Water Level Update?

[anticd70]

Anyone have a water level update...are we still in bad shape?

[KPW]

http://des.nh.gov/organization/divis.../graph2017.jpg

[fatlazyless]

Looking at the dock support bumper, it looks like it has come up about 5" in the last two weeks ....... yee-haw and double yee-haw!!!

[CaptT820]

Full Pool is El. 504.32.
We are currently at 5El. 02.75 as of yesterday. So this puts us down by 1.57 feet or about 19 inches from full summer pool level.
The lake level is normally drawn down to El. 502.32 for the winter time according to historical data, so we are actually in the positive for this time of year.

[greeleyhill]

If we had to choose the lesser of two evils, is it better to have flooded lake levels or drought conditions? Each has their downside but what is the better of the two?

[KPW]

Originally Posted by greeleyhill

If we had to choose the lesser of two evils, is it better to have flooded lake levels or drought conditions? Each has their downside but what is the better of the two?

Neither one is better.

[upthesaukee]

Flooded Lake conditions allow you to get out on the lake, although you may have to travel at headway speed. Drought conditions, which I assume you are referring to low Lake levels, brings problems such as hazards not normally a problem to navigation or the inability to utilize your dock. I have no problem traveling at no wake speed, and do it often. High water conditions for me any day.

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[joey2665]

Originally Posted by CaptT820

Full Pool is El. 504.32.
We are currently at 5El. 02.75 as of yesterday. So this puts us down by 1.57 feet or about 19 inches from full summer pool level.
The lake level is normally drawn down to El. 502.32 for the winter time according to historical data, so we are actually in the positive for this time of year.

Are you sure you current level is correct? The only reason I am questioning is because the Weirs Channel was iced over and many said they have not seen this in years and "Bizer" in another thread said it is more than likely the low level and slowing the flow at the Lakeport Dam due to the low level that allowed the channel to ice.

[winni83]

502.81 as of 4 AM this morning; DES Webiste:

01/11/2017 04:00 502.81 0.05 40.3 34.7

[joey2665]

Excellent News Thank you. Hopefully we will return to normal levels for the season.


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[TiltonBB]

Keeping the lake at a near constant level prevents a lot of boat and propeller damage. People get used to going places and when there is a lot less depth they run into underwater objects that they didn't know were there. Last season there was a lot more damage than usual and H&H Propeller was backed up with work.

When there is high water a lot of soil and fertilizer gets washed into the lake which is never a good thing. Also, parts of docks that float come loose and become a hazard to navigation. When we had the high water before (1998?) some people put trash barrels full of water on their docks to hold them down.

[Merrymeeting]

While not many would want to see a continuation of the drought conditions and low levels of late summer, it won't be good if the level rises much before ice-out. While the middle of the lake is still open, most coves and shorelines are locked in. A tremendous amount of damage to shoreline structures can occur when the ice lifts from rising water levels.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by greeleyhill

If we had to choose the lesser of two evils, is it better to have flooded lake levels or drought conditions? Each has their downside but what is the better of the two?

I would think flooded would be better. It can always be drained down. Plus drought conditions can cause a whole slew of other problems. Stagnant and diseased water and dry water wells are just a couple of issues.

[phoenix]

flooding is not good if you happen to have property that is impacted by flooding like we did in May of 2006

[Descant]

I'm not sure what we mean here with the word "flooding". An inch up or down is about 1 billion gallons, right, maybe 1.5b, I'll do the math later. That's a lot of water to go over or not go over the dam. Remember, this isn't just where the rocks are here, but Winnii is the source and the flood control for miles or downstream rivers.

I'd like to see "full" as a goal for August first instead of what appears to be the goal for the first week of June. That would leave a little more in the lake for the usual August evaporation and reserves to keep everything navigable through Columbus Day.

Anyway, I'm good for an inch or two above full and not calling it flooding, maybe just "overfull". Six inches above full certainly can be problematic and more than that, with wind/waves can really cause significant damage.

