Low Water Level Causes Concern Around Big Lake

[Woodsy]

Here is the link to the article on WMUR...

http://www.wmur.com/news/9022522/detail.html

There was also an article in yesterdays Laconia Sun. I wish that paper was online, but I guess there isn't much they can do considering its a free newspaper!

Woodsy

[Orion]

7 to 8 inches down ain't all that bad considering what we started with. I can't see that much impact, really, though I'm sure there are some areas that may have been marginal at full lake. It just seems like a late summer level and it IS coming up SLOWLY.

[Grant]

As we saw late last fall, all it takes is a couple of good rains to crank the level up. Then again, last fall was rather extreme -- 14-15 inches of rain is more than "a couple of good." Hard to believe how high it was then and how low it is now.

[Merrymeeting]

If you look at the 10-day forecast, this may not be a problem much longer...

[SIKSUKR]

Saw this on WMUR's website. http://www.wmur.com/news/9022522/detail.html

[Resident 2B]

Regarding the lake level, based upon the data available from several of the official and/or respected web sites, we are about 0.7 feet below average for this time of year. 0.7 feet is 8.4 inches.

Although this makes for a good news story, we are at mid-August average levels. The lake is still rising, although it is rising slowly. It normally rains a lot this time of the year and the folks that operate the dam have the outflow way down. I do not see a big issue today, but a long dry spell could cause a problem later in the season.

If you boat on Labor Day, you will have more water under you today than you have on Labor Day. For those needing bridge clearance, you have more this spring than usual.

Perhaps the Snow Dancers can do a Rain Dance soon. On second thought, the Snow Dance did not work so well, did it.

Enjoy the lake!

[Orion]

Originally Posted by Resident 2B

Perhaps the Snow Dancers can do a Rain Dance soon. On second thought, the Snow Dance did not work so well, did it.

The snow dancing was disastrous! I had two Cats on the trailer all gased up, preflighted, registered, insured, and never a chance to use them. I want to do some boating this year and the gods are apparently not pleased by the dancing.

The lake is fine...everybody go boating!

[MAXUM]

Good grief a whopping 7" off.... must be a slow news day.

Somebody has to find something to complain about I suppose.

Been out the past 4 weekends, didn't even notice the lake was down much other than when I past the witches last weekend I could see them sticking up out of the water a little more than usual.

[Airwaves]

Okay, I certainly don't claim to be knowledgeable in these things, however I was at the our place last weekend and based on my knowledge of the water level, and stains on the wood, we are down some for this time of year.

I also boat downstream of Winni. The folks at the Pawtucket Dam in Lowell are planning to drop the water level again within two weeks (about 4 feet) to make more repairs.

So, If the water is below normal at the lake, the snow has melted and the run off is pretty much over, and Lowell is dropping levels even further that will impact water levels upstream for miles, how is this good news?

[Orion]

The water levels anywhere below Lakeport Dam have no effect on the level at Winni. So Lowell can do whatever they want with no impact on the big lake. The folks downstream will have issues.

[jrc]

I don't think anyone is saying that the low levels are a good thing. Ok, maybe the people behind low bridges. But what can anyone do about the water level? The Lakeport dam is already at its minimum output. We just have to wait for rain.

You don't have to look at stains on the wood to see the lake is down just check the levels at www.bizer.com

BTW Last year when they dropped the Lowell dam, I waded from the Nashua boat launch. I was well past the middle of the river before the bottom of my shorts were wet. There is only a narrow channel of deep water, its on the Hudson side there but it does meander.

Orion, the Lowell dam effects the water level upstream, in theory all the way up to the Manchester dam. You're right, it can't effect Winnipesaukee.

[Alton Bay Bob]

Our house is very deep in our cove. According to water levels at my dock and Bizer's web site.... it appears that the water level is about typical for mid July. If the water level drops very much.. there will be no water under my dock in a few weeks. Luckily I am an optimist.... and believe there will be rain...
In case there isn't... can anyone tell me what the laws are regarding possible dredging... I really need about one foot of clearance to enjoy boating for the whole season.....

