Water Levels

2026 March 8 YTD Lake Levels Report

Our Kawagama lake levels chart compares 2026 YTD actual levels to targets. The target levels have been in place for more than 15 years. Beginning Mar 7, mild conditions and heavy rainfall caused a rapid rise to lake levels. MNR have informed us that our snowpack is normal (125 m/m of runoff ). The forecast for freezing conditions to start again March 12th is expected to slow the runoff considerably. Therefore, levels are expected to normalize in the next week or so. Kawaga

Kawagama Lake Level Update - Oct 6, 2025

The chart shows the Kawagama Lake level as of Oct 6, 2025. Our Lake is approaching its lowest level (Oct 15) before it begins to rise to winter levels. It will decline about another 4 inches by the 15 th . Kawagama Lake Levels Committee

Kawagama Lake Level Update - Aug 22, 2025

As of August 22 nd our lake level is slightly below target value. (1/2 inch) Note that our lake is part of the Muskoka water shed, not the Trent water shed which flows south. Jim Kaufman Chair KLCA Lake levels committee

Water Level Update - June 28, 2025

As of June 28/25, our Lake level is right on the BMP (Best Management Practice ) target. Lake Levels Committee

Water Level Update - April 25

As of April 25, our Lake Level is right on target. The lake will continue to rise until about May 1. The level then should be at about 455.6m/m. Lake Levels Committee

Water Level Update - March 2025

This chart show the Kawagama lake levels to March 17, 2025. The lake was above target until mid-January due to the significant rainfall received at the end of Dec 2025. The level was then close to target form mid-January to Mid-March when dam operations started to raise levels to attain summer level values. Of interest, MNR stated that area snowpac held 133 to 203 mm of water in early March which was within the normal range. This is the Kawagama lake levels chart comparing 20

KLCA Water Levels Committee Report - January 16, 2025

Extreme weather events can greatly affect our lake level and make it difficult to maintain lake level targets. Such was the case in late December when we received over 60 mm of rain beginning December 29. By January 3 the lake had risen about 9 inches and on that day, it began to drop. On January 16, it is within 2.5 inches of target. It’s important to have levels close to target as the lake freezes. High levels during this period can cause shoreline damage and unstable ice

Kawagama Lake Levels Update

After last weekend’s heavy rainfall, (+100 mm) Kawagama lake level has gone up significantly. As of noon on June 25th, our lake is 11.9"above normal levels (BMP) and 8" above "Top of Normal Operating Zone." MNRF removed logs Monday, however it takes a few days for area runoff to slow. We should soon see levels begin to decline. Update - June 26 - The attached chart shows that our lakes current unprecedented rise peaked yesterday about 12'' above Target Levels or "BMP". It ha

Lake Levels Update - May 21, 2024

The MNRF began filling Kawagama one month early due to the limited winter snowpack used to fill our lake to target levels. This early fill has been successful. For the last two weeks the level has been stable at about 3 inches below target which is well within Normal Operating Zones. Lake Levels Committee

Lake Levels Update - March 5, 2024

The above chart shows water levels to March 5th. MNRF are not actively raising the water on Kawagama Lake (no recent dam operations) however, the freshet is starting earlier than normal this year with the current warm weather So water levels are rising due to increased runoff to the lake. Given the lower-than-normal snowpack and the current weather forecast, MNRF are allowing the lake to begin to rise at a controlled rate to hold some of the water. They will continue to mo

Lake Levels Update

As of Aug 28th, our lake level is at MNRF target. (see attached chart) By Labor Day weekend (Sept 2) and assuming normal rainfall, lake level will be down another 2 inches. At Sept 14th , lake level will be down an additional 2 inches after which the lake will fall rapidly (about another 17 inches) until Oct 14th. Beginning Oct 14th the lake will start to rise to normal winter levels. Water Levels Committee

Lake Levels Update

Water levels are currently higher than normal. In water level jargon the level is above "top of normal operating zone". MNRF removed logs from our dam yesterday and will be removing more logs today. They expect the levels to decline over the next few days. Following is an updated Lake levels chart and an article from this mornings Muskoka news indicting there are higher then normal water levels throughout the Muskoka Watershed. Lake Levels Committee

Current Lake Levels

This is the updated Kawagama Lake levels chart as of May 2nd 2023. Levels have stayed close to target despite significant snowmelt and rainfall. Water levels Committee

Current Lake Levels

Here is an update on our Kawagama Lake Level. Note that the annual filling of Kawagama has started. The lake is now targeted to rise for about 6 weeks until the first week in May.

