Water levels continue to inch closer to all-time records in the Lake of the Woods area, after going up another 4 inches this week.
The Lake of the Woods Control Board says Lake of the Woods has now reached 323.81 meters or about 1062 feet. That’s above the highs seen in 2014 which peaked at 323.78m, roughly 1062 ft, but below the all-time record of 324.31m or 1064 ft set back in 1950.
The board notes the International Lake of the Woods Control Board has been activated to work with the Canadian control board to approve any actions on Lake of the Woods. This is required under the Canada-US Treaty when the lake reaches 323.39 m or about 1061 ft.
But since dams in the Kenora area have been fully opened since the lake was at a level of 323.24 m, or about 1060 ft, the board says no additional actions can be taken to limit the rate of the lake rising, and it will all depend on the amount of rainfall we see in the coming weeks.
The LWCB notes while flows in some areas are dropping, they remain above previous all-time records and inflows to major lakes are expected to continue to be exceptionally high with the upcoming rainfall. Levels on Lake of the Woods are expected to rise by at least another 3 to 6 inches in the next week.
From April 1 to May 27, 2022, the region received 250.6 mm of combined precipitation, compared to the 80.3 mm seen in the same time frame last year.
As well, levels on the Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki are set to rise by another 1 to 2 inches below the Norman Dam and down to Minaki.
Inflows into Lac Seul have raised its level by about 15 inches in the past week, and the board says it’s nearing a key level for dam safety concerns in Ear Falls. The last time outflows reached these levels were back in 2008, and further increases are possible with another 6-10 inches expected.