Drought conditions persist heading into fall

BY JEFF POLAKOFF, LOWDSA REPRESENTATIVE, LAKE OF THE WOODS CONTROL BOARD

As we progressed from summer into fall, the water levels within the Winnipeg River drainage basin including Lake of the Woods, has continued with the pattern of low water levels that has persisted for over 18 months.

As of this writing at the beginning of October, the entire basin was following a pattern that has been consistent since April 2020. Low levels of precipitation and water inflow from tributaries and adjoining water bodies, combined with high levels of evaporation are contributing to low water levels throughout the basin. In fact, the water level of Lake of the Woods was at 322.47 meters / 1058.1 ft. which is within the 5th percentile based on historic averages. In other words, water levels for Lake of the Woods over approximately the last 100 years have only exhibited lower water conditions about five times at that time of the year. Based on a review of data in September, annual precipitation for 2021 was the 16th lowest in 115 years in the Winnipeg River / Lake of the Woods basin. In addition, the infill levels were, on average, below the 10th percentile throughout 2021.

These low levels and the lack of contributing water has been basin wide. Through the end of August and into September, according to monitoring of levels by the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB) and based on both Canadian and American drought indices, most of the basin was classified to be in severe or extreme drought. A portion of the Minnesota side of the basin was classified to be in an exceptional drought condition which is the highest level of drought classification.

Low water presented some challenges for the “Bassin’ for Bucks” live release boat.

As a result of the continuing low water, the Control Board’s Secretariat held a special consultation in September to review the current circumstance, water level strategy and forecasting in preparation for the next regular meeting. While there is a weak La Nina condition in the Pacific that would typically mean wetter conditions for the fall, this has proven to be an unreliable source of forecasting over the last two years. Following the review, it was agreed that more information based on actual fall precipitation levels and other information would be important as we move into winter. The Secretariat will be monitoring conditions closely in anticipation of a more detailed review during the prewinter meeting at the end of October. This will be particularly important for decisions related to water storage in the lake through the winter months.

While low water levels continued to be a challenge throughout the summer, it did not seem to have a significant impact on fishing events. For example, the 25th anniversary of “Bassin’ for Bucks” in Sioux Narrows saw a full complement of 120 teams with excellent fishing results. Tournament Director, Barb Salvador said there were no low water issues noted for anglers. However, she said “It was a challenge to get the Shimano Live release boat near the weigh scale to handle the fish in a safe manner, and the Northern Ontario Fishing Centre docks were also a challenge for the anglers to dock.” I think we were all faced with similar docking challenges this year.

As we begin to head into winter and for up to date information please visit the LWCB web site at: lwcb.ca/waterflowdata.html.