The banks of the Montreal River in Air Ronge are still flooded. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

water levels

Lac La Ronge expected to drop by six inches in coming months

Sep 2, 2020 | 12:21 PM

Lac La Ronge is expected to fall only 0.15 metres between now and winter freeze up.

That’s according to Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle, who said the record-breaking year was largely due to large amounts of rain which fell in the Churchill River Basin including La Ronge. The current elevation is 364.94 m and the observed peak of 364.95 m was maintained between Aug. 10 to 30.

“It never goes out as fast as it goes in,” Boyle said about water entering Lac La Ronge. “It takes some time because if you look at the system, everything is surcharged and flooded. It takes a while to work its way through and actually see a decline.”

Boyle anticipates levels to remain high for the next couple months and it could even increase if there is a major weather event bringing more precipitation. Going into freeze up, he said residents should expect a similar experience to what occurred back in 2011.

As for moving into next spring, Boyle noted it’s too early to determine whether or not there will be further issues. He explained that depends on the snowfall and how it melts as the temperature warms.

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“It’s been a wet year so far and we’re not quite out of the woods just yet, but hopefully we start to see some decreases going into fall,” Boyle said.

The La Ronge dam, which was reclassified to a potential dam failure in July, remains a concern for the Water Security Agency. The reclassification is still in place, as well as flood mitigation efforts like sandbags.

Most lakes in northern Saskatchewan have reached expected peaks with water levels in Cumberland House, Lac Île-à-la-Crosse, Meeting Lake and Sandy Bay all receding. Deschambault Lake and Jan Lake have also likely peaked, while the peak for Amisk Lake is expected early this month.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno