The International Rainy Lake Board of Control on Wednesday authorized a further reduction of water outflow from Rainy Lake, bringing it to near minimum.
With water levels for this time of year the lowest on record since rule curves were implemented in 1949, the board was forced to act, it said.
Rick Cousins, a consulting engineer with the IRLBC, said Thursday when water levels fall below a set drought line defined in the Consolidated Order (2001), action can be taken immediately to reduce outflow to a minimum of 65 cubic metres per second.
The outflow had been at its “normal” low of 100 cu. m/s.
“It’s the first step in a further reduction,” said Cousins. “We went to 75 cu. m/s this morning—a reduction of 25 percent.”
But he noted the reduction in outflow still is fairly minimal.
“The effects will be small both up and downstream,” he said, adding communities on the Rainy River were consulted and warned of the outflow reduction.
“There are already problems with boat access and access to shore areas [on the river],” Cousins remarked. “That won’t get any better. Those same concerns affect Rainy Lake, as well.
“Levels are very low right now [through the whole Winnipeg River basin] for this time of year,” he added. “We’re doing all we can to balance things up and downstream.”
He indicated the drop in outflow to 75 cu. m/s is only the first step in taking action for the below drought conditions on Rainy Lake.
“We’re constantly monitoring the impact up and downstream,” he stressed, adding there will be a meeting during the first week in July to determine whether the move will be made to reduce outflow a further 10 cu. m/s to the absolute minimum of 65 cu. m/s.
“We usually use blocks of 50 cu. m/s [to increase or decrease outflow],” Cousins said. “Last year, we were up over 1,000 cubic metres of outflow during the high water.”
That doesn’t seem likely this year.
He explained that with hot weather in the forecast, evaporation levels on the lake will be high—and that increased winds can cause that to accelerate.
“Conditions won’t get better without significant rainfall,” he noted.
That’s something people here wouldn’t have dreamed possible a year ago.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
