Water levels well below normal in Milwaukee area rivers
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Shelley Walcott reports Video by tmj4.com
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MILWAUKEE- The Milwaukee River could be getting into record low water level territory.
People who study water levels say if it doesn't rain soon, we could be facing a serious environmental problem.
Kids from a Milwaukee day camp were heading out for a canoe trip -- an ambitious venture as river levels are so low.
The hot, dry weather is taking its toll on local streams and rivers.
Data gathered by the U.S. Geological Service shows the water flow, or volume, on local rivers is much slower than usual.
For the Milwaukee River, there's actually 40 percent less water flowing through it now compared to a normal year at this time.
Waukesha's Fox River has a flow that is 55 percent below normal. The branch of the root that flows through Racine has 75 percent less water and it's 90 percent below normal in Franklin.
They're low, but they're not dangerously low right now, but they have changed quite a bit from last month. Last month they were above normal to normal, and now they're certainly below normal. So if it keeps up it could be a problem.
A problem for crops and fish which need the oxygen from a healthy water supply to survive.
Bad news for farmers and fisherman; for people just trying to enjoy some water sports on the rivers.
Things are so bad that the Brown's Lake Aquaducks, a water ski team out of Burlington, canceled all of their shows until further notice.
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