Winnie Draw down

[topwater]

This was in the citizen this morning.

Lake Winnipesaukee is not included in the schedule of lake drawdowns. While it is not purposely drawn down in the fall like the other lakes in the state, each year on Columbus Day, the releases from Lakeport Dam are reduced from a normal minimum of 250 cubic feet per second to a flow between 30 and 50 cfs. for 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 because of 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.

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...WS02/709229898