Water levels have flooded beaches and boat launches near La Ronge. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Water update

Lac La Ronge water level expected to peak Friday

Aug 18, 2020 | 5:22 PM

The water level on Lac La Ronge is expected to reach its peak on or near Aug. 21.

That’s according to the Water Security Agency (WSA), which states while surface water inflows are declining, levels on Lac La Ronge have been holding steady near 364.95 metres. It is postulated that subsurface inflows could be increasing and offsetting the declines in surface water inflows, holding the lake level relatively steady over the past six days.

Lac La Ronge water levels since January. (Water Security Agency)

The WSA expects that declines in the lake level will be observed later this week.

“High river and lake levels can be expected for the remainder of summer and, in some cases, such as the mainstem of the Churchill River, into the fall and winter,” the news releases states. “Many locations saw an increase in flows and levels in response to the rainfall that occurred over the past weekend, but have since stabilized or are declining.”

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The release also mentions conditions have been warm and dry over the past few days, resulting in increased evaporative losses and declining flows across the North. Rainfall over the past three days has been less than five millimetres in the region.

For Lac Île-à-la-Crosse, levels are beginning to show some declines. They will, however, remain higher than normal for the remainder of the open water season and vulnerable to additional rainfall events and wind events. The present elevation is 410.1 m.

Water levels for Lac Île-à-la-Crosse. (Water Security Agency)

Water levels at Sandy Bay reached a peak on Aug. 4 and are now down about 0.6 m. Levels are now down below the 2005 peak with flows and levels expected to remain relatively steady for the next week. A reduction of 300 m3/s in the Whitesand Dam outflow on the Reindeer River is planned for Aug. 19. This reduction will help to lower water levels further at Sandy Bay mid-week next week.

Water levels for Sandy Bay. (Water Security Agency)

With warm and dry conditions over the past week, levels at Meeting Lake have been dropping.There has been no new precipitation recorded in the area since Aug. 9. The present elevation is 739.38 m and the peak was observed July 27 at 739.48 m. Meeting Lake has reached its outlet and is confirmed flowing into outlet channel. There is not significant flow moving through outlet currently as it is congested with thick vegetation. Berms around the lake should now be built to WSA recommended standard 739.83 to 740 m.

While hot and predominantly dry conditions are expected to persist over the North for the next three days, current forecasts are suggesting accumulations ranging from 20 to 50 mm for much of the northern half of the province over the upcoming weekend. The WSA will be monitoring these weather forecasts as they evolve and assessing impacts on the hydrological forecasts.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno