PORT CLINTON (AP) — High water on Lake Erie has been flooding streets and houses in Ohio, and residents are bracing for more problems.
The water levels are expected to approach records this summer.
All the Great Lakes have been rising for several years and now are seeing an increase from winter’s melting snow and recent heavy rains.
Along Lake Erie, floodwaters closed several streets in Port Clinton last week.
Last month, flooding cut South Bass Island in half and temporarily closed ferries going to the island.
The high water is also increasing erosion and leaving logs and debris in shallow parts of western Lake Erie.
Officials say boaters will need to keep an eye out for floating dangers in the water.
High water may spell trouble for the piping plover, an endangered bird that builds its nests on shorelines.
Vincent Cavalieri of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that means narrower beaches and less room for the plover.
The most recent count last year turned up 67 breeding pairs of the sand-colored birds. That’s an improvement from the low point of 12 pairs in 1990 but a slight drop from 76 pairs two years ago.
Cavalieri says that when plovers nest farther from the water and closer to trees and bushes, they’re more vulnerable to predators such as skunks and raccoons.
Other beach-nesting species such as terns could be affected as well.