Lake Level

Mike_VT · 07-02-2013, 06:30 PM

Heading to the lake next week, what should I expect for lake levels? Have they been releasing water? Thanks. Mike

jeffk · 07-02-2013, 07:36 PM

With all the rain the lake I now almost 4 inches over full lake. The dam was recently opened to 800 CFS and now to about 1400 CFS. The effectiveness, of course, depends on how much more rain we get tomorrow but we then are supposed to get a week stretch of little rain. That's good because everything is pretty saturated. Even so, it's going to take at least a week to get rid of the excess water.

upthesaukee · 07-02-2013, 08:48 PM

here is what they said about the flow:

The level of Lake Winnipesaukee is at 504.60. The discharge at Lakeport Dam is 1260 cfs.
Flow will be increased today to 1500 cfs.

Here is the Lake Level as of 6 PM on the 2nd:

07/02/2013 18:00	504.63	0.00	63.2
07/02/2013 17:00	504.64	0.00	63.3
07/02/2013 16:00	504.64	0.00	63.1
07/02/2013 15:00	504.64	0.01	62.8
07/02/2013 14:00	504.64	0.01	62.0
07/02/2013 13:00	504.63	0.01	61.9

Yup that is right at 4 inches of full lake.

Here is a song for today...sung to the tune of Mr. Sandman:

Mr. Dam man, give me a break, get the level down on this here ol' lake.
With all the rain and also the thunder, I have a bridge I have to get under.
Mr. Dam man...hear this dire plea, there are dock tops I want to see, so
Mr. Dam man, give us a break.

chipj29 · 07-03-2013, 08:17 AM

Downstream, the Merrimack is running VERY high for this time of year. I suspect they can only release so much water at the dam before this becomes a problem.

LIforrelaxin · 07-03-2013, 08:21 AM

I called the Data phone this morning, and the lake continues to rise... It sounds as though even DES is getting quite frustrated at this point.....

chipj29 · 07-03-2013, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

I called the Data phone this morning, and the lake continues to rise... It sounds as though even DES is getting quite frustrated at this point.....

I am not surprised, there has been a LOT of rain in parts of the state in just the last couple of weeks. I would imagine that is difficult to manage.

Frdxplorer · 07-03-2013, 09:53 AM

At what point do they generally impose wake restrictions?

HellRaZoR004 · 07-03-2013, 10:29 AM

Sorry if this is a dumb question but is 3.7" above full lake significant enough to worry about wake restrictions? At what level is a concern (other than not being able to get under rt. 11)?

VitaBene · 07-03-2013, 10:54 AM

Driving through Meredith and seeing the lake level this AM, I am surprised they have not put in wake restrictions

HellRaZoR004 · 07-03-2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VitaBene

Driving through Meredith and seeing the lake level this AM, I am surprised they have not put in wake restrictions

Have any pictures of what you're referring to?

Woodsy · 07-03-2013, 11:32 AM

They are loathe to put in No Wake restrictions.... I think the last time they did that the lake was almost 10" over Full Lake....

Woodsy

jeffk · 07-03-2013, 11:59 AM

They have just increased the dam flow to 1700CFS. http://www2.des.state.nh.us/RTi_Home...E=Lakeport+Dam

I agree with Woodsy. It's unlikely they will impose a no wake ban unless the water goes up another 4 inches or more.

We are projected to have only isolated thunderstorms for the next week so the lake level should start coming down soon, about an inch a day if no significant rain adds to it. There is still a lot of run off from the soaking we have been getting so that's why I'm guessing it will take a week. It's far from an exact science to predict how the watershed for the lake will dump or retain water.

Lakegeezer · 07-03-2013, 12:35 PM

The lake got ahead of them this year. THIS LINK shows that the lake is above the statistical standard deviation, yet there was a recent period where the flow was low, even as the level spiked. Now, they are trying to catch up by setting the flow to ludicrous speed. Kayaking the Winnipesaukee river this weekend should be a hoot.

It is frustrating to see the levels so high, when so much tax money is poured into keeping the water quality from getting worse. The highest level since 1998, combined with holiday level boat wake, erodes a lot a of silt into the lake. When you see sandy bottoms turn into muck, you can blame the dam policy for some of the impact.

