lakes to rise over three feet in just two years. To some it is a problem, but to others it is a blessing.
To those who use the marinas and shipping canals, it is a good thing. It also means plentiful water for cities and farmland.
Will Beaton showed us his view from his home office. The last time water levels were this high was 1998. Since January of 2013, water levels have gone up over 40 inches.
On the down side, the water has been stripping away local beaches, inch-by-inch. Local beach-front property owners are seeing their beaches disappear this summer. Public beaches also just have less room.
