Michigan's more than 11,000 lakes are a valuable resource. Primarily, they are used for recreation but many have potential for industrial use and for water supply.
Lakes have water surfaces ·that expand and decrease in area, and levels that rise and fall. Records of lakes levels show that lake stages change, have seasonal trends, and may fluctuate several feet each year. Often; these changes affect the use of lakes and cause erosion of their shorelines. It is important, therefore, to monitor lake levels in order to add to their understanding and to provide a basis for increasing their usefulness.
In the early 1940's, and in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, a network of lake gages was established in Michigan to observe lake levels. In subsequent years, this network of lake gages was changed to provide a broad areal coverage of lakes in the State, to answer specific requests for data, and to obtain information on a large portion of Michigan's many lakes. These data have been applied primarily in studies involving the design of lake-level control facilities and establishing legal levels for lakes.
