Update - The 2015 Freshet

The waters of Loon Lake continue to rise as the winter snow melts and the days get warmer. Since the water levels started come up (blue line), the differences on the lake and in the Burnt River are evident. The earlier low water levels were caused by severe cold weather leading to thicker ice, and the lack of mid-winter snow melt.

The rise is, in part, a result of the yearly practice of gathering water by the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW) for Summer canal operations.

The graph above, is produced from actual electronic measurements at the TSW dam and clearly shows the capturing of water.

As a point of interest, 19/4/2013 was the date the Gregory Lane washed out. This is indicated as the highest point on the graph (dark green line).

The site of the new Gregory Lane culvert is an active location for watching water levels and movement this year. And that is because of keen interest in observing the effects of the removal of all of the flow affecting rocks that used to be inside the culvert.

Activities range from measuring daily water levels at the culvert and at flood prone locations; monitoring TSW dam water levels; photo documenting of events; and liaison with TSW staff.

People watching the culvert include consultants, TSW staff, and property owners.

The accompanying photo shows one of two measuring sticks located at the Gregory Lane causeway to measure upstream and downstream water levels. 

Once the Freshet is finished, information will be available to evaluate how well waters flowed toward the Trent Severn dam this year.

There is currently little water movement in the river but once lake fill levels are reached, that situation should change.

Most of the ice pan is static on the lake, and water gaps a few meters wide exist at some shorelines.

Since it is early in the Freshet, and since Mother Nature can be unpredictable, it would be premature to guess what can happen or when the ice will go out.