Lake Manitoba Narrows Walleye Northern Pike Ice Fishing
Manitoba Hydro is continuing to operate its Lake Winnipeg Regulation (LWR) works in order to maintain maximum outflows from the lake. The LWR works include additional outlet channels at the north end of Lake Winnipeg as well as the Jenpeg Generating Station and control structure. This allows up to 50 percent more water to flow out of the lake under flood conditions as compared to pre-regulation.
“We have been continuously operating the Jenpeg control structure at maximum outflow since July 2010 in response to high inflows into the lake,” said Bob Brennan, Manitoba Hydro’s President and CEO. “Manitoba Hydro will maintain maximum possible discharge until the level of Lake Winnipeg is below 715 feet above sea level and the threat of flooding has passed. Flooding of communities along the waterways downstream of the lake is also a concern.
Southern floodwaters have arrived in the Nelson River. Communities downstream of Lake Winnipeg, including Norway House, Cross Lake, Split Lake, York Landing and Gillam are experiencing high flows and elevated water levels. Water levels are at their peak and, with normal rainfall, are expected to remain high for the duration of the summer.
The elevation of Lake Winnipeg last Aug.10 was 716.8 feet. Inflows into the lake were twice the average for the spring period.
Manitoba Hydro is licensed by the Province of Manitoba to operate LWR for power production purposes when the lake is between 711 and 715 feet above sea level. When the lake reaches 715 feet, it must operate its facilities to maximize the discharge from the lake. When the level falls below 711 feet, control of Lake Winnipeg outflow is under the direction of the Minister of Water Stewardship.
“The whole point of the Lake Winnipeg Regulation project was to help minimize flooding around Lake Winnipeg and improve outflows for better hydro production at plants downstream,” said Wes Penner, Manitoba Hydro’s manager of Hydraulic Operations. “The benefit of LWR is that water levels do not stay as high for nearly as long and are lower than they would be in a state of nature during flood events.”
Lake Winnipeg continues to vary within its natural pre-regulation range year-round but without the extreme highs and lows experienced before LWR. Federal government records show:
Historical records show that the daily average water levels after 1976 are just over an inch different than the daily average levels prior to regulation, including the fall months.
The deeper channels built for LWR were designed to overcome freezing and blocking, enabling Manitoba Hydro to discharge more water through the winter (for electricity production) than would have been possible for the same starting levels without LWR. This additional discharge capacity is also used during the rest of the year to reduce the frequency and magnitude of flooding on Lake Winnipeg.
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