How deep is Lake Erie?

Three basins, three depths

Lake Erie is not one bowl but three, and they get deeper from west to east. The U.S. EPA describes the lake as naturally divided into western, central and eastern basins that behave almost like separate lakes.^[3] The western basin, about about 20%^[3] of the lake, averages only 24 ft^[3] (7.4 m) and reaches 62 ft^[3] at most; its fine bottom sediment is easily stirred up by wind and waves, which makes it the murkiest part of the lake. The central basin is remarkably even, averaging 60 ft^[3] (18.3 m) with a maximum of 82 ft^[3]. The eastern basin, beyond Long Point, is the deepest, averaging 80 ft^[3] (24 m) and reaching 210 ft^[3] (64 m).^[3]

Data table for this chart

Average and maximum depth of Lake Erie's three basins. Source: U.S. EPA.

Basin	Average depth	Maximum depth
Western basin	24 ft (7.4 m)	62 ft (19 m)
Central basin	60 ft (18.3 m)	82 ft (25 m)
Eastern basin	80 ft (24 m)	210 ft (64 m)

Where the deepest water is

Both federal sources place the deepest water in the eastern basin. The EPA's table of Great Lakes physical features gives a maximum of 210 ft^[1] (64 m), measured at low water.^[1] NOAA's bathymetry of Lake Erie, compiled from more than a century of soundings, describes the western basin as reaching 10–11 m^[2], the central basin 24–25 m^[2], and the eastern basin more than 40 m^[2], with a maximum of 63 m^[2].^[2] The one-meter difference between the two maximums comes from different methods and datums, so this page shows both. NOAA also notes some striking features of the lake floor: the sandy Long Point spit runs about about 35 km^[2] out from the Ontario shore and rises 55 m^[2] above the floor of the eastern basin, the greatest relief anywhere in the lake, while in the shallow west the sharpest relief, about about 15–20 m^[2], surrounds the Bass Islands.^[2]

Why the shallowness matters

Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and the smallest by volume. That is why it warms quickly in spring and summer, cools quickly in autumn and often freezes over in winter, and the EPA calls it the most biologically productive of the five.^[3] Shallow water also means rough water: the lake's waves build fast in a strong wind, and storms can pile water up at one end of the lake. See the pages on water temperature, ice cover and seiches for more.

Questions people ask

What is the deepest part of Lake Erie?

The eastern basin, east of Long Point. The U.S. EPA gives a maximum depth of 210 ft (64 m); NOAA's bathymetry gives 63 m.

How deep is the western basin of Lake Erie?

Very shallow: it averages 24 ft (7.4 m) and reaches no more than 62 ft (19 m), according to the EPA.

Is Lake Erie the shallowest Great Lake?

Yes. Its average depth of 62 ft is far less than any of the other four Great Lakes, according to EPA figures.