[Cobalt]

The water level, at this stage, should be a concern to anyone who boats or depends upon the lake for income. The lake level was drawn down to the average winter level, as clearly displayed on the Bizer site, but apparently without any regard to snow pack or precipitaion. Face it, those who control the lake level dropped the ball this year unless we have a rainy spring. Since you cannot add water to the lake, stick your head out the window and check conditions before depending upon historical charts.

[TomC]

..from behind an anonymous computer screen -a little harder to be the guy with his butt in the hotseat and his hand on the dam lever. unless your name is Nostradamus, its a little hard to predict the future - all the operator has to rely on is historical norms. it is clear from the chart that the goal was to get back to the average level for the appropriate time of year and this seemed to happen around early march. Then the flow was reduced and has been a "trickle" for 5 weeks since then. Was it reasonable to expect no snow or rain in all that time?

i have no affiliation with the dam control system personnel or know anyone even remotely in that capacity. But i think its a little disengenuous to throw the guy(s) who have that job under the bus because he didn't "stick his head out the window and check conditions"

[Woodsy]

The Dam operators have a really tough job... too much water and people complain, too little and people complain. I am not to worried about it as Ice Out was so early. There is plenty of time to get the water up between now & Memorial Day, and for the most part there is plenty of water for navigation.

Woodsy

[ITD]

Relax people it's not even May yet. If at the end of June we're 7 inches low then maybe worry a little but there is still a lot of spring and early summer left. For the record, I think the dam operators have done a great job, Mother Nature just needs to cooperate a little and based on the law of averages I think she will. Maybe not on our time table, I just hope it's not in July and August.

[ApS]

Living on two lakes allows some insight into this problem: By comparison, Winnipesaukee doesn't have a problem.

At my Florida lake, one neighboring community of ten homes has a single dock in the middle of it. Everybody contributed equal shares 20 years ago to build a new one with room for ten boats -- one for each home.

Over the years -- and with pontoon boats becoming more popular -- the six most recent arrivals put in boathouses having an average length of 30-feet each. Where there was once room for ten boats, there is now room for only six boats! (Plus, everybody's lake view was blocked by the boathouses).

A two-year drought then hit Florida -- Florida lake levels dropped -- and four of the six pontoon boats had no water below them in which to launch!

Dredging, which had severely downgraded the lake water quality before I got there -- was out of the question. The lake had receeded so far that there was a 130-foot beach in front of everybody's houses: Most homeowners had to mow their lawns down to the end of their docks! Meanwhile, I was still sailing my 20-foot catamaran off of "my" 130-foot sandy beach.

Affected boat owners petitioned the County to raise the level of our lake by installing a dam -- which the State paid for. That stabilized the "launching problem" for the newbies, and allowed other boat launches at boat ramps -- whose bottom edges had eroded so badly that a laden trailer could not be pulled out over the concrete edge.

When I left last month, the lake was receeding and affecting the pontoon boats once again: Two could not launch into sufficient water. Lakefront realty agents were saying that, "a hurricane would restore the lake levels again". What a thing to wish for!

This spring's similar Winnipesaukee scenario can affect all the larger, deep-draft, boats. Every time I hear "get a bigger boat", I think of my "dredged", "petitioned", and "dammed" Florida lake.

Against Mother Nature, resistance is futile.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Alton Bay Bob

Our house is very deep in our cove. According to water levels at my dock and Bizer's web site.... it appears that the water level is about typical for mid July. If the water level drops very much.. there will be no water under my dock in a few weeks. Luckily I am an optimist.... and believe there will be rain...
In case there isn't... can anyone tell me what the laws are regarding possible dredging... I really need about one foot of clearance to enjoy boating for the whole season.....

I think you'd have much better luck trying to get a permit to extend your dock. Don't think DES will be to impressed with a request to dredge. Then again if you have enough $$ and know the right people anything I suppose is possible.

[SAMIAM]

I'll bet the marina owners are licking their chops........just thinking about all of the lower units and props that they'll be selling this year.

[WINNOCTURN]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

I think you'd have much better luck trying to get a permit to extend your dock. Don't think DES will be to impressed with a request to dredge. Then again if you have enough $$ and know the right people anything I suppose is possible.

You need to HIRE $$$$ a Lobiest. That what the "Far Echo Harbor Club" (Moultonboro) did. What for years was a questionable dock layout went to a 120' extention and all new docks. I think there was an article last fall in the Meredith News.

