Lake Level

[bostonjd]

Forgive my ignorance, but is the lake purposely lowered (for hydroelectric utility usage or something) or is it some natural phenomenon like evaporation that causes it to drop so much over the summer??

Another question, if it has been running above average will it tend to stay above average into the freeze or does something happen that pretty much always takes the lake to the same level going into the freeze? How much lower should I expect the lake to go?

I ask this for docking purposes.
Thank you!

[brk-lnt]

Somebody will probably come along with better data than I, but there is a dam in Lakeport that controls outflow of the lake.

The lake level is usually maintained within a narrow(ish) band, you can see current and historic data here:
http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dam/winni_levels/

The goal (more or less) is to keep it right around "full lake" the majority of the time. Variables include total rainfall in the area during the summer, snow runoff in spring, and that the dam is adjusted to maintain a minimum amount of waterflow downstream (not sure if there is a maximum).

So, ultimately the level is under human control, for the most part, and the level will try to be maintained as shown on the historic data. You can't extrapolate much from a current level to what it is likely to be at a future point.

[Slickcraft]

bostonjd, there have been many prior discussions such as:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16035&highlight=lake+level
and
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13909&highlight=lake+level

Do a search and you will find a lot more. IMHO they do a good job of maintaining the level given all the constraints and the uncertainty of mother nature.

Welcome to the forum.

[webmaster]

Another thread on this topic:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15837

[CL 240 LS]

From an older DES link:


http://des.nh.gov/media/pr/2011/20110916-lakes-drawdown.htm

Lake drawdowns are conducted each fall to reduce winter ice damage to shoreline properties and to reduce spring flooding. Drawdowns also give property owners an opportunity to conduct any necessary repairs to their waterfront property, provided they first secure a permit from the DES Wetlands Bureau at (603) 271-2147.

Generally, lake levels are allowed to return to the normal full pond level in the spring. However, Angle Pond is allowed to return to normal at the beginning of December, and Chesham Pond is lowered by 4 feet starting after Columbus Day for a period of 6 to 8 weeks and the level is brought up to 2 feet below the normal full pond level for the remainder of winter.

Not included in this schedule is Lake Winnipesaukee. Unlike the other lakes in this schedule, Lake Winnipesaukee is not purposely drawn down in the fall. Instead, each year on Columbus Day, the releases from Lakeport Dam are reduced from a normal minimum of 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) to a flow between 30 and 50 cfs for a period of up to two weeks to allow for maintenance of the dams and hydropower facilities on the Winnipesaukee River. The flow of 30 to 50 cfs is the minimum flow needed to maintain the downstream aquatic life during this period.

By the middle of the fall, Lake Winnipesaukee is, on average, 15 inches below its springtime full level due to evaporation and releases from the lake that have occurred over the course of the summer. As a result of the reduction in the amount of water released from the dam after Columbus Day, the lake level does not drop for the remainder of the month of October and is generally maintained at this level through the month of December. Depending on the amount of snow on the ground in the winter, the lake level may be lowered further beginning in January to a depth of two feet below the normal full level.

[Tackleman]

I had the exact same question. I just purchased my place in March. I see they are going to lower it by 502 but what is that. A foot, two feet? I

[Slickcraft]

I had the exact same question. I just purchased my place in March. I see they are going to lower it by 502 but what is that. A foot, two feet? I

It looks like the current level is about 1/2 foot above typical autumn level. Note from the chart that there is quite a bit of year to year variation.
http://www.bizer.com/bztnews.htm#lakelevel

[upthesaukee]

I had the exact same question. I just purchased my place in March. I see they are going to lower it by 502 but what is that. A foot, two feet? I

Full lake, measured at the Weirs is 504.00 ft above sea level (the lakes altitude if you will.).

Lake levels are measured in feet and decimal fractions of a foot. For each .083 feet change, this equates to 1 inch in change. So if the lake is at 504.48 ft, it is about 6 inches higher than full lake, meaning some low bridges may be difficult to get under.

If the lake was at 502.60, then the lake is 1 full foot plus another .40 ft, or about 5 inches, below full lake. The lake would then be a foot and a half low, and we have to be careful of shallow areas.

With a dock close to shore, the water is relatively deep close to shore and not rocks are present around the dock area, probably not a big deal. If the water is shallow at the dock, and the boat has a couple of feet of draft, you may want to make sure that we move the boat a little further back on the dock so as not to have the lake level drop enough to ground the boat. (had that happen to me at a rented dock in Smith's )

Hope this helps.

On 9/18 in the afternoon, lake level was 503.62, or .38 ft below full lake, approximately 3 1/2 inches. Here is a link to the DES website for the lake level: http://www2.des.state.nh.us/rti_data/wein3_TABLE.HTML

[tmm366]

Recently constructed a new house on Paugus bay. Building code required the basement floor to be at least 508 feet or 4 ft above full lake. After construction the floor level was certified at 508ft 1/2 inch. Pretty close but ok.

[bostonjd]

I appreciate all of the responses. I DID start by searching the forums for "Lake Level" but that didn't pull up the correct threads. Sorry if I'm going over old ground!

I've been renting on Winni for years and finally bought on Sewall Road in Wolfeboro and it is has been amazing spending so much time there. I closed the first week in August and put 48 hours on my boat through labor day!

When I had trouble docking in Meredith a guy who was pulling away pulled back into the docks and spent 30 minutes teaching me the best strategies for docking. I'm not kidding, 30 minutes. Everyone has been so friendly...

[phoenix]

water level is still higher than some other years when there was actually bare sand against my wall. Today it is around 4 inches