Yes, it will be weeks. Elsewhere on the site, someone provided the rough calculation that even at full discharge, the best that can be expected is that it receeds by 1"/day. So, rough numbers, about 6"/week.
So it would take ~3 weeks to lower it by 1.5 feet to get it back to normal. This assumes no more rain. Unlikely.
Merrymeeting Lake has the same issues, and the outflow at the dam is maximized....flowing into Winnipesaukee. Similarly, the springs and streams that feed Merrymeeting are flowing at all time highs.
The good news is that things seem to have stabilized and we are starting to see a minor but encouraging drop. If we can keep major rain away for awhile and allow the ground to dry out, we should be back to normal in about 3 weeks.
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