[John A. Birdsall]

If your concerned that the lake is too low their is a cure. take your garden hose, attach it to your house spicket and turn it on full, aim at lake. If enough people do this we should have a full lake. Another ave is if everyone gets their boat into the water, and they go swiming the pressure of the water will rise.

Well I better find some work to do.

[jrc]

Out-of-towners can help too. According to Bizer it take 1.24 billion gallons to change the lake one inch. So we need about 10 billion gallons. If we can just get a billion people to drive up with two five gallon buckets we would be all set. As an added bonus, a billion people going through the toll both would really help with all those state budget issues.

[ITD]

How about all the big boats, are they in the water yet? Get them in, should be good for an inch based on bathtub research.

[Cobalt]

If you spent time at the Lake this winter or in the higher elevations, it was very apparent that this was not a typical winter in terms of snow fall and precipitation. Most of the snowmobile trails around the lake were not open this year, and trails in higher elevations closed early due to lack of snow compared to good riding late into March and early April 05. Therefore, if you believe that the melting snowpack is an important component that adds water to the lake, it seems reasonable that any draw down in lake level must consider this variable. Our dryer than normal precipitaton pattern began much longer than 5 weeks ago, and the lake continued to be aggressively lowered. I believe that you cannot soley rely on averages controlling the lake level in an abnormal year.

[Grant]

Although they are not very reliable, the latest long-range weather forecasts predict a LOT of rain for the region starting later next week and continuing through the following week. Even if this turns out to be partially true, it would negate the need for the Billion Buddy Bucket Brigade and the Hose Solution.

And, of course the theories put forth from the aforementioned bathtub tests will be verified once the first bass tournaments begin and all those boats splash.

And this doesn't even account for the rise in Lake level that will accompany my considerable girth's entry.

Surf's up!

[wildwoodfam]

Originally Posted by Grant

Although they are not very reliable, the latest long-range weather forecasts predict a LOT of rain for the region starting later next week and continuing through the following week.

Not sure which long range charts you are referencing...the ones I rely on - Accu-weather, Weather Bug, even Todd Gross' new website don't call for much rain beyond the "possibility of an inch "maybe" on Tuesday - and that will be coastal. The long range through mid May calls for 3 rain days, and one of these days is "showers." I don't mean to throw a wet blanket on the discussion.

As for the Lowell Dam being opened - BRING IT ON - means I can meander a bit further upstream maybe even to Lawrence all the way from Haverhill! Heading downstream is always a peice of cake - it is tidal. HEY - maybe thats what Winnipesaukee needs - some tidal influence....

[Cal]

Mother Nature , historicly , seems to equal herself out sooner or later. Case in point , last falls excess of rain that was let go down stream in order to maintain winter level. Now it's too dry. Relax , before you know it you will be up to your gills in water again.
It will probably wait till prime tourist season and rain like last fall

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by Orion

The water levels anywhere below Lakeport Dam have no effect on the level at Winni.

Well I can speak to the levels upstream and I'll confess to being a bit concerned.

We opened up at Merrymeeting this past weekend. It's great to be back, water on, docks in, etc. But by my estimate, Merrymeeting is anywhere from 18" to 2' below normal. Picture here once posting is approved

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...45&limit=last7

The good news for those on Winnipesaukee is that the Merrymeeting River looks full and at normal levels. On Merrymeeting we can't just close off the dam as one of the state fish hatcheries is located at the end of the lake and start of the river. No matter what the level, there is a minimal flow that needs to continue through the hatchery to keep the fish viable.

I hope the April/May rains come soon. I'm not sure what they will do if Merrymeeting gets much lower...

[bigdog]

Can someone tell me what the water level clearance under the Wolfeboro bridge entrance thta leas to Back Bay.

I have a house rental in mid July and concerned to get my 20ft bowrider under the bridge.

Thanks,
Bigdog

[Woodsy]

BigDog...

Check out this link... it should answer your question.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=3152

Woodsy

[Grant]

A good article from today's Citizen regarding Lake level concerns.

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...039/-1/CITIZEN

Glad to see it's still raining today. Two days of rain ought to help with the level.