On June 11, the LWCB held its spring Regulation Meeting in Kenora where it adopted a new Regulation Strategy. The strategy outlines regulation targets for various inflow conditions for the period of June to the end of October, and was developed considering basin conditions, hydrological and meteorological forecasts and the input from representatives of First Nations, Specific Interest Groups, and Resource Advisors concerned with basin management.
In late April 2025, above-normal precipitation helped to refill Lake of the Woods and meet spring fisheries targets at Lac Seul. However, this was the only major spring rainfall, as May saw extremely low precipitation, in the 5th percentile (historically only one May out of every 20 on average). The dry conditions were apparent from large wildfires along the Winnipeg River. Inflow to the major lakes dropped steadily over May and, by early June, the Board had directed outflow cuts from from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul, reflecting overall basin conditions.
Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River in Ontario
While the strategy lays out how the Board intends to operate under a range of conditions, the Secretariat is currently implementing the Low Inflow strategy recommendations. At the time of the Regulation Meeting, Lake of the Woods level had stabilized slightly above chart datum, 1059.0 ft (322.78 m). Upstream, the operators at Rainy Lake are making further outflow reductions due to low inflow to continue lake refill. Since Rainy Lake is the main source of flow into Lake of the Woods, Lake of the Woods inflow is low and falling.
Unless substantial rainfall occurs across the basin, the level of Lake of the Woods will continue to gradually fall as will the level of the Winnipeg River. Should weather conditions improve, the Secretariat aims to adjust outflow to balance the lake and river levels, with an ideal lake level target range of between 322.8 and 323.1 m (1059 to 1060 ft) for the summer and early fall.
Lac Seul and English River
Inflow to Lac Seul is also declining due to continued dry conditions. The Board has managed outflow to allow for a steady rate of rise in lake level since mid-April. The strategy for low inflow conditions is to reduce outflow to allow continued refill of the lake to a minimum level of 355.8 m (1167.3 m), while targeting preferred summer levels if conditions allow.