Today, in response to a recurrence of moderate to heavy rains in the area, the Board has authorized a doubling in the outflow from Namakan Lake, up from 130 to 260 m³/s (4,590 to 9,180 ft³/s). Lake outflows are currently being set by the Board under a Supplementary Order issued by the International Joint Commission (IJC) on June 28, 2002 due to the unprecedented rainfall in the Rainy Lake basin in June which led to very high levels on that lake.
The recurrence of rainfall had caused Namakan Lake to rise to 341.2 m (1119.4 ft) by early afternoon today, putting it 10 cm (4 in) above its target level, and had caused Rainy Lake to start rising again after declining since June 27th. The level of Rainy Lake is now about 338.46 m (1110.43 ft), down only 10 cm (4 in) from its peak of 338. 56 m (1110.76 ft) on June 27. Under the June 28th Supplementary Order, the Board had initially reduced outflows from Namakan to Rainy Lake, thereby raising Namakan Lake 14 cm (5.5 in) to a target level of 341.1 m (1119.1 ft) in order to help initiate the decline of levels on Rainy Lake.
With this recurrence of rain, the Board is reacting swiftly with an initial outflow increase in order to limit the rate of rise of the Namakan Chain of Lakes. However, the rainfall event is not yet over and little is known at this point about the area or amounts and impacts or the rainfall. Full opening of the Namakan dams may not be necessary or may return Rainy Lake to a critical situation. The Board intends to continue to assess the situation on a day by day basis and adjust outflows, target levels and lake balances as appropriate.
The Board recommends that property owners and users of the system continue to keep themselves updated on basin conditions. Up-to-date information can be found on Boise’s web site (lakes.bc.com), on the Lake of the Woods Control Board site (www.lwcb.ca) and on the St. Paul District Corps of Engineers web site (www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil). Persons can also call the Board’s engineering advisors, Rick Walden (819-997-2529) or Ed Eaton (651-290-5617).
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Rick Walden 819-997-2529
Ed Eaton 651-290-5617