Dam Control

Slickcraft · 05-27-2013, 07:17 PM

As Rusty has noted, it is a difficult balance. A look at the multi year chart shows that mother nature is pretty unpredictable.
http://www.bizer.com/bztnews.htm#lakelevel

IMHO they do a very good job given the constraints. My suggestion is to look at the history, be prepared for the ups and downs and enjoy the lake.

thebix · 05-27-2013, 07:55 PM

Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia is owned and run by AEP for hydro power purposes. (It was used as Lake Winnipesaukee to film the movie 'What About Bob')
See http://www.smithmtn.com/about/SmithMountainLake.aspx
It's level is managed over a 2 foot difference, depending on power needs, while its downstream partner Leesville varies over 13 feet!
On a hot Saturday in the summer (like 95-100 most of July, it is Virginia) the level drops by a noticeable several inches, only to be refilled overnight.
Some seasons, when the area suffered droughts but AEP was required to maintain a specific flow downstream, the lake has varied during the year by 5- 8 feet!

upthesaukee · 05-27-2013, 11:25 PM

10 PM level today is 504.58. With full lake being 504.32, we are .26 ft over full, which is right at 3 inches. 0.083 ft equals 1 in.

A little tight at Parker's under rte 11, but we may try it tomorrow afternoon.

BroadHopper · 05-28-2013, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebix

Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia is owned and run by AEP for hydro power purposes. (It was used as Lake Winnipesaukee to film the movie 'What About Bob')
See http://www.smithmtn.com/about/SmithMountainLake.aspx
It's level is managed over a 2 foot difference, depending on power needs, while its downstream partner Leesville varies over 13 feet!
On a hot Saturday in the summer (like 95-100 most of July, it is Virginia) the level drops by a noticeable several inches, only to be refilled overnight.
Some seasons, when the area suffered droughts but AEP was required to maintain a specific flow downstream, the lake has varied during the year by 5- 8 feet!

Lake Norman in NC varies by as much as 6 feet because of hydro power. Be thankful we don't depend on Winnipesaukee hydro!

05-27-2013, 07:55 PM	#2
thebix Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: South Down since 2009. Posts: 101 Thanks: 2 Thanked 34 Times in 25 Posts	Be glad the lake is not primarily for Hydro power. Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia is owned and run by AEP for hydro power purposes. (It was used as Lake Winnipesaukee to film the movie 'What About Bob') See http://www.smithmtn.com/about/SmithMountainLake.aspx It's level is managed over a 2 foot difference, depending on power needs, while its downstream partner Leesville varies over 13 feet! On a hot Saturday in the summer (like 95-100 most of July, it is Virginia) the level drops by a noticeable several inches, only to be refilled overnight. Some seasons, when the area suffered droughts but AEP was required to maintain a specific flow downstream, the lake has varied during the year by 5- 8 feet!

05-27-2013, 11:25 PM	#3
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,604 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,469 Thanked 1,983 Times in 1,083 Posts	Currently about 3" over full 10 PM level today is 504.58. With full lake being 504.32, we are .26 ft over full, which is right at 3 inches. 0.083 ft equals 1 in. A little tight at Parker's under rte 11, but we may try it tomorrow afternoon. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

05-27-2013, 07:17 PM	#1
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and The Taylor Community Posts: 3,318 Thanks: 1,233 Thanked 2,103 Times in 960 Posts	As Rusty has noted, it is a difficult balance. A look at the multi year chart shows that mother nature is pretty unpredictable. http://www.bizer.com/bztnews.htm#lakelevel IMHO they do a very good job given the constraints. My suggestion is to look at the history, be prepared for the ups and downs and enjoy the lake.

The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to Slickcraft For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (05-28-2013), DRH (05-28-2013), Merrymeeting (05-27-2013), PaugusBayFireFighter (05-28-2013), Peck (05-27-2013), Reilly (05-28-2013), Resident 2B (06-02-2013), Rusty (05-27-2013)