Summer 2021 Lake Level

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by bigdog

I launched my boat at Glendale docks in Gilford yesterday, and water level seems low for this time of year and all the rain we've received.
Maybe my imagination ?

We are over full lake. I noticed it last night when pulling into our dock, it was over the lower frame rails (which are basically set at full lake height).

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by codeman671

We are over full lake. I noticed it last night when pulling into our dock, it was over the lower frame rails (which are basically set at full lake height).

You must be on the high side of the lake.

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by codeman671

We are over full lake. I noticed it last night when pulling into our dock, it was over the lower frame rails (which are basically set at full lake height).

Could it have been the few cold ones during the drive. No judgment, we have all done it over the years


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[steve-on-mark]

Originally Posted by winnisquamz

could it have been the few cold ones during the drive. No judgment, we have all done it over the years


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same at my place...when the lake is even with the dock framing, it's full, and that's where it is!

[AC2717]

went through the channel twice this morning, lake level is above the full lake mark by about an inch or so

[TheTimeTraveler]

Very rare to see the Merrimack River flowing so high at this time of year.......

[C-Bass]

The lake will likely rise some more. With these storms today I have recorded 2.16” of rain so far, according to my tempest weather station. Which is a pretty awesome weather station by the way.

[jeffk]

They can easily open the Lakeport dam further. It's at a minimal 250 CFS right now. I think wide open is ~1900 CFS and that drops the lake level about an inch per day, excluding additional rain.

However, they do have to worry about potential flooding impact downstream.

I think it is quite educational that we have gone from moderate drought conditions to effectively no drought (NOAA maps) in just a few weeks. It's been a very wet July but that how weather can work.

[Geneva Point]

Originally Posted by C-Bass

The lake will likely rise some more. With these storms today I have recorded 2.16” of rain so far, according to my tempest weather station. Which is a pretty awesome weather station by the way.

I have an Ambient weather station which is great also. 1.47 inches of rain in Moultonborough today as of 7:00 PM. With more to come as T-storms are gathering now over the Ossipees. 8.81 inches total for the month of July so far.

[SAB1]

Summer 1998. First season for my boat. No wake speed limit until July

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

Could it have been the few cold ones during the drive. No judgment, we have all done it over the years


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No cold ones. Just facts. It’s 504.47, above full lake.

[mas1992bc]

Yikes. Lake at 504'7'' as of this morning. Probably still rising. Discharge at dam at 950 cfs. Has there ever been a lake-wide no wake order in late July, early August?

[Biggd]

Rained all of July and now we have fall weather coming into August.
I hope this means we have a hot and dry fall!

[Cobalt 25]

I remember a lake-wide no wake policy maybe 15 years ago or so. We were at the lake for a one week vay-cay and it kinda stunk.

But it was needed as the shoreline was being eroded badly.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Rained all of July and now we have fall weather coming into August.
I hope this means we have a hot and dry fall!

I like that idea!!

[chasedawg]

Originally Posted by mas1992bc

Yikes. Lake at 504'7'' as of this morning. Probably still rising. Discharge at dam at 950 cfs. Has there ever been a lake-wide no wake order in late July, early August?

Our stream off Copp Pond in Melvin Village is flowing faster than I have ever seen it. It is overflowing in areas that have never seen water before. During normal Summers there is hardly a trickle or sometimes bone dry. If this little stream is full and flowing at a high rate that flows into the lake can you imagine the amount of incoming flow of water from all the streams and Springs.

No doubt the lake will be going higher unless outflow is greatly increased. Problem is areas down stream have more water than can be managed. If there is more rain a NO Wake for the whole lake is a real possibility. Another 2" and the water will be over our dock.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by mas1992bc

Yikes. Lake at 504'7'' as of this morning. Probably still rising. Discharge at dam at 950 cfs. Has there ever been a lake-wide no wake order in late July, early August?

July 4th week 1998. No wake for the week. It spoiled a lot of people's vacations! We took a boat over to Sunapee on the trailer just so we could do some "normal" boating.

A lot of waterfront damage. People had their trash barrels full of water on their docks to hold them down. The week following there was a lot of scrap wood floating on the lake.

