Ed Dweck, President of SLIPID, made
the following statement regarding the low water. It
helped my understanding.
To understand the normal lake water level, one should
know what is the normal Summer level that is attempted to
be maintained by raising or lowering the dam. There
is a dam used to produce hydro-electric power on Fish
Creek.
The normal Summer level is 203.1 to 203.3. (All
numbers mentioned are expressed in feet above sea level.)
After Columbus Day an attempt is started to lower the
lake level to 202.0. If that is accomplished, that
level is maintained, as best possible, until after the
"Head of the Fish" regatta. When the
regatta is completed an attempt is made to lower the lake
as low as possible for the Winter season. The
lowest possible level is 201.0. However, the lake
is rarely below 202. This is done for two reasons. One to
reduce Spring flooding and two for weed kill near the
shore line.
I use the word "attempt" as the weather is
actually the most important factor of lake level.
Saratoga Lake has a watershed of 244 square miles, in 13
towns and cities, comprising about one third of the land
mass of Saratoga County. I site this, as the most
important factor of lake level, as one inch of rain in
our watershed will raise the lake by three inches.
As you know, this year in late March and early April, we
experienced some extremely heavy rainfall. Remember our
normal Summer level of 203.3. By early April we had
surpassed 205, more than two feet above Summer level.
Many properties experienced flooding damage.
Following that period of heavy rainfall the skies shut
down. We are now in a prolonged period of extreme
dryness, with about six weeks of just traces of
precipitation. This has caused the lake level to
drop rapidly to where it is today (5/21/05) at 201.9.
On Monday 5/16 the dam was closed, (The dam is not
normally closed until June 1.) but still the level fell
five inches in the last five days. The watershed is dry.
There is simply more water leaving the lake by gravity
and evaporation, than is coming into the lake. Even with
the dam closed, the level will not rise without
significant rainfall.
In conclusion, please understand, it is rainfall in the
watershed that determines the lake level more than the
dam.
The Daily Gazette featured an article on the low level in
Saratoga Lake in its May 20th paper. They reported
that:
The lake was 2 feet below normal level.The dam is 40 feet
wide.Consolidated Hydro Inc has a license to operate the
dam on Fish Creek. The key date to have the lake
level at 203.1 to 203.3 feet is June 1.Dweck said he will
talk to Consolidated Hydro Inc. officials to see if they
could start placing board sections in the dam earlier
during dry springs like this spring.
Waterchestnuts:
Information on the web has been updated. To read
the details go to www.saratogalake.org
Dates: Saturday June 25 and Saturday July 30th
Mannings Cove North of the Sailing Club
Organizer: John Kimball
jkimball@albany.edu 439-1174
300 yds north of the Mouth of the Kayderosseras
Organizer: Rob Prior Rp0258@aol.com 587-4947
Point Breeze Marina
Organizer: Al McCauley almccauley@juno.com 495-1587
Fish Creek
Organizer: Alice Evans ahEvansRealtor@att.net 584-1820
Elsewhere:
Organizer: Jim Nelson 2nelson@nycap.rr.com 584-2389
Please double-click the e-mail address of the organizer
to confirm your plans to help pick chestnuts or use the
phone. Leave your name, phone number, and e-mail
address. Remember, we have two dates. Please
register so we can plan ahead.
See you at the meeting this Thursday and show up to the
social on Saturday, June 4th.
Thanks for helping. Thanks for representing our
interests Ed!
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