Water on Lake Winnipeg at lowest level for early May in 35 years

Exposed lake bottom on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, an unusual sight in early May. Where is the water usually like right now? Well, normal years I would say right about here, we have had it higher. Randy McMahon runs errands on the lake, a bed and breakfast. He says he’s never seen the lake this low at this time of year. Very, very unusual. Yes. Yeah, yeah. You would never see all all this rock in the springtime. Right now, Lake Winnipeg’s at 712.3 feet above sea level. The lowest the lakes ever been but it is within a centimeter of the lowest level this lake has been On this date since Manitoba hydro started regulating lake levels. Manitoba Hydro. These are drought conditions. The water level in Lake Winnipeg and inflows on several major rivers feeding the lake are so low, Hydro doesn’t expect to generate enough energy this year to sell surplus power to other jurisdictions. This would make it two years in a row of drought conditions for Hydro. The Crown corporation expects to lose hundreds of millions of dollars this year. The minister responsible for Hydro isn’t worried. Manitobans have no reason to be concerned. Adrian Salas says it’s too soon to worry about the effect of a prolonged drought on Manitoba Hydras finances. Or those of the province which relies on revenue from hydro. Manitoba receives most of our precipitation that drives hydro between May and August, the low lake levels having other effects. Hydro’s morning boaters about the hazards of exposed rocks and sand bars. Harbors are also affected. 3 boat slips at Balsam Harbor Marina on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg are unusable due to low water. But this hydro drought is not an agricultural drought. Thanks to recent rains, soil moisture across southern Manitoba is average to above average. Curtis McRae grows wheat, canola and soybeans north of Okamic Marsh. I have 30 days left to get my crop in. He’s only started seeding this week because his fields have been too wet. It’s tight enough. I got to sweat a little. Like we need a lot of good luck. A lot of this sunshine which is glowing on me right now. I really like that. For Manitoba Hydro, luck would mean not sun, but a lot more rain. Lake Winnipeg is expected to rise gradually into the middle of August, maybe by another foot. That’s great if you like sandy beaches, but it’s not so great if you’re Manitoba Hydro. Bartley Kevis, CBC News. At Balsam Harbor.