Information Bulletin issued by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for Friday March 26, 2021 at 11am.
Please be advised that a Flood Watch has been issued for the Muskoka River Watershed. MNRF staff are monitoring conditions and are out in the field performing dam operations.
Water Levels:
Generally, water levels on the Muskoka River watershed are currently within the normal operating zone for this time of year.
Water levels started to climb this week due to warm weather and will continue to do so with the added inputs over the next couple of days.
Proactive measures to manage water levels by MNRF staff have positioned the watershed to take advantage of the limited storage capacity to help mitigate impacts of potential flooding.
Dam Operations:
The dam at the outlet of Mary Lake has been set for maximum discharge and the upstream dam in Huntsville has been set to match it.
Flows have been increased at Port Carling out of Lakes Rosseau and Joseph, being mindful of the additional inputs Lake Muskoka will receive from the North and South Branch.
Through a combination of log manipulation at the North Dam, South Dam, and Generating Station at Bala the maximum amount of flow is being passed out of Lake Muskoka given the current lake water level. The Generating Station and log setting will be adjusted as Lake levels rise and flows increase.
