Port's grain rush levels off.

Grain volumes through the Port of Thunder Bay have gone from a record-setting monthly pace back to merely average levels.

The western Lake Superior port administration reported "near-normal levels" of grain movement in August with just under 650,000 tonnes on the books. It's still five per cent higher than the five-year average for that month.

Overall, it's been another banner year with grain shipments to date 23 per cent above the five-year average and ranking as the second highest level at this point in the season since 1997.

The normalization of shipments means that the back-to-back bumper harvests of 2013 and 2014 on the Prairies have finally worked its way through the system. Harvesting of this year's crop is underway and the forecast is for a harvest that is average in size.

Still, the port anticipates a strong finish to the shipping season leading into the fall.

At Keefer Terminal, the port's general cargo facility, the authority reports it's been a successful season with ten shipments of a variety of cargoes handled so far.