A good review of many of the issues surrounding the water level of Lake Winnipesaukee.
The problem still is that the lake level is being managed REACTIVELY and once a high water level exists, it usually exists everywhere, and all the conditions that prevent the Winnipesaukee water level from being lowered are in play.
This is not too surprising since it is being managed by a government agency and government usually is reactive instead of proactive.
Water level targets are NOT being planned based on the possibility that rainfall may NOT occur as normal. If it doesn't show up, we can't manufacture water. We are at a dead end, as happened last year.
Drawdown is NOT being down in anticipation of significant rainfall events. We are in the current situation because we had a 3+" rainstorm event and have not been able to recover from that because we keep getting more rain. If we had dumped water a week before that storm, say 3" or so, when downstream was not already full, we would be only a few inches over full which is not as big a problem.
Predicting rainfall is tricky. Instead of 3"s falling, maybe only 1" could have come down. If the level had been dropped ahead of the storm, then the lake might now be slightly below full. That wouldn't have been a problem. Then, hang on to that water level unless rain actually happens, NOT lower the level according to a 40 year average that is, on a year to year basis, NOT average very often.
We need more PROACTIVE management to keep the lake from getting overfull and from going well below minimal levels.
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