International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board Water Levels Committee Announces April 30th Water Level Targets for Rainy and Namakan Lakes

The International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board (IRLWWB)’s Water Levels Committee (WLC) met to review current conditions and forecasts and determine lake level targets for the period of April 15-30 following the Public Information Session on April 11th.

The target water levels throughout the period of April 15 to April 30 for Namakan Lake will be within the 25-75% band of its rule curve and the target water levels for Rainy Lake will be the bottom 50% of its rule curve. The WLC will continue to monitor conditions over the coming weeks and provide further direction for lake level regulation when necessary.

The April 30th targets were established based on an evaluation of current and forecast conditions including the following factors:

• Significant melt has occurred around the lakes, still some amount of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the headwaters.

• Current forecasts indicate somewhat drier-than-normal and cooler-than-normal pattern, which favors a slow and steady melt for remaining snowpack.

• Inflows are currently expected to stabilize in the normal range after the forecasted precipitation over the weekend.

For updated information on WLC decisions, visit the IRLWWB’s Water Level Decisions & Data page. For information on current conditions and forecasts, visit the National Weather Services Rainy River Basin page.

Associated Links

• Key Roles and Responsibilities for Binational Water Management of Water Levels in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed

• International Joint Commission - Temporary Supplementary Order, March 3, 2023

Contacts 

Alexandra Lavictoire (Engineering Advisor, Canada)
Abby Moore (Engineering Advisor, United States)
International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board
rlwwb@ijc.org