Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Lake of the Woods Control Board
Many municipalities in northwestern Ontario have been struggling with flooding for weeks, but some good news may be on the horizon. That is, if the weather cooperates. "Fortunately, June hasn't been the same as the record precipitation we saw in April and May across the region," said Matt DeWolfe, executive engineer with the Lake of the Woods Control Board, which regulates water levels on Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul.
Owners of resorts and cottages along the Winnipeg River in Whiteshell Provincial Park can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Manitoba portion of the waterway is receding following a record flood. The Winnipeg River has crested from the Ontario border to Seven Sisters Falls, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board. The river's peak flow at Seven Sisters Falls was approximately 125,000 cubic feet per second. That's roughly three and a half times the usual volume for this time of year.
The Winnipeg River is flowing at a record volume in Manitoba because officials no longer have any other option to control flooding across a vast swath of northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota. Flooding on the Winnipeg River, which is running at about 3.5 times its usual volume at this time of year, has already forced hundreds of people from their homes and washed out roads in Whiteshell Provincial Park. This is the result of inflows that are only expected to increase in the coming days, raising water levels up to two-thirds of a metre higher in some locations in Manitoba.
Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul have been hit hard this year with decreasing water levels. The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.75 m (1058.9 ft), which is equal to a 30th percentile (per cent of distribution that is equal to or below it) which is considered normal for this time of the year. This past week the lake water level has fallen by 1cm (½ in), and is still expected to drop further by 1 to 3 cm ( 1 in) over the next week.
