CHISHOLM – The water level at Wasi Lake has been particularly low this year and Chisholm Township CAO Jenny Leblond says it’s because a beaver dam was removed last September.
She says the dam removal was needed.
“It has improved the land and the road to the south end of the lake because they were not under water this spring,” says Leblond.
She says it’s an annual occurrence.
Leblond says other than water levels, nothing else has been affected.
“I don’t think the level of the lake water is going to make much of a difference to the algae of the lake.”
Sue Buckle, manager of the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA), says a lack of precipitation this year may be another contributing factor.
The authority says it does not have a gauge of water levels at this time, but is exploring the possibility of installing a monitor to track water levels in the future.
“Last year, as many will remember, water levels were unseasonably high with flooding in some areas due to the above-normal snowmelt and precipitation,” Buckle says. “NBMCA measures the snow pack as part of our flood forecasting program. In early April 2020, the average snow depth at NBMCA’s snow course stations was 3.9 cm as compared to almost 52 cm at the same time in 2019.”
The decision to remove the beaver dam was made by Leblond and a private contractor was hired for the removal.
Unfortunately, Leblond admits, the beavers may already have returned.
“I’ve already been told the beavers have rebuilt it and the water is holding again,” Leblond says. “It will more than likely be removed again.
- Mackenzie Casalino, Local Journalism Initiative, North Bay Nugget
