Lake Diefenbaker will be rising drastically thanks to intense rains in Alberta.
The foothills in Alberta and the southern portion of the province are experiencing some heavy rainfall. Some regions have had more than 100mm, while more reserved areas have gotten a meagre 70mm. All that rain in the area helps to feed the North Saskatchewan River, and the South Saskatchewan River.
Patrick Boyle is a spokesperson with the Water Security Agency, based out of Moose Jaw. It seems to him, based on the amount of rainfall happening in the source region for the South Saskatchewan River, that the water levels at Lake Diefenbaker will significantly rise.
"We're going to see a rise in the lake level of about three meters because of this rainfall event," shared Boyle. "So where the current lake level is right now add three meters on top of that to the whole reservoir and that's what the increase will look like."
Lake Diefenbaker has been alarmingly low this year, with the shoreline extending over 20 feet in some locations until it meets the water.
This has been an issue for the denizens of the lake, who have watched the water level decline steadily this year after it was already low the previous year. In fact, the last three years of drought have all played a large role in the lake being depleted, as more water is required for irrigation along the shores of the lake, and infrastructure further up the river system requires them to let out water from the reservoir to supplement their needs as well.
"Now that will still be a couple of meters below normal for this time of year," cautioned Boyle. "But it's definitely good news that it is going to increase."
Lake goers can expect the water level to climb even more this summer once the snowpack in the mountains releases. That should come by the end of June, or in early July.