While living in one of the driest parts of the United State, Carol Adduono has seen her share of desert.
In Arizona, where she sometimes spends the winter, sightings of natural water bodies can be so rare “everyone gets excited when they see a puddle,” Adduono recalled on Monday.
It’s a different scenario on Lake Shebandowan just west of Thunder Bay, where Adduono runs a fishing resort.
The 40-kilometre angler’s paradise has been on the high side in the past week or so, high enough to prompt some who live Shebandowan’s shore to suggest on social media the level is a cause for concern.
“It’s too high now,” read one post. “If nothing is done soon, the water will be very high, looking at this week’s (weather) forecast.”
Adduono, whose resort overlooks the lower part of the lake, said she’s not alarmed by the level rise just yet.
“It is definitely high now, I have less beach,” she said. “But there’s more water for the boat launch.”
Flow into Lake Shebandowan is managed by a 102-year-old Ontario Power Generation (OPG) control dam located at the lake’s east end.
According to a lake chart on OPG’s website, Shebandowan rose slightly between June 16-22, but the level was forecast to drop by as much as four centimetres over the upcoming week.
Over the same period, flow through the dam is expected to range from five to 10 cubic metres per second, according to the chart. For the period between June 16-22, the flow ranged between 7.1-7.9 cubic metres per second.
Meanwhile, Adduono said Sunday’s heavy rain storm likely contributed to the lake’s recent rise.
“It was a wild storm,” she said. “I’m glad I’d taken down some dead trees” before the storm hit.
Environment Canada says the mercury in the Thunder Bay area is to set to rise to 24 C today under sunny skies. The normal high for this time of year is 22 C.
