Sylvan Lake Level 2018

The Environment Canada real-time hydrometric sensor is online for 2018 and transmitting lake level measurements from the Sylvan Lake marina station 05CC003. This graph shows the change in lake level between May 1 and September 3, 2018. The historical median lake level on September 1 is about 936.78 metres above sea level. The lake level was …

Quiet Enjoyment Initiative Rejected by the Town of Sylvan Lake

The Sylvan Lake News reported on a decision of the Town of Sylvan Lake council on February 12 to decline a request for funding for the Quiet Enjoyment Initiative (QEI). The  QEI project of the SLWSS champions the rights of all Sylvan Lake shoreline populations to enjoy the watershed without disturbance by inconsiderate operators of …

News from the Alberta Recreational Lakes Forum 2017

Alberta Environment and Parks organized this year's forum at Lake Isle west of Edmonton. Several forum documents and presentations are filed in this online SLWSS folder. The SLWSS did not attend this year's forum as the need for input from community stewardship groups has declined. We did provide this report on our 2016 activities and projects: …

The Safe Boating Guide Applies to You

The open water season is near so preparation for boating will start soon. A helpful place to begin is with a checkup on the boating regulations that apply to pleasure craft as explained in the Safe Boating Guide. Anyone with a Pleasure Craft Operator's Card should already know the rules. Help Sylvan Lake by applying them. As Sylvan Lake …

So what’s happening to Sylvan Lake water quality these days?

Lake and tributary monitoring continued in 2014 with an expanded scope and detective work. Diagnostic water quality data from the open water season are still being analyzed by both the ALMS LakeWatch team and by our own tributary samplers and all should be available before the end of March 2015. While we wait, four decades …

Analysis of Sylvan Lake Level, and Control Options

Terry Chamulak, an Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development regional hydrologist, has completed a detailed study of how Sylvan Lake levels have changed between 1940 and 2012. He used a water balance model to reproduce the annual and longer term cyclical changes in the lake level and examined the performance of the lake outflow through Outlet Creek. …

Precipitation Record for the Sylvan Lake Region over 70 Years

Water that ends up in Sylvan Lake starts out as rain and snow precipitation that falls within the watershed boundary. There are no other sources of water input. Precipitation that falls directly onto the lake surface plus runoff and urban stormwater from the land, and groundwater that enters the lake underground all affect the lake …

Erosion of the Sylvan Lake Provincial Park Beach in 2012

Another June storm with strong northwest winds drove more waves into the southeast shore that is the main attraction for visitors. The following slide show records the state of the shore along the recreational waterfront. The sections that are still protected by engineered structures remain intact. Unprotected shoreline and the walking path are eroded and …

Erosion of Petro Beach at High Tide in 2012

Petro Beach on the Jarvis Bay shore has been badly eroded by high water in Sylvan Lake. These photos show the damage to the popular day-use site and the state of the protective bushes, trees and aquatic plants on June 6, 2012.

Erosion of the NW Sylvan Lake Shoreline

The following slideshow contains a survey of the Sylvan Lake shoreline on May 21, 2012. Photos were taken at public access points and illustrate the effect of the high lake level on the immediate riparian zone. Steeper banks are being undercut by wave action. Eventually, that causes shoreline trees and bushes to fall into the …