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Red River Basin
Devils Lake Basin
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Droughts in the Devils Lake BasinLow Lake Levels and DroughtAlthough high lake levels are causing problems at the present time, low lake levels have been a problem in the past. The low water levels can result from variability in surface-water inflow, precipitation, lake-surface area, ground-water inflow, and evaporation. The Devils Lake fishery begain diminishing in 1888 and prompted a government study by the Bureau of Fisheries in 1907. Excessive evaporation that resulted in the "loss of vast spawning and feeding grounds" for fish was one of the causes attributed to the disappearance of fish. At that time, the lake level was falling. According to Pope (1908),
Because the recreational and fishery values of Devils Lake are closely associated with the water-level fluctuations, various plans were developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the late 1930's and early 1940's, to divert water from the Missouri River to stabilize the water level, but no lake stabilization plans were implemented. One notable instance of drought that caused low water levels was in the 1930's, during the Great Depression. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Devils Lake to address the drought conditions and mentioned possible plans to divert Missouri River water. The text of his speech is given below. To Top of PageDevils Lake Basin Home |