Michigan Environment

How are the Great Lakes and Michigan’s groundwater connected?

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published July 18, 2018 at 5:27 PM EDT

Some of the water in the Great Lakes can be traced back to the Gulf of Mexico by way of evaporation and precipitation.

Stateside's conversation with Michigan State University hydrologist Dr. David Hyndman

There's nothing better during a Michigan summer than spending time at the Great Lakes.

Stateside asked you what questions you had about the state's freshwater seas, and we'll be bringing you answers all summer long.

We'll start today with a question from listener Ted Bonarski in Grand Rapids.

"Are there areas of the Lower Peninsula where the aquifer is filled with Lake Superior water, so that someone pumping up from a well was getting water that was chemically traceable to Lake Superior?"

So, can we scientifically trace the source of water in the Great Lakes basin?

To answer Ted's question, Stateside talked to Michigan State University hydrologist Dr. David Hyndman.

Listen to the full conversation above to learn about where the water in the Great Lakes comes from and how the lakes interact with Michigan groundwater.

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