Posted on November 17, 2021
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, continues to lower water elevations within its six Mississippi River Headwaters reservoirs in anticipation of winter conditions.
Gull Lake, near Brainerd, Minnesota, is at 1,193.76 feet. The outflow is at 195 cubic feet per second, or cfs. The lake level is about 3 inches below the summer target range.
Cross Lake, near Crosslake, Minnesota, is at 1,228.64 feet, and outflow is at 570 cfs. The target drawdown elevation is approximately 1,228.3 at the end of November.
Big Sandy Lake, near McGregor, Minnesota, is at 1,215.85 feet, and outflow is at 135 cfs. The lake level is about 6 inches below the summer target range. Normal lake drawdown is 2 feet, typically completed by the end of February.
Pokegama Lake, near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, is at 1,272.70 feet, and outflow is at 705 cfs. The drawdown target elevation is 1,270.42 feet before the spring melt.
Lake Winnibigoshish, near Deer River, Minnesota, is at 1,297.15 feet, and outflow is at the minimum of 100 cfs. The lake level is about 1 foot below the summer target range. No additional drawdown is anticipated.
Leech Lake, located near Federal Dam, Minnesota, is at 1,293.9 feet, and outflow is at the minimum of 125 cfs. The lake level is about 10 inches below the summer target range. No additional drawdown is anticipated.
Severe drought conditions remain in the upper reaches of the headwaters.
Each site will obtain local snow data. Basin-wide snow surveys will be obtained in late February to early March. The final drawdown level will be evaluated from the data collected during the snow surveys.