Kawagama Water Levels

Here’s an updated Water Levels chart as we've experienced higher than normal water levels. Thankfully the levels on on their way down.

MNRF Water Levels Bulletin

The MNRF has issued a Water Levels Bulletin regarding the recent high water levels.

Kawagama Water Levels

This is a copy of our Kawagama water levels chart as of May 14, 2022. .....Lake Levels Committee

Lake Levels Report

Attached is the chart of NDMNRF (Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry) Kawagama lake level targets and actuals. NDMNRF can usually maintain a level somewhere between the “Best Management Practice Level” and “Target Operating Level” except when extraordinary weather events occur. And this year we’ve had 3 occurrences with a dry spring and unusually heavy rainfalls in late June and Sept. The “Water level line” on the chart shows the effect of

WATER LEVELS REPORTS

May 2020 Water Levels Report

2023 Water Levels Report

WATER LEVELS FOR KAWAGAMA AND BEAR LAKES

I Historical Background

Lakeside cottagers would like to think that their surroundings are essentially natural. When it comes to lake levels for the Muskoka and Trent-Severn watersheds, man has exerted complete control of the water, in many cases since the late 1800's. Lakes were dammed initially to facilitate the passage of logs downstream to sawmills. Hydroelectric power generation has also been present in some locations for over 100 years, and continues to be a major influence in the region today.

In 1940 an agreement was reached which detailed the rules under which water levels would be controlled (The Hackner-Holden Agreement). A distinction was made between Navigable and Non-Navigable lakes. Navigable lakes were to be maintained at almost constant water levels whereas the remainder would be allowed to have significant fluctuation based almost entirely on the needs of the power industry.

In 1969, an Amendment was added, which changed the focus somewhat. Recreational users, fisheries and flood control issues were added. In addition, ownership and control of many dams were transferred to the MNR (currently the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry). There are 42 water control structures in the Muskoka Watershed. Twenty nine are controlled by the MNR. While some dams are fixed, the active dams require on-site management.

For Kawagama Lake, the stone and lumber dam built in 1890 was replaced by a stone and rubble dam in 1926 and the water level raised by approximately 4 meters! Ontario Hydro owned and operated the dam until 1968. A major concrete upgrade was carried out in 1985. Throughout all of this time, however, the targeted annual water level fluctuation remained at slightly over 1.5m or 5 feet. Time for a change.

II Recent History – The Muskoka River Water Management Plan

In 2002 the provincial government, in collaboration with the power generating industry, realizing that water management in the Muskoka Watershed was based on an agreement signed in 1940 and amended in 1969, recognized that it was clearly time for a change. A task force was established and charged with developing a new water management strategy, while taking into account the priorities of fisheries, wetlands, agriculture, navigation and boating, tourism, culture and heritage, etc., etc. Public consultation was encouraged and a Public Advisory Committee established, along with the recognition of a number of groups as Watershed Stakeholders, the KLCA being one of them. The whole process proved to be lengthy and at times somewhat difficult. Four years later, an agreement was signed between the MNR and the various power generation industries and a report of approximately 500 pages published. The Plan came into effect in the spring of 2006 and expires in 2016. The government in its wisdom, come 2016, decreed that the Plan would continue indefinitely without change, unless a lake association decided to for an amendment.

III How Can You Track Current Water Levels?

The MNR&F is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Kawagama Lake Dam. Since there are no upstream operational dams in the Kawagama watershed, control of the outflow is the only tool that the Ministry has in attempting to comply with the norms set out in the Kawagama Lake Operation Plan, formally known as the Rule Curve.

If a person wishes to establish whether the current water level is at, above, or below the Target level for that particular day, how do you do that? Note -- the BMP levels for the summer are not official but every effort is made to try and achieve these levels, weather permitting. A little effort is required to establish the current water level for any given day, as the MNR&F does not publish these data. This information can be found on the Canadian Government web site WATEROFFICE http://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca. The Station Number for the Kawagama Lake at Russell Landing page is 02EB017.

The first thing that you will notice is that the scale is completely different from the MNR&F scale which is in meters above sea level. The second is that the data covers only a few days and to get a better perspective it is necessary to Modify Settings and change the Date Parameters. Record the number for the day in question. Use the conversion factor 346.085 and add this to the WATEROFFICE number; e.g., for July 1st, the WATEROFFICE number is 9.5. 346.085+9.5= 355.585 or 355.6, which is the Target level for this date.

If you prefer to compare numbers, the key numbers for Kawagama Lake are as follows:

March 15: 354.6m

May 1st: 355.6m

July 1st: 355.6m

Sept 15th: 355.3m

Oct. 15: 354.8m