Popular fishing lake near Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., unexpectedly drains

A large lake near Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., which has long been a popular fishing spot, has unexpectedly drained, according to people who frequently use the area.   

Angus Lake is a 20-minute drive away from the community and has been a popular area for local fishers and hunters. Residents say it's now mostly a large crater with a couple of small ponds.

The lake started to drain into the nearby Sachs River last week, according to people who have been in the area. Some shared photos on social media, showing the lake on June 29 and again a week later when it appeared to be largely emptied.

Ryan Lucas is a local hunter who has regularly traveled in the area since he was a kid. He said the spot was popular for fishing in the spring and had a well-used trail for ATVs that followed the south side of the lake, which is now inaccessible.

"They have cabins and a frame tent there. My brother has a frame tent where we used to go late spring, fishing and stuff," Lucas said. 

"Now that the lake is gone there is no more fish."

Lucas said he watched the drainage channel from the lake get wider as the days went on.

"I guess it got too flooded out from the fresh water and snow, it overflowed on the south side of the lake. A little creek started running and it started washing away all the sand and clay away from the river side," said Lucas.

He said the community has noticed erosion around the region but he didn't expect to see such a dramatic change on the landscape.

"I started noticing it a few years back but only on the coastal side — we started to notice more erosion and mudslides," said Lucas.

Antoni Lewkowicz is a permafrost expert who worked in Sachs Harbour in the 1970s and is now a professor at the University of Ottawa. He says the change at Angus Lake was most likely due to underground ice melting on the south side of the lake.

"What's a bit unusual in this case is Angus Lake is not on the coast, it's inland on the Sachs River, and drainage has happened from the lake into the river itself," said Lewkowicz.

He doesn't expect the lake to refill, which he says is unfortunate for local residents who have used Angus Lake for fishing.

"That lake is not likely to come back," he said. "It is just possible that some of that outlet might close up, but I suspect that the lake drainage is permanent."