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2025.11.13 Level Forecast and Outflow Increases

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.74 m (1058.86 ft) a 30th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 1.4 cm (0.6 in) over the past week and is expected to remain stable or decrease by 2 cm (0.8 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 200 m3/s. With average daily temperatures starting to decrease, Lake of the Woods outflow will increase to 250 m3/s on Monday November 17th to assist in providing satisfactory flow on the Winnipeg River before freeze-up.

This outflow change will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to increase by 9 cm (3.5 in) below the Norman Dam, by 6.3 cm (2.5 in) above Kimberley Rapids and by 3 cm (1.2 in) at the Dalles. This outflow increase will have no impact on levels at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.19 m (1168.58 ft), a 35th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased by 5.1 cm (2 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease 4 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 200 m3/s with a planned outflow increase to 250 m3/s on Wednesday November 19th.

2025.11.06 New Regulation Strategy

On October 30, the LWCB held its fall Regulation Meeting in Kenora where it adopted a new Regulation Strategy. The strategy outlines regulation targets for various inflow conditions for the period of November 2025 to March 2026, 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.

With persisting dry conditions across the Winnipeg River Basin, the strategy for both Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul focuses on maintaining storage until freeze up to provide sufficient flow for the core winter period.

For Lake of the Woods the regulation over the winter takes into consideration preferences of all interest groups, and outflow and drawdown will be adjusted as the winter progresses and conditions change.  For lac Seul, although storage on the lake will allow outflow to be increased to the normal range over the winter, baseflows and antecedent conditions will be considered when drawing the lake down and assessing potential water supply for refill in the spring.   

2025.11.06 Level Forecast

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.76 m (1058.9 ft) a 30th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to remain stable or increase by 1.3 cm (0.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 200 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.24 m (1168.8 ft), a 45th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 3.0 cm (1 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 2.0 to 3.8 cm (0.8 to 1.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 200 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

2025.11.03 Conditions Update and Lac Seul Outflow Increase

High winds overnight on November 2nd caused a trip on the transmission line to Ear Falls. As a result, the dam lost power and there was no flow out of Lac Seul for a 6-hour window. The outage caused levels on the English River between Lac Seul and Manitou Falls to drop as the Manitou Falls generating station was still running to provide power to the area. Dam operators were able to restore Lac Seul outflow to 154 m3/s this morning.

To help increase water levels upstream of Manitou Falls, the Lac Seul outflow increase to 200 m3/s originally scheduled for November 5th, will be rescheduled to today (November 3rd) after power is restored. With the earlier outflow increase, the level of Lac Seul is expected to drop between 1 to 1.5 cm (0.5 in to 0.6 in) before the next Noticeboard update.

2025.10.30 Level Forecast and Outflow Increases

The basin received moderate precipitation early in the week and is expected to receive consistent, small, amounts of precipitation over the next week.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.75 m (1058.89 ft) a 30th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level increased by 2 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to increase 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 1.2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s. With the recent precipitation and increased inflows, Lake of the Woods outflow will increase to 200 m3/s on Wednesday November 5th.

This outflow change will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to increase by 8 cm (3 in) below the Norman Dam, by 5.5 cm (2 in) above Kimberley Rapids and by 2 cm (1 in) at the Dalles. This outflow reduction will have no impact on levels at Minaki.

Notice: on Wednesday, November 5th, the Kenora Powerhouse will be shut down for regular station maintenance and Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be fully transferred to the Norman Dam. Temporary water level fluctuations on the Winnipeg River are expected directly below the dams that day.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.26 m (1168.83 ft), a 45th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase 1 to 4 cm (0.5 to 1.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with a planned outflow increase to 200 m3/s on Wednesday November 5th.

2025.10.23 Level Forecast

Although the basin received a moderate amount of precipitation over the past two weeks, forecasts indicate a return to dry conditions over the weekend and into next week.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.73 m (1058.78 ft) a 20th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level increased by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.25 m (1168.76 ft), a 35th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 2 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase remain stable over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

2025.10.16 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.71 m (1058.76 ft), slightly below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level was stable over the past week. With moderate rainfall expected around the lake, the level is expected to increase by 1 to 5 cm (0.5 to 2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.23 m (1168.74 ft), a 40th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 3to 4 cm (1.5 to 2 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

2025.10.09 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.72 m (1058.78 ft) a 20th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to increase by 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.24 m (1168.76 ft), a 35th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 2 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 2 to 4 cm (0.5 to 2 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

2025.10.03 Conditions Update and Level Forecast

A cold front is forecast to bring strong winds and rainfall to the Winnipeg River basin from Saturday, October 4th through to Monday, October 6th. There is the potential for moderate to significant rainfall to accompany this cold front, but it is still uncertain what areas will be most impacted. Conditions will be assessed next week and outflow increases from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul may be required to maintain levels within the preferred ranges set in the Regulation Strategy.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.71 m (1058.75 ft) a 20th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to increase by 1 to 4 cm (0.5 to 1.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.22 m (1168.7 ft), a 30th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level remained stable over the last week and is expected to increase by 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1 to 3 in) over the next week depending on precipitation amounts received. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

2025.09.25 Level Forecast

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.73 m (1058.8 ft) a 25th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to decrease by up to 2 cm (0.8 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.23 m (1168.7 ft), a 30th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level remained stable over the last week and is expected to change little over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 125 m3/s with no changes scheduled at this time.