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WABAMUN LAKE LEVEL CHARTS - There are endless discussions about the level of the water in Wabamun Lake. Sort of similar to weather, politics & religion! Gawd we sailors love to talk.  But then, water depth is of the utmost importance at a launching ramp or marina, especially for a sailboat equipped with a fixed keel.  The concern is valid  when you consider that the only water flowing into the lake is spring run off, a few tiny creeks, a some artesian wells and topped off by summer rains.  These few inflows have a tough time offsetting the winter evaporation when the temperature differential is the greatest.  In mid 2001 Trans-Alta added an artificial inflow by pumping water into Wabamun Lake via the channel at the Sundance Power plant.  The pumping capacity was doubled in 2002.  The water in the channel is almost crystal clear which is quite a phenomena considering that we sail on dark water most of the time and can't see the bottom.  This is a great place to check the hull if you have snorkel gear. 
The only natural drainage from the lake flows out the creek through the Paul Band golf course.  This creek has a man made weir that effectively limits the lake's maximum water elevation.  The lake seldom overflows the weir.  Just for interest, the photo at right shows me at the Wabamun town dock on my Kolibri.  Notice how easily Kerry can step into the dinghy from the dock!  The picture was taken in 1976 and my guess is the water was flowing over the weir quite nicely given the fact that it was about a meter above the weir.  In reality the lake was at an all time high, held back by a few beaver dams.  Needless to say there are lots of opinions and even some facts about Wabamun Lake but evidence like this helps to end those campfire disputes! 
By the way, I suggest you stay away from the end of this pier.  Take note of the concrete ice breaker shown at the end of the pier.  It no longer exists but I doubt that the underwater supports were removed! 

THREE YEAR LAKE CHARTS - Alberta Environment monitors the water level at Wabamun Lake and their three year charts help to set some "opinions" straight.  To understand a long trend you must assess the data in several charts.  A good point of reference is the height of the weir which is shown as a brown dotted line (724.55M) on each chart.  For fresh waters, the lake elevation (level) is shown in meters above sea level.  Shown below are several older year end charts and the current chart. 
PS: If I were to bet on when the ice is off the lake, I would pick April 21! 

To view a previous lake level plot, click on a chart below.

1997-1999 lakelevel_1.jpg (62861 bytes) 1999 to 2001
lakelevel_2.jpg (26494 bytes)
2000-2002
lakelevel_3.jpg (40502 bytes)
2001-2003
lakelevel_2003.jpg (90867 bytes)
2002-2004
lakelevel_2004.jpg (89890 bytes)
2004-2006
2007-2009
  • Note - The oldest year data (4th year) is dropped with each new year.
  • Note - The years are shown in black, purple, and blue for easier tracking.  A particular year is not the same colour from one chart to another.  This might create confusion if you are trying to follow a trend  from one chart to the next.
  • Keep in mind that the WEIR HEIGHT is 724.55 M above sea level.

    CURRENT LAKE LEVEL PLOT - The current lake level plots are derived from the Alberta Environment River Basins web page.
I've simplified the search for you.

NOTE - The River Forecast Section of Alberta Environment no longer produces the Wabamun Lake Level chart shown above.  It was created in the mid to late nineties as a result of public concern over water levels of the lake.  The report was discontinued for several reasons:

  1.  the relatively low number of stakeholders requesting the report.

  2. the labour-intensive process to produce the original report.

  3. AENV River Forecast Section now produces a different type of report that shows more detailed lake level plots.

The current lake level plots on the AENV web site display the lake level for this year, historical average (from 1969-99), and historical quartiles (cutting off the lower and higher 25% of data).  These reports are the new standard for reporting and are considered more rigorous and informative over relevant time scales.  The original Wabamun Lake Report did not display any quartiles, but did display the previous two years of data and the elevation of the weir (724.55 m) above sea level. 

UofA ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH and STUDIES CENTRE - The ERSC acts as a coordination and information agency for the extensive environmental research and studies programs at the University of Alberta. Visit their web site to learn more.