Rain in the forecast means Lake of the Woods water level likely to rise again

Rain in the forecast could increase the water level on Lake of the Woods again in the next few days, just as flood conditions were beginning to improve. 

As of Friday, the lake was 324.1 metres (1,063.3 feet) above sea level, just a few centimetres below its record crest of 324.31 metres (1,064 feet) above sea level reached during the flood of 1950, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board.

However, rainfall is expected to rise between five and 11 centimetres (two to four inches) over the next week, with most of the rise occurring over the weekend, says the board's most recent notice. 

"The dams in Kenora remain fully open and no additional actions can be taken to limit lake level rise," the board said in a Friday bulletin. 

This will raise water levels on the Winnipeg River slightly between Kenora and Minaki, the control board says. 

Resort owners in the Lake of the Woods area say, thus far, the extra water has just been an inconvenience. 

Still, Jacob Browdovsky, executive director of the B'Nai Brith Camp on Town Island, says it's the highest water levels he's ever seen in his 20 years of summers there.

Currently, their swim dock is submerged, and there's very little shoreline for kids at the camp to play on, he says.

"This happens sometimes," he said. "But that being said, we built our dock a foot higher than spec and it's still under water, which is pretty remarkable."

The control board says its unlikely that water levels on the lake will return to normal until mid-August. 

Flooding at Lake of the Woods this spring is the worst its been in decades, submerging docks and boathouses and prompting evacuations in Kenora last month. 

The Manitoba government declared a local state of emergency in Whiteshell Provincial Park in mid-May. The declaration will remain in place until at least July 18.