My Changing Point of View

[260 Rem]

Fourteen years of drought is taking a toll. Comparison of a pic from July 1, 2001 and today. Waters edge is now about where the line of Pelicans are swimming. Lake has lost 9 vertical feet of depth. In 2001. the water level was so high it killed all the trees on the island. I walked out to the island with running shoes yesterday....no wet socks.

[58thecat]

Wait for it...rain and hard heavy snowfall winters could change that

[bb356]

To me the landscape look's healthier today than before.

[260 Rem]

Close to the lake, it is very green ... it is just there is getting to be so much more land. 15 years of less than normal precip will take more than 15 of above average for the lake to recover.

[mooseknuckle]

as a kid we had a cabin on lower mann lake. was water 30ft from back deck. now it's like 300 yards. was an awesome lake to fish, swim, boat. now it's a large slough maybe 4ft deep at most.

[greylynx]

Where has all that water gone? And why is it gone?

[58thecat]

You would think with the constant flow of tears from oilers fans that all the lakes should be full, throw in a few from the flames fans and we should build a few dams

[Clgy_Dave2.0]

It's kinda scary when you see what California's going through.

Take a look at these pics:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5843534.html

[greylynx]

You think oil is going to be a Canadian commodity in the future?

I have always believed water will become a major trade item with the U.S.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by greylynx

Where has all that water gone? And why is it gone?

I understand that on a lake surface with warm summer temps and a bit of wind, evaporation can take an inch per week. Get a dozen dry summers, low snowfall producing no runoff ... and we are in trouble!
No doubt you are right about water being the commodity of the future. This is the one resource we need to protect and keep out of any future trade agreements.

[Quinn]

Ive seen a lake bounce back 8 feet in a couple years to higher than I have ever seen in it my life. Prior to that was about 12 years or reduced depth.

It can cycle. High is no doubt better than low.

[Spidey]

[QUOTE=260 Rem;2882327]Fourteen years of drought is taking a toll. Comparison of a pic from July 1, 2001 and today. Waters edge is now about where the line of Pelicans are swimming. Lake has lost 9 vertical feet of depth. In 2001. the water level was so high it killed all the trees on the island. I walked out to the island with running shoes yesterday....no wet socks.

Just curious - is that Buffalo Lake? It looks familiar. If so, that's my old stompin' grounds...

[260 Rem]

Hastings Lake just east of Edm ...

[purgatory.sv]

Another influence on the water table other than weather is mining.

Your definition of mining will vary.

This is not the only influence, but the most visible?

[260 Rem]

I will share some pics of my yard.

[coolpete1]

any fish in there still?

[3blade]

Not unusual, saw the same happen at LLN, moose, cardiff and others, and eventually refill. If it is precipitation related, it will eventually improve. If however it is drainage related, and someone has changed things...that sucks. Unfortunately those upstream often have no knowledge (or concern) for the effects that happen downstream.

[bb356]

Nice place ... beauty fall pic's .

[bb356]

.

[Zuludog]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

as a kid we had a cabin on lower mann lake. was water 30ft from back deck. now it's like 300 yards. was an awesome lake to fish, swim, boat. now it's a large slough maybe 4ft deep at most.

I grew up fishing on that lake. I spent many a summer standing on a dock at our friends cabin, from sun up to sundown casting away. Sad to hear that it is in such a sad state now.

[connexion123]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

I understand that on a lake surface with warm summer temps and a bit of wind, evaporation can take an inch per week. Get a dozen dry summers, low snowfall producing no runoff ... and we are in trouble!
No doubt you are right about water being the commodity of the future. This is the one resource we need to protect and keep out of any future trade agreements.

Tooooooooo late. The TTP took care of that and yes, Canada is signed on.

[Kim473]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

Hastings Lake just east of Edm ...

Yup, thought so.

Places we used to pull water skiers between islands, you can now walk without getting feet wet at all. We have gained about 200 ft of beach front in the last 10 - 15 years. Almost need a bike to get to the water. It will come back up one day, from 2 - 30 years from now! Need a few years of Biblical amounts of snow and rain in a row.

