Devils Lake Outlets Management Advisory Committee votes to run at maximum capacity
Apr. 21—DEVILS LAKE — The Devils Lake Outlets Management Advisory Committee (DLOMAC) voted Tuesday, April 16, to run the lake's east and west end outlets at maximum allowable capacity in the effort to lower water levels, according to a press release.
If forecasted temperatures are above freezing and all preparation work is complete, the North Dakota Department of Water Resources said it expects to begin running the outlets on May 1.
"With ongoing flooding challenges throughout the Devils Lake region, including thousands of acres of farmland still under water, it's good to know we have support for a potential outlet start-up date of May 1," said Jeff Frith, Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Board manager and Water Commission member. "The longer the pumping season, the better opportunity we have to continue making progress toward lowering the lake."
The DLOMAC had its annual meeting Tuesday in Devils Lake, where the Department of Water Resources, the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the National Weather Service presented updates to the DLOMAC, the release said.
The Devils Lake west end outlet was built in 2005, and the lake reaching a record elevation of 1,454.3 feet in 2011 resulted in the east end outlet being built in 2012. At maximum capacity, these outlets can discharge a combined 600 cubic feet per second — 250 from the west and 350 from the east. However, this can be impacted by water quality and downstream channel capacity, the release said. In 2023, the outlets maximum combined discharged peaked at 400 cubic feet per second, with a total of 88,064 acre-feet of water that year. This was the highest volume discharged by the outlets since 2018 and resulted in an about one-half foot drop in the lake level, the release said. That year, the west end outlet operated for 159 days and the east end operated for 98.
This year, as of April 18, the lake's elevation is 1,449.4 feet. It is expected to stay around that level through the year, the release said.
"The Devils Lake outlets continue to be a vital component of the state's comprehensive approach to reducing flood-related impacts in the Devils Lake basin," said Andrea Travnicek, Department of Water Resources director. "And while the state remains committed to removing as much flood water as possible this summer, we are also committed to monitoring water levels and water quality in consideration of the people who rely on the Sheyenne and Red Rivers downstream."
