Lake Level 2019
 

But somewhat news worthy One Hundred and Nine Years Ago.

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based on where my boat's rub rail now sits against the dock, i would estimate that the lake is a good 8-10" lower than it was in may when i put it in the water.

does anyone know if they're planning to drop the lake level this year? if so, i think i'll have to pull the boat out before they do it.

drawdown
 

There is some drawdown every year first to maintain flow downstream, and second to compensate for spring run-off and snow melt. Predicting rainfall, snow etc vs saturation in the watershed is difficult at best. When the watershed is saturated, 0.5" of rain can bring the lake up a couple of inches over a few days. The Dam Bureau used to start drawdown on Labor Day. They now do a better job of keeping levels up through Columbus Day IMO.

Level today
 

Just checked the DES website and the lake is at 503.25, which is 1 ft, almost 1 inch below full lake.

Dave

It seems it dropped a LOT in the past few days or week or so.

I would estimate another 6” - 8” to go...

Dan

I would point out that, per Bizer, the lake is almost perfectly lined up with the "average" water height for this time of year. The dam bureau has done a good job keeping things at "normal" through most of the year.

Winnipesaukee does NOT have a annual drawdown like some lakes, dropping over a foot in a couple weeks. The height is gradually modulated up and down through the year. The lake level has been slowly dropping since June and will probably continue until October and then maintained at that level through the winter. Heavy rains or drought periods can have a significant impact on those plans.

thanks dan. my outdrive appears to be about 8 or 10" from the bottom right now, if it gets much lower i'm going to have to pull it out of the water or i'll be sitting on bottom. hopefully i can leave it in for a couple more weeks to finish the salmon season!

From the Laconia Sun
 

Lake Winnipesaukee is not purposely drawn down in the fall. Instead, after 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. This year the reduction will begin on October 14.

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 the same 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.

Why are people freaking out.... The lake is at a great level for this time of year.... I see nothing abnormal about it.... its been lower, and it has been higher, but statistically it is right where it is supposed to be..... When they reduce the flow just after Columbus day, they have to be ready to absorb rain fall, and not have the pond full before they open the dam back up towards the end of October....

My point is, if you have depth issues at your dock right now.... you will every year..... start figuring out what you can do to correct the issue.... extend your dock if possible, put in a mooring, etc....

That is what the rest of us have done.....

i'm not freaking out by any means, i'm simply aware of the situation and approaching it with caution. for obvious reasons, i don't want my boat sitting on the bottom. i can't extend my dock, or dredge it out, or get a mooring. i don't own it, i rent it seasonally.