The International Lake Superior Board of Control, under authority granted to it by the International Joint Commission, has set the Lake Superior outflow to 1,960 cubic metres per second (m3/s)(69.2 thousand cubic feet per second (tcfs)) for the month of January.

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This is the outflow recommended by the regulation plan for the month of January and is a decrease from the December outflow of 2,110 m3/s (74.5 tcfs).

The January outflow will be released by discharging about 1,850 m3/s (65.3 tcfs) through the three hydropower plants and passing most of the remaining flow through the control structure at the head of the St. Mary's rapids.

The gate setting of the control structure will be maintained at the existing setting equivalent to one-half gate open (four gates open 25 cm, or about 10 inches each).

There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1 that supplies the Fishery Remedial Works.

This gate setting is expected to be maintained until at least April.

This past month the water supplies to the Lake Superior basin and the Lakes Michigan-Huron basin were below their respective long-term averages for December.

Currently, the Lake Superior level is about 13 cm (5 inches) below its long-term average beginning of January level, and is 11 cm (4 inches) below the level recorded a year ago.

This past month the level of Lake Superior declined by about 9 cm (4 inches), while usually it declines by 8 cm (3 inches) during December.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron declined by about 6 cm (2 inches), which is more than the 4 cm (2 inches) decline in levels that is typical in December on these lakes.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is now about 48 cm (19 inches) below its long-term average beginning of January level, and is 20 cm (8 inches) lower than a year ago.

The Board continues to monitor conditions both on Lake Superior and downstream and will advise the International Joint Commission accordingly on those conditions.

Brigadier General Bruce A. Berwick, Commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the United States Board Member.