Lake Victoria almost back to normal levels

Lake Victoria is very close to being back at its normal level for this time of year, nearly a month after it was significantly drained.

Chris Tasker, manager of water and information management for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, provided an update at the authority’s Tuesday board meeting, saying the lake’s level is just 0.3 metres below the top edge of the dam.

“We’ve come a long way since we started filling it back up again,” Tasker said.

The struggle began on July 24, when a heavy rainstorm triggered an automatic release at the RT Orr Dam. A sluice gate at the dam opened to prevent upstream flooding after the north end of the watershed received 30 to 40 millimetres of rain, including 25 millimetres in just 30 minutes. Debris became trapped under the gate, leaving it op