The First Week of April

As we head into the first week of April, I'm reminded that the real Spring isn't too far off. Some of our summer birds are already here - the Robin, the Goose, and the Heron.

We still have some snow on the ground and the ice certainly is still on the lake. Gull Islands are slowly disappearing as the water levels rise. And if history is any teacher, our ice won't leave Loon Lake for about three more weeks.

Since April 19, 2013, it has become normal to wonder about whether or not there will be any damage from flooding at this time of year. That date is significant because that's when the Gregory Lane washed out in several locations.

We recently had a heavy rainfall event, with 29mm of rain going into the lakes and rivers; very similar to what happens during a "freshet". We are having another heavy rainfall event today.

Interestingly, the MNRF has issued a Flood Warning for the Burnt River Watershed - which includes Loon Lake.

If you look at the above chart from the Trent Severn Waterway, the blue line represents our current depth of water at the dam. And it also shows how fast the water levels have risen. The greatest depth of water recorded at the dam, shown by the dark green line, occurred on April 19, 2013 - the day the Gregory Lane washed out. 

This year, it will be interesting to see how well our "pipe arch channel" through the Gregory Lane causeway performs!