Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakegeezer
It would be nice to see some more transparency from the dam operator. What is their strategy? What are the constraints? Why isn't the outflow at emergency levels to strive for average levels?
There were four floods since 2000 (defined as Winnipesaukee level over 505 feet above sea level). This was a big snow year. There is still a lot of water in the watersheds. To have the lake this high, which is the second highest in recent history for this date, is scary. The NH DES snowpack reports seem to be missing from the DES web site, so it is hard to compare against other flood years.
There is a lot of efforts going into improving lake water quality. A flood sets back the efforts by eroding the shoreline, adding sediment and nutriments to the lake. Mother nature is a factor here, but so is the person and policies in control of the dam. There should be some accountability at the state level to prevent the lake from flooding. As of this morning, the lake level was 503.84 (14" below flood stage) and the output was 1494 CFM. We've seen output levels at 2400 CFM, so there is room to act.
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Keep in mind that there may be downstream considerations at play here. For example, I know that the Merrimack has been a bit high. Not crazy-flood high, but is flowing pretty good right now. What is happening down river might impact how they control the dam.