Rideau Canal Waterway - Water Management


		Rule Curves

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Rule Curves for the Rideau Lakes
Newboro Lake Rule Curve

Water levels on the Rideau Waterway are controlled by a series of dams and weirs. Guidelines, known as the "rule curves", set the water levels for each section of the Rideau, depending on the time of year.

During navigation season (mid-May to mid-October), waters of the Rideau are kept above chart datum. In fall, water is drawn down to winter levels and in spring, depending on the level of the snowpack, the levels may be drawn down further to provide reservoir capacity for the spring freshet in order to prevent flooding.

On this page you'll find detailed information about the rules curves for the Rideau Lakes including brief summaries, detailed listing and charts:

View detailed web page listing and charts (use tabs at bottom of page for navigation)
Download an Excel spreadsheet that contains the same detailed listings and charts as the above web pages link (hint: to download directly to your computer, click on this link with your right mouse button and choose the "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" option.)
Water Level Article by Kerry McGonegal, Parks Canada

Rule Curve Summaries
Lake	High (m)	Datum (m)	Low (m)
Big Rideau (incl. Lower Rideau)	123.95	123.10	122.60
Upper Rideau	124.65	124.00	123.58
Newboro (incl. Indian, Clear, Mosquito, Benson & Loon)	122.12	122.00	121.28
Opinicon	118.80	118.70	117.91
Sand	116.10	116.00	115.65
Cranberry (incl. Whitefish, Little Cranberry & Dog)	98.70	97.70	97.80
Colonel By (incl. River Styx)	88.78	88.60	88.10

Datum in the above listing is "chart datum" which is the minimum controlled water depth, as indicated on navigation charts #1512 and #1513. Under normal conditions, water levels are maintained at or above chart datum during the navigation season.

Levels are "metres above geodetic datum" (above sea level).

To find out the current level of your lake, check the water level marker at the nearest lockstation (there are markers located on both the upper and lower lock walls). You can also contact the Rideau Canal Office of Parks Canada for current water level information.

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