I was at a DES Dam Bureau presentation last week, and they showed a scenario where they were looking at a possible 4 foot rise in water level on Ossipee Lake during Hurricane Katrina (2005). The rain from Katrina didn't hit that line of travel and it didn't happen, but it seems possible.

[DickR]

Originally Posted by Descant

.... An inch up or down is about 1 billion gallons, right, maybe 1.5b, I'll do the math later.

5280*5280*72/12*7.4805 = 1.25 billion gallons, a good compromise between 1 and 1.5b. But that 72 sq miles could be a bit off, but what's a few gallons among friends?

[Descant]

Thanks for the extra effort. And, as the water goes up or down, there is more or less surface area.

[CAVU]

Looks like according to Bizer we are now .12" above normal on lake level

http://www.bizer.com/

[rsmlp]

Originally Posted by CAVU

Looks like according to Bizer we are now .12" above normal on lake level

http://www.bizer.com/

Nice comeback, huh? Now all we need is ICE!

[tummyman]

Went by Mills Falls in Meredith last night......very strong flow coming down the falls into the lake for Waukewan. Will certainly help !!

[Descant]

Refilling the lake in the spring is dependent not only on precipitation/snow pack, but on the soil saturation. Right now, frozen ground doesn't absorb much rain and the lake fills up. Come spring the soil can absorb a lot of the snow pack before it starts filling the lake. Don't put away your rain dance shoes yet.

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by greeleyhill

If we had to choose the lesser of two evils, is it better to have flooded lake levels or drought conditions? Each has their downside but what is the better of the two?

I would say it depends on how much extra or shortage of water and at what time of year. For example, a moderate amount extra in the fall when lake level has started down anyway is no problem. It would bring it up to summer levels but could be bleed off over a month or so. The same amount in the late spring when the lake is already full would be a completely different story. There would be no extra capacity to store it and no time to drain it as normal spring rains keep filling the lake.

Independent of time of year, I would judge too little water a bigger problem because you can't make up for the loss until the weather cooperates. You have no control. With too much water you can drain it off, up to a point.

However, extreme drought (like this fall), in and of itself, while annoying probably doesn't harm the lake (?). Boaters bottom out more but smart boaters avoid shallow spots. Very high water does cause erosion problems, floods docks and shore areas, and can force speed limits on boaters.

It's not a simple equation.

[Wiezy]

Does anyone know why the lake level website hasn't been updated in 5 days? The last update was 1/26/17, so I was wondering if anyone knew why this was:

http://www.des.nh.gov/organization/d.../graph2017.jpg

http://www.des.nh.gov/organization/d.../chart2017.pdf

Anyway, just thought I'd check to see if anyone knew!

[CaptT820]

The water level at the Lakeport Dam was 503.09 as of 4 am this morning January 31st, 2017.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by joey2665

Are you sure you current level is correct? The only reason I am questioning is because the Weirs Channel was iced over and many said they have not seen this in years and "Bizer" in another thread said it is more than likely the low level and slowing the flow at the Lakeport Dam due to the low level that allowed the channel to ice.

Bizer is correct the flow has been really reduced trying not to let the lake fall to low.... not that the level is coming back up, they are opening the dam...

It is the flow of water in this area that keeps the water from Freezing... it is the choke point, and the flow out of the dam really effects the speed of the current in that area.

[upthesaukee]

Looking at the charts, one item we, as a group, may not look at closely is the estimated inflow to the lake. When I last looked at it, the inflow was greater than the outflow, which means that the lake level should be rising.
Last summer the stream behind our house became totally dry, enabling me to stand in the stream bed to cut up a fallen tree for firewood. The estimated inflow at that time was below the outflow, which coupled with evaporation, means the lake level was dropping.
I would guess that our intrepid keepers of the dam system are walking a very thin line of recovering the proper lake level vs filling too much. Fingers crossed for their normal good job.

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[Taz]

If I am reading the Bizer Lake Level properly, the level is higher than normal for this time of year by .14. Outflow has increased also.

[upthesaukee]

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