It hasn’t produced any serious trouble yet, but you can see it from here.

North Dakota’s lake and rivers are feeling the heat. Water levels are low and dropping. Sloughs are drying up. Algae outbreaks thrive in hot weather, especially without any fresh rainfall. Dissolved oxygen levels fall. Fish become stressed. So, too, does other aquatic life.

There’s no widespread serious problems reported yet, but conditions are deteriorating to the point where something is bound to happen – blue-green algae outbreaks, fish die-offs and the like.

For those who recreate on the water, fishermen included, there’s always the issue of access. Thus far the majority of boat ramps in the state remain in use, even if the walk from the top of the ramp to the bottom gets a little longer each trip to the lake.

Lake Sakakawea’s water level has fallen below expectations forecast after forecast this summer. June’s outlook turned out to be 2 1/2 feet lower than expected. July will finish a foot lower than anticipated. I expect more of the same in August, but the big runoff season has already passed.

While a Lake Sakakawea elevation of 1,835 feet, the reading this past week, may seem to be quite low to some, it’s really not a problem as far as access is concerned. Furthermore, many will remember that not so many years ago the state’s big water dipped below 1,810 feet. That was genuinely nasty with numerous boat ramps sitting high and dry. I’m hoping for good runoff into Sakakawea next year to produce a nice rise.

Northwest of Minot, at Lake Darling, the water level is reaching the precarious stage. Lake Darling was at 1,593.4 feet earlier this week. That’s 3 1/2 feet less than that reservoir’s summer operating level and, with no measurable water coming in, will continue to fall due to evaporation. Depending on the temperature and the wind, that can be two inches or more per day.

Another concern is the Souris River which has little to no flow at present. There are some reports of die-offs of clams in the Souris, which may be a sort of “canary in the coal mine” for the health of the river. Some relief can be expected in early August when a very minimal release of water from Lake Darling will enter the Souris.

The purpose of the release is to facilitate a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, the State Water Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine what has been happening with water released from Lake Darling during a season of drought. Water released earlier this summer was never fully realized at points downstream. Where it went remains puzzling. Perhaps it made its way back into the aquifer.

At Lake Audubon, south of Minot, water levels are fixed each year due to the Snake Creek Pumping Plant. Audubon is drawn down two feet each fall and raised two feet each spring. This fall might be a different story, but not because of drought. Preliminary plans being considered by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and USFWS call for dropping Lake Audubon three to four feet more than usual, likely about Labor Day.

The reason why is that some areas have been identified to be in need of repair near the release tunnels between Lake Audubon and Lake Sakakawea. Other such projects are being considered as well if the lowering of Audubon occurs. A spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation said the plans call for returning Lake Audubon to its normal winter operating level as soon as any repairs are completed.

North Dakota is not alone when it comes to declining water levels. In neighboring Minnesota, the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol Division issued a low water level advisory to boaters to avoid “new obstacles,” calling the main challenges boat ramps that may not extend all the way into the water and unmarked obstructions that are “popping up on area lakes.”

As boaters in North Dakota already know, it’s a different world on the water this year. Let’s hope it doesn’t get any worse.