The no-wake rule really doesn't get serious consideration until the lake approaches 505.5 feet above sea level, another 10+ inches above where we are now. 505.0 would be a better trigger. The lake will age a decade this weekend if the weather is nice.

SIKSUKR · 07-03-2013, 01:38 PM

The sky is falling again.

tummyman · 07-03-2013, 09:18 PM

I have checked the levels per the NH website....level yesterday was at 504.47 Note.....full lake level is 504.32. Unless I am wrong, the lake is not 4 inches over full...it is just barely over the full mark by .15 inches. I certainly will stand to be corrected if my info is wrong.

upthesaukee · 07-03-2013, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tummyman

I have checked the levels per the NH website....level yesterday was at 504.47 Note.....full lake level is 504.32. Unless I am wrong, the lake is not 4 inches over full...it is just barely over the full mark by .15 inches. I certainly will stand to be corrected if my info is wrong.

Full lake is 504.32 and the level is at 504.64. That is .32 feet above full lake. every 0.083 ft equals one inch. That puts it at 3.8 or 3.9 inches over full lake, depending on how much rounding off you want to do.

And that is close enough to keep my boat in Parker Marine til we get below 504.58 or so.

jeffk · 07-04-2013, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tummyman

I have checked the levels per the NH website....level yesterday was at 504.47 Note.....full lake level is 504.32. Unless I am wrong, the lake is not 4 inches over full...it is just barely over the full mark by .15 inches. I certainly will stand to be corrected if my info is wrong.

Not sure what web site you are looking at but here is the one I reference and I believe is up to date.

http://www2.des.state.nh.us/rti_data/wein3_TABLE.HTML

jeffk · 07-04-2013, 09:41 AM

Lakeport dam output lowered from 1700CFS when I checked it yesterday back to 1400CFS. As others have pointed out, there may be restrictions downstream.

tummyman · 07-04-2013, 07:19 PM

Site I was referring to is by NH DES.... http://des.nh.gov/organization/divis.../chart2013.pdf

Obviously there are differences in two sets of NH data...typical. Safe to say it is between 2 and 4 inches over full pond. Should help floating rocks.

kjbathe · 07-08-2013, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tummyman

Obviously there are differences in two sets of NH data...typical.

One report is hourly, the other daily. Look at the morning readings if you want to compare the two.

Mike_VT · 07-10-2013, 07:47 PM

Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate the local insight. Mike

jeffk · 07-16-2013, 07:32 PM

We are now slightly below full lake.

07-02-2013, 06:30 PM	#1
Mike_VT Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Lake Level Heading to the lake next week, what should I expect for lake levels? Have they been releasing water? Thanks. Mike

07-03-2013, 08:17 AM	#4
chipj29 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bow Posts: 1,874 Thanks: 521 Thanked 308 Times in 162 Posts	Downstream, the Merrimack is running VERY high for this time of year. I suspect they can only release so much water at the dam before this becomes a problem. __________________ Getting ready for winter!

07-03-2013, 08:21 AM	#5
LIforrelaxin Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas, Lake Ray Hubbard and NH, Long Island Winnipesaukee Posts: 2,870 Thanks: 1,037 Thanked 892 Times in 524 Posts	I called the Data phone this morning, and the lake continues to rise... It sounds as though even DES is getting quite frustrated at this point..... __________________ Life is about how much time you can spend relaxing... I do it on an island that isn't really an island.....

07-03-2013, 11:32 AM	#11
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,965 Thanks: 80 Thanked 979 Times in 440 Posts	They are loathe to put in No Wake restrictions.... I think the last time they did that the lake was almost 10" over Full Lake.... Woodsy __________________ The only way to eliminate ignorant behavior is through education. You can't fix stupid.

