Tuesday, July 23, 2013

New Melones Lake Level update from Glory Hole Sports

There is still plenty of water!
There have been lots of comments from customers lately about how low the lake level is.  "They are draining the lake!"  "When are they going to have to close the lake because there are no usable boat ramps?"    Stuff like that.  So I want to take a minute to address lake levels.

The current lake level is 967 feet above sea level.  The last time it was this low was 2010- three years ago.  

It was lowest in 1992, when it was 720 ft above sea level.  It was highest in 1998, when it reached 1085 ft above sea level (almost flood capacity).  In 2011, it was almost as full, reaching 1081 ft above sea level. 

We will lose the last ramp at  Tuttletown if the lake level drops another 107
feet.  We will lose the last ramp at Glory Hole if the lake level drops another 207 feet.  It will continue to drop until around November, maybe 1-3 feet per week.  in 10-12 weeks, it may drop another 36-40 feet at worst case.  Then water contracts slow and it starts to rain and snow.  So we aren't going to lose access to our beautiful lake  without another winter or two of severe drought.  

While it looks great when the lake is full, it is a reservoir, built for water usage, so lake levels will fluctuate.   But rest assured- just because we got used to seeing it full after heavy rains in 2010-2011, and now we are seeing the "bathtub ring" that high water levels caused,  there is still plenty of water there for you to enjoy!  It is still hundreds of feet deep.  

Hope that clears things up!

Melanie