Rainy River water levels hit record high

The Rainy River appears to be cresting today after a couple of dry days but it comes after reaching its highest level ever recorded in the 85 years since records started being kept.

As communities in the area continue to deal with high water, the Lake of the Woods Control Board is keeping an eye as the high flows move through the watershed, said spokesperson Matt DeWolfe.

• Kenora flooding fears wash over from Rainy River

He noted the Lake of the Woods is continuing to rise quickly.

At this point the board has opened the dams in Kenora, which are the outlet for Lake of the Woods, he said.

They're fully opened and passing as much flow as we possibly can. So, at this point, there's no more action that can be taken. All the dams through the entire system are fully open because there's just too much water to deal with."

June has been the wettest month of the year, he added, and it's become hard to predict what could happen next particularly when one considers theres half a month yet to go.

Kenora residents can learn more tonight about the record water when the board holds its annual public meeting Tuesday night.

The board will also be reminding people to take safety measures, DeWolfe said.

"People with docks, boathouses and whatnot [should be] taking precautions against having their docks ripped up or washed away. [That could mean] protecting boats, [and] pulling boats out of the water if necessary to get them to higher ground.

The open house meeting takes place at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Lakeside Inn, in Kenora.