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International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD)

The International Great Lakes Datum is a common reference system used to measure water level heights throughout the Great Lakes, their connecting waterways and the St. Lawrence River System. A common system is needed for marine navigation, water level regulation, water management, surveying, mapping, and shoreline use planning. Established in 1955, the IGLD is a binational effort between the United States and Canada that ensures cohesive water management in eight states and three provinces. The IGLD is managed by a binational group of federal scientists known as the Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data and its Vertical-Control Water-Level SubCommittee (SC).

To account for movements of the Earth’s crust and accurately measure water levels, the IGLD needs to be updated approximately every 25-30 years. The present version being utilized is IGLD (1985). This existing IGLD will be revised and replaced by the IGLD (2020). As part of the revision, the SC will also evaluate and potentially revise the Low Water Datum (LWD) in the Lakes. The IGLD (2020) will align with the new geoid-based North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum. The new IGLD is scheduled for tentative release in 2025.