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August 2022

2022.08.31 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.53 m (1061.4 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 11 cm (4 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 12 to 14 cm (4 to 5 in) over the next week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.48 m (1169.5 ft), a 50th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 4 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

On August 30th the Root River diversion was fully opened, to an outflow of 145 m3/s into Lac Seul. This flow increase will not result in additional flow down the English River as the authorized outflow for Lac Seul will not change.

2022.08.29 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.58 m (1061.6 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.53 m (1169.7 ft), a 65th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 7 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

2022.08.26 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.62 m (1061.7 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 8 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.55 m (1169.8 ft), a 70th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 7 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 1 to 6 cm (1 to 2 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

Manitoba Hydro has provided the following forecast for the Winnipeg River through the Whiteshell.

20220826_Whiteshell-Lakes-on-Wpg-RiverDownload

2022.08.24 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.64 m (1061.8 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 9 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.57 m (1169.8 ft), a 75th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 6 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to increase slightly or decline by up to 3 cm (1 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

On August 19th, Ontario Power Generation regained authority over the Root River diversion. On August 23d the diversion was partially opened, releasing an additional 80 m3/s of inflow to Lac Seul. This flow increase will not result in additional flow down the English River as the authorized outflow for Lac Seul will not change.

2022.08.22 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.67 m (1062.0 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 8 cm (2 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 8 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.60 m (1169.9 ft), a 75th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 4 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by up to 4 cm (1 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

2022.08.19 Level Forecast

Over the past week, large amounts of precipitation fell over many areas of the basin. Weekly totals were well above average ranging from 40 to 75 mm for most areas. This rainfall has caused tributary flows to increase temporarily and lake levels to stabilize for a day or two. This brief but intense rainfall will not stop the drawdown of Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul and precipitation conditions are forecasted to return to the normal range over the next week.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.72 m (1062.1 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 10 cm (3 in) over the past week. Lake of the Woods is expected to decline at a rate of 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.62 m (1170.0 ft), an 80th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 3 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 6 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

2022.08.17 Levels Forecast & Regulation Strategy

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.73 m (1062.1 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 12 cm (4 in) over the past week. Widespread precipitation fell over the past several days, with heaviest amounts over Lake of the Woods and the Big Fork and Little Fork river sub-basins. The recent steady drop in Lake of the Woods level stalled briefly due to this rain, but is expected to resume at a slightly slower rate of 5to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) per week. The dams in Kenora remain fully open.

The Winnipeg River between Kenora and Minaki is expected to gradually fall between 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week as the Lake of the Woods level falls.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.62 m (1170.0 ft), an 80th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 3 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

Throughout the spring, the Lake of the Woods Control Board has been operating on an emergency basis, with meetings every few days to review the latest basin conditions and forecasts in order to make regulation decisions and provide frequent updates on forecasts to the public. The Board has also been active in briefing First Nations, municipalities and provincial and federal ministries involved in the emergency response to flooding across the basin.

With the return to normal summer levels for Lac Seul and a continued drop of Lake of the Woods expected this month, the Board has resumed normal operations according to an adopted Regulation Strategy. On August 16, the Board held a Regulation Consultation call with invitations to Grand Council Treaty #3 and representatives of Specific Interest Groups and Resource Agencies. Participants received a briefing of current conditions and forecasts and an overview of a draft strategy to operate Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul dams through to the end of October under a range of possible flow conditions. Participants were then given the opportunity to provide feedback on the strategy. The adopted Regulation Strategy is available at https://lwcb.ca/noticeboard/regulation/.

A key focus of the strategy is maintaining maximum outflow from Lake of the Woods until the lake level returns to the legislated operating range, followed by a balanced drawdown of the lake and the Winnipeg River in order to reach normal water levels ahead of freeze-up.

2022.08.15 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.75 m (1062.2 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 13 cm (5 in) over the past week. The lake level has dropped below the 2014 peak of 323.78 m (1062.29 ft) and is below the record peak since regulation began of 324.31 m (1064.0 ft), set in July of 1950. The dams in Kenora remain fully open. Over the next week the lake level is expected to decline by 7 to 13 cm (3 to 5 in).

With decreasing inflows to Lake of the Woods, the outflow from the lake will also gradually drop. Levels along the Winnipeg River will see decreases of up to 13 cm (5 in) directly below the Norman Dam and 9 cm (3.5 in) at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.64 m (1170.1 ft), 80th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 5 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 3 to 8 cm (1 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

2022.08.12 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.81 m (1062.4 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 14 cm (5 in) over the past week. The lake level is nearing the 2014 peak of 323.78 m (1062.29 ft) and is below the record peak since regulation began of 324.31 m (1064.0 ft), set in July of 1950. The dams in Kenora remain fully open. Over the next week the lake level is expected to decline by 13 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in).

With decreasing inflows to Lake of the Woods, the outflow from the lake will also gradually drop. Levels along the Winnipeg River will see decreases of up to 17 cm (7 in) directly below the Norman Dam and 11 cm (4 in) at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.65 m (1170.1 ft), 80th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 7 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 6 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.

2022.08.10 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.86 m (1062.5 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 13 cm (4 in) over the past week. The lake level is nearing the 2014 peak of 323.78 m (1062.29 ft) and is below the record peak since regulation began of 324.31 m (1064.0 ft), set in July of 1950. The dams in Kenora remain fully open. Over the next week the lake level is expected to decline by 15 cm (6 in).

With decreasing inflows to Lake of the Woods, the outflow from the lake will also gradually drop. Levels along the Winnipeg River will see decreases of up to 18 cm (7 in) directly below the Norman Dam and 13 cm (5 in) at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.67 m (1170.2 ft), 80th percentile level for this time of year. The level of the main body of Lac Seul declined by 5 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 450 m³/s with no scheduled changes.