[Dad sold the C * C]

Winnisquam is about 6" above Normal high. Looks like it topped out last night, but they can only push through so much water to silver lake and the river

Not looking forward to weekend wave action.

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by Dad sold the C * C

Winnisquam is about 6" above Normal high. Looks like it topped out last night, but they can only push through so much water to silver lake and the river

Not looking forward to weekend wave action.

Agree. Wake action today will be interesting to watch. Do enjoy hearing the different sounds being made as high water hits the rocks


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[XCR-700]

The water level of the Merrimac all along Rt 93 is as high as I have seen it.

Clearly lots of water,,,

[ApS]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

Agree. Wake action today will be interesting to watch. Do enjoy hearing the different sounds being made as high water hits the rocks

The strongest winds yet—Friday on the lake didn't dampen the top of our dock. But a few days ago, before recent heavy rains, someone's Wake-Setter wake, from afar, soaked the dock (from underneath, as pictured below).

Note the lake's relaxed surface in the picture.

This is a decent test of the theory that "it is Nature's waves that are doing all the shoreline erosion".

When it's quite clear that powerboat wakes are doing the worst part of the damage.

[Lakegeezer]

There should be an automatic no-wake policy when the lake gets to a certain height. 505.0 would be a good number and we at 504.61 as of Aug 1, but erosion is already occurring. In the attached picture, the red lines show where the lakefront was 20 years ago and today. It also shows an eroding wave coming over the shore from a tsunami boat (ballast/wake boat). Much money is spent modeling the water quality impact of storm water runoff and septic systems but there is clearly an impact from wake as well. Open the dam!

[mofn]

At the dam right now, all gates are closed, only flow is through the hydro house.

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by mofn

At the dam right now, all gates are closed, only flow is through the hydro house.

The web site that automatically tracks the Lakeport Dam, as of 8am this morning, still shows it at 950 CFS. (It's possible they changed it right after 8am.)

I believe some of the outlet flow gates are not easily visible. The upper gates, I believe, are the flood gates, only open when they run the output up to the maximum of 1900 CFS. I will look at the web site again in a few hours.

As pointed out in previous posts, the Merrimack is VERY high as is Silver Lake. It is a balancing act, a bit of damage with Winnipesaukee being a a few inches high or significant damage at Silver Lake and along the Merrimack. The system is managed as a whole, for the State of NH AND downstream into Massachusetts.

[JEEPONLY]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

July 4th week 1998. No wake for the week. It spoiled a lot of people's vacations! We took a boat over to Sunapee on the trailer just so we could do some "normal" boating.

A lot of waterfront damage. People had their trash barrels full of water on their docks to hold them down. The week following there was a lot of scrap wood floating on the lake.

I was going to reply to the same post you did but wasn't really sure of the year (1997/1998?).
I was working at Goodhue & Hawkins- Wolfeboro. The water was over the top of the docks and swirling around the foot of the gas pump out at the front end of the dock.
Service people scrambled to move/remove boats from different areas of the marina as some of the sizes of the boats couldn't necessarily be accommodated by their usual dock locations.
Anyway- I took several pictures of the situation, but they were stored on a computer that no longer exists!!! Wish I still had them.
Unfortunately, I believe later, '98 was the same year as the tragic Donzi accident that took place during the maiden run of a 30 footer that had been prepped for a customer.

[SAB1]

Originally Posted by JEEPONLY

I was going to reply to the same post you did but wasn't really sure of the year (1997/1998?).
I was working at Goodhue & Hawkins- Wolfeboro. The water was over the top of the docks and swirling around the foot of the gas pump out at the front end of the dock.
Service people scrambled to move/remove boats from different areas of the marina as some of the sizes of the boats couldn't necessarily be accommodated by their usual dock locations.
Anyway- I took several pictures of the situation, but they were stored on a computer that no longer exists!!! Wish I still had them.
Unfortunately, I believe later, '98 was the same year as the tragic Donzi accident that took place during the maiden run of a 30 footer that had been prepped for a customer.

It was 98. I bought my bought in August 1997 at Goodhue Hawkins and the following spring was no wake on Wiinni until the 4th.