Your at the last gate on the SE. end of the lake, correct? Nice place!

[Kim473]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Not unusual, saw the same happen at LLN, moose, cardiff and others, and eventually refill. If it is precipitation related, it will eventually improve. If however it is drainage related, and someone has changed things...that sucks. Unfortunately those upstream often have no knowledge (or concern) for the effects that happen downstream.

I noticed that the year after some test drilling close to lake, the water levels started to drop. I think/believe they drilled through the aqua caverns and found an empty hole where they thought was gas or oil. The water is slowly draining from one to the other and filling the empty hole. When and if the hole ever fills then the lake levels will start to come back up. Maybe!

Hastings runs through to Beaver hill lake. It's pretty much completly dry. Good thing that Hastings still has 10 more feet of water or so.

[260 Rem]

No fish and no potential for a fast fill...it will be gradual. Just hope it starts soon. There was a big die-off of fish in the 70's, and it was stocked with perch in the mid 80's. The perch died off about ten years ago. I doubt it will be restocked until water levels are re-established.
Until about 05, there was a channel into Little Hastings to the NE, and a water ski club had pylons and ramps set up for skiers. I suppose quaders are the only ones to see them now.

[crownb]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

I understand that on a lake surface with warm summer temps and a bit of wind, evaporation can take an inch per week. Get a dozen dry summers, low snowfall producing no runoff ... and we are in trouble!
No doubt you are right about water being the commodity of the future. This is the one resource we need to protect and keep out of any future trade agreements.

Yes and oil companies keep pumping fresh water into the ground.

[coppercarbide]

Big issues with runnoff creeks being cut of by roads, underground rivers being cut of by cemented wells, etc.

However, there's one other thing you mentioned in your post that deserves some attention.

You said "the water was so high it killed all the trees on the island".

Which means that at some point in time, the water was low enough for many years, long enough for trees to grow.

Hard to separate cycles that last 10+ years from structural changes in runoff.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by greylynx

You think oil is going to be a Canadian commodity in the future?

I have always believed water will become a major trade item with the U.S.

Yes, "trade" item. As long as it we willingly play ball, sure... we can call it a "trade".

[schleprock]

I don't think that we live long enough to be aware of the water table cycles. I grew up in the Bonnyville area and have watched Muriel Lake's water level drop drastically over the years. However, I have spoke with several older gentlemen over the years and they can remember a time when the lake was actually three bodies of water and the sawmill that they worked on is still under water.

[260 Rem]

Yes, a long time resident said water levels were as low in the '50's. The lake level had been relatively stable until mid 90's when it began to rise and by late 90's ... lake front owners were clamouring to have it drained. I was Pres of the Lake Front Landownrs Assn, so set up a meet with all "the experts and authorities". Bottom line was there would never be interventions ... No drainage had been blocked, but over the years, stream beds had increased in elevation due to accumulations of hay that the as being farmed. Until we get significant rain, those channels are likely a minor issue. The abundance of beaver blocking water courses is also an issue as the little buggers are stopping potential drainage.

[32-40win]

I have noticed that there are some pretty drastic changes in water levels one way or the other, in many of the ponds and the larger bodies of water in the area I hunt birds in. In the last 7 yrs I have seen what was dry get flooded, what was flooded go dry again, and flood again, in areas 10-15 miles apart. It certainly changes bird habits in the area. 4-7yrs ago there were lots of birds in the western part of the zone, last 3-4 yrs they moved east, the west was not really worth looking at for geese. Went from 10-15,000 to just a few honkers in there, and yet, it had lots of water, lots of good crops there,too.
It was starting to dry up over the last couple of yrs, I would think, this year, there will be some serious drying up in that area. There is one spot that was a dry quarter 7 yrs ago, it flooded about 4-5 yrs ago, I would expect, it will be dry this year when I go up there. And to see a couple of the main roosts having a LOT more shore on them this year.
I don't know enough about it to judge it, but, I do find the changes interesting, from year to year.