07-03-2013, 12:35 PM	#13
Lakegeezer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 1,677 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 354 Thanked 639 Times in 290 Posts	gambling The lake got ahead of them this year. THIS LINK shows that the lake is above the statistical standard deviation, yet there was a recent period where the flow was low, even as the level spiked. Now, they are trying to catch up by setting the flow to ludicrous speed. Kayaking the Winnipesaukee river this weekend should be a hoot. It is frustrating to see the levels so high, when so much tax money is poured into keeping the water quality from getting worse. The highest level since 1998, combined with holiday level boat wake, erodes a lot a of silt into the lake. When you see sandy bottoms turn into muck, you can blame the dam policy for some of the impact. The no-wake rule really doesn't get serious consideration until the lake approaches 505.5 feet above sea level, another 10+ inches above where we are now. 505.0 would be a better trigger. The lake will age a decade this weekend if the weather is nice. __________________ -lg

07-02-2013, 07:36 PM	#2
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 205 Thanked 432 Times in 249 Posts	With all the rain the lake I now almost 4 inches over full lake. The dam was recently opened to 800 CFS and now to about 1400 CFS. The effectiveness, of course, depends on how much more rain we get tomorrow but we then are supposed to get a week stretch of little rain. That's good because everything is pretty saturated. Even so, it's going to take at least a week to get rid of the excess water.

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to upthesaukee For This Useful Post:
ITD (07-02-2013), Lakegeezer (07-03-2013), Rattlesnake Gal (07-05-2013), Resident 2B (07-02-2013), SharkBaitDiving (07-09-2013), SunsetPointWentworth (07-08-2013)

07-03-2013, 09:53 AM	#7
Frdxplorer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: York, PA Posts: 234 Thanks: 2 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	At what point do they generally impose wake restrictions?

07-03-2013, 10:29 AM	#8
HellRaZoR004 Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Litchfield/Gilford Posts: 828 Thanks: 233 Thanked 224 Times in 131 Posts	Sorry if this is a dumb question but is 3.7" above full lake significant enough to worry about wake restrictions? At what level is a concern (other than not being able to get under rt. 11)?

07-03-2013, 10:54 AM	#9
VitaBene Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 3,575 Thanks: 1,609 Thanked 1,632 Times in 839 Posts	Driving through Meredith and seeing the lake level this AM, I am surprised they have not put in wake restrictions

07-03-2013, 11:59 AM	#12
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 205 Thanked 432 Times in 249 Posts	They have just increased the dam flow to 1700CFS. http://www2.des.state.nh.us/RTi_Home...E=Lakeport+Dam I agree with Woodsy. It's unlikely they will impose a no wake ban unless the water goes up another 4 inches or more. We are projected to have only isolated thunderstorms for the next week so the lake level should start coming down soon, about an inch a day if no significant rain adds to it. There is still a lot of run off from the soaking we have been getting so that's why I'm guessing it will take a week. It's far from an exact science to predict how the watershed for the lake will dump or retain water.

07-03-2013, 01:38 PM	#14
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	The sky is falling again. __________________ SIKSUKR

The Following User Says Thank You to SIKSUKR For This Useful Post:
LIforrelaxin (07-03-2013)

07-03-2013, 09:18 PM	#15
tummyman Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 832 Thanks: 256 Thanked 672 Times in 243 Posts	I have checked the levels per the NH website....level yesterday was at 504.47 Note.....full lake level is 504.32. Unless I am wrong, the lake is not 4 inches over full...it is just barely over the full mark by .15 inches. I certainly will stand to be corrected if my info is wrong.

07-04-2013, 09:41 AM	#18
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 205 Thanked 432 Times in 249 Posts	Lakeport dam output lowered from 1700CFS when I checked it yesterday back to 1400CFS. As others have pointed out, there may be restrictions downstream.

07-04-2013, 07:19 PM	#19
tummyman Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 832 Thanks: 256 Thanked 672 Times in 243 Posts	Site I was referring to is by NH DES.... http://des.nh.gov/organization/divis.../chart2013.pdf Obviously there are differences in two sets of NH data...typical. Safe to say it is between 2 and 4 inches over full pond. Should help floating rocks.

07-10-2013, 07:47 PM	#21
Mike_VT Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate the local insight. Mike

07-16-2013, 07:32 PM	#22
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 205 Thanked 432 Times in 249 Posts	Just in case anyone is wondering We are now slightly below full lake.