LAKE ERIE Overview

Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes in volume (116 cubic miles) and is exposed to the greatest effects from urbanization and agriculture.
Dimensions: Measuring 241 miles across and 57 miles from north to south, the lake's surface is just under 10,000 square miles, with 871 miles of shoreline. The average depth of Lake Erie is only about 62 feet (210 feet, maximum). It therefore warms rapidly in the spring and summer and frequently freezes over in winter. The drainage basin covers parts of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. Because of its fertile soils, the basin is intensively farmed and is the most densely populated of the five lake basins.
Ranking: Lake Erie is the 11th largest lake in the world (by surface area), the fourth largest of the Great Lakes in surface area and the smallest by volume.
Flow: Ninety-five percent of Lake Erie's total inflow of water comes via the Detroit River water from all the & quot;upper lakes & quot; -- Superior, Michigan and Huron -- the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and numerous tributaries. The rest comes from precipitation. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and is especially vulnerable to fluctuating water levels.
Use: The water provided by Lake Erie for waterborne commerce, navigation, manufacturing and power production has led to intensive industrial development along its shore, but the basin's moderate temperatures have also encouraged recreation and agriculture.
Biology: Lake Erie is the warmest and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, and the Lake Erie walleye fishery is widely considered the best in the world.