Lake levels getting back to normal, Water Security Agency says

Lake levels in most areas of Saskatchewan are returning to normal, according to the Water Security Agency.

The agency released its Water Supply Conditions and Outlook report for July on Tuesday, providing a snapshot of the conditions in each region.

Northern Saskatchewan

Precipitation in Northern Saskatchewan was well below normal in the far northwest, but well above normal in southern and eastern areas.

According to a map that accompanied the report, water levels in regions around Meadow Lake are more than 200 per cent above normal, while the extreme northwest is at zero per cent of normal.

“The additional runoff in the Churchill River Basin has resulted in flows being above normal across the basin,” the report said.

Southeast

Areas that had been saturated by spring storms saw less rainfall than normal in June, allowing them to dry out.

The central grain belt also got less rain than normal, which resulted in drier-than-normal soil conditions. Other areas weren’t so lucky, however.

“Heavy rainfall localized in the upper portion of the Wascana Creek Basin generated high runoff resulting in some flooding of agricultural land in the Kronau Marsh area,” the report said.

Central

The agency said the east-central and northeastern areas of the grain belt got more precipitation than normal, which created what it called “generally wet conditions” in the region.

Southwest

That area got more rain than normal heading into July, which has helped the region recover from last year’s drought.

Even so, the agency said most of the southwest is still dealing with moisture levels that are below normal.

Lake Diefenbaker

According to the agency, “a significant precipitation event in Alberta” created major inflows into Lake Diefenbaker.

Those inflows are above normal for this time of year, so the lake’s water levels are rising.

North Saskatchewan River

The rain in Alberta also created above-normal flows on the North Saskatchewan River and the Saskatchewan River.

“Flows on the North Saskatchewan River are expected to remain above normal throughout July,” the report said. “Flows on the Saskatchewan River are expected to drop to slightly below-normal levels over the next month.”

Qu’Appelle

Most of the lakes on the Qu’Appelle River System are at or near their summer operating ranges and will stay there with normal amounts of precipitation.

The only exception is Round Lake, which is expected to remain low this summer.