Our Ponds Are Still in Excellent Shape
As of this writing, it’s been another roller coaster of a week with the daily scattered thunderstorms. I guess we shouldn’t complain, but it would be much preferred if they were only at night! In reality, we actually fared fairly well with the meager 0.9″ of precipitation we did get over the past ten days. I know! There’s no way we only got 0.9″ with what seemed like gully washers every other day but that’s what our two rain gauges “say!” The forecast is for just 0.47″ for the next ten days so, if they are right, we are in for some more sunshine and hopefully less humidity.
The good news is that our ponds remain in excellent shape despite the afternoon challenges. In addition to the gully washers, our computerized data loggers at the Village and Wings Mill Dams have both been down for a few days due most likely to the lightning storms. But they are back up and running.
As of this writing, the Village dam is exactly 3″ above full pond, with both gates completely closed. Long Pond, at the Wings Mill Dam, is 3.18″ above full with both gates also completely shut down. Upper Long Pond, nine miles north of the Wings Mill Dam is right at 2″ above full so Long Pond, looks great as well. Snow Pond is 1.44″ below the top of their spillway, which is well within the summer range considering our electricity requirements with all of this heat and humidity. Salmon and McGrath remain in great shape at 3″ above full pond with the 1 cfs calibrated valve still opened 15 turns. Good going, Cam & Co.!
I met a long time resident from lower Long Pond early this week who told me, “You must be getting a lot of complaints about the water levels, don’t you?” With a quizzical look, I responded, “Not really. Our seasoned veterans on the Dams Committee give it their all, despite what Mother Nature hands them and still maintain acceptable water levels, 24/7!” Which is the truth! They are the best in the field!
If you have a particular questions regarding our Dams and/or water levels, please email your inquiry to dickgreenan@outlook.com and we will try to answer your question either in this column or via email.
Enjoy the family and your vacation. You have permission to put the umbrellas and rain gear back in the closet!
Dick Greenan is chairman of the Belgrade Lakes Watershed Dams Committee. He submitted this report on July 19, 2024.
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