Milton Three Ponds set for drawdown Oct. 12

Milton Three Ponds, above, as well as Lovell Lake in Wakefield will see levels reduced on Oct. 12. (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Milton Three Ponds will be drawn down three feet on Oct. 12 as part of the annual statewide ritual, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) has announced.

Listed below is the full schedule for drawdowns in local bodies of water.

■ Ayers Lake, Tributary to Isinglass River, Barrington, Oct. 19, 3 feet.

■ Bow Lake, Isinglass River, Strafford, Oct. 12, 4 feet.

■ Great East Lake, Salmon Falls River, Wakefield, Oct. 1, 3 feet.

■ Great Pond, Powwow River, Kingston, Oct. 12, 1 foot.

■ Horn Pond, Salmon Falls River, Wakefield, Oct. 1, 1.5 feet.

■ Lake Kanasatka, Tributary to Lake Winnipesaukee, Moultonboro, Nov. 1, 1.5 feet.

■ Jones Dam 1, Merrymeeting River, New Durham, Oct. 1, 2 feet.

■ Kingswood Lake, Churchill Brook, Brookfield, Oct. 12, 4 feet.

■ Lovell Lake, Branch River, Wakefield, Oct. 12, 3 feet.

■ Mendums Pond 3, Little River, Nottingham Sept. 9, 20 feet.

■ Milton Three Ponds 2, Salmon Falls River, Milton, Oct. 12, 3 feet.

■ Nippo Pond, Nippo Brook, Barrington, Oct. 12, 2 feet.

■ North River Pond, North River, Nottingham, Oct. 12, 1 foot.

■ Pawtuckaway Lake, Pawtuckaway River, Nottingham, Oct. 12, 5.5 feet.

■ Pine River Pond, Pine River, Wakefield, Oct. 12, 8 feet.

■ Pleasant Lake, Tributary to Little Suncook River, Deerfield, Oct. 12, 2.5 feet.

■ Sunset Lake, Suncook River, Alton, Oct. 12, 7 feet.

■ Trickling Falls, Powwow River, East Kingston, Nov. 1. 1 foot.

Jones Dam -- this will be drawn for a two week period to allow for repairs to reduce seepage from the dam.

These larger lakes generally do not reach their full drawdowns until mid or late March. The values listed above are generally the maximum levels reached, although during any given year the levels reached can be either higher or lower due to weather conditions.

Mendums Pond -- will be drawn down this year to allow for needed dam repairs.

Lake drawdowns are conducted each fall to reduce winter ice damage to shoreline properties and to reduce spring flooding. Drawdowns also give property owners an opportunity to conduct any necessary repairs to their waterfront property, provided they first secure a permit from the NHDES Wetlands Bureau at 603-271-2147.

Not included in this schedule is Lake Winnipesaukee. Unlike the other lakes in this schedule, Lake Winnipesaukee is not purposely drawn down in the fall. Instead, each year on Columbus Day, the releases from Lakeport Dam are reduced from a normal minimum of 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) to a flow between 30 and 50 cfs for a period of up to two weeks to allow for maintenance of the dams and hydropower facilities on the Winnipesaukee River. The flow of 30 to 50 cfs is the minimum flow needed to maintain the downstream aquatic life during this period. For a short period this year the rate will be increased to fill Opechee as soon as the work is done removing the contaminated soil by the shore.

By the middle of the fall, Lake Winnipesaukee is, on average, 15 inches below its springtime full level due to evaporation and releases from the lake that have occurred over the course of the summer. As a result of the reduction in the amount of water released from the dam after Columbus Day, the lake level does not drop for the remainder of the month of October and is generally maintained at this level through the month of December. Depending on the amount of snow on the ground in the winter, the lake level may be lowered further beginning in January to a depth of two feet below the normal full level.

A plot of the average lake levels throughout the year for Lake Winnipesaukee is provided on DES's website at http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dam/winni_levels/index.htm. Also included are updated plots of this year's lake levels, releases from the dam, and precipitation.

The NH Fish and Game Department recommends that if special drawdowns are to be conducted for the purposes of repairing property such as retaining walls or private boat ramps they occur only once in every 5 years. In the event a party may wish to conduct such a drawdown, please contact the DES Dam Bureau immediately after receiving all permits required for such work, so that the drawdown can be coordinated with any other work at the same water body being proposed by other parties. In this way the number of special drawdowns can be minimized, and unexpected delays (up to 5 years) for your project can be avoided.