Lakes with Hills, and Spring Run-off Room

 Well, they've got the lake level low...



Given the amount of snowfall we've had this winter, and how much snowpack remains here and in Algonquin Park...

and given that last April 19 we got a huge dump of warm rain into the snow that produced a record flood...



This year the MNR has got the water levels really low, anticipating the melt.

Now, be of good cheer -- yes there is more snow than last year, but this year, the ground is not frozen under that snow, which came early and stayed, and acted as a blanket of insulation.  Anywhere that is plowed has really good frost -- buckle up for frost heaves on all the roads, for example.  And don't bother to call -- there's not much crews can do for spring heaving until after the ground settles down a bit.


That crack in the snow that Taffy is investigating is where the lake starts to slope.  At last! I have a lake with hills!!! When I got my first waterskiis I spent the whole summer looking for one of those, she said, joking.

Taffy is standing on the ice where the lake level was when the whole she-bang froze up last fall.  Since then, the water has been pulled down, and down and down.  The docks here, except for the main dock which is the longest, are all high and dry.  If you look closely, you can see how much the level drops from where Taffy is to the end of the big dock.   This is a big lake -- it will take a lot of water to fill it.  Take note of the red marker behind Taffy -- it is marking one of our water lines.


Look for it in the last photo -- you can see how far out from shore it is.  You can see where the spring seep keeps the lake from freezing along the shore at Clover cottage.  And how much snow is on the 'high' part of the ice where it won't water up with a thaw.   Beyond that, where the lake is low, spring temperatures are starting to put a polish on that ice.   Right now it would be excellent for practicing a golf swing out there...  

We're hoping for some ice-boating weather!