That was quite a stretch of wet weather eh? This afternoon as the sun started to break through I marveled at how long it has been since I’ve seen it, and how much rain we’ve gotten this month. April was a very dry month and May started out just as dry with no rain for the first 8 days. Since then we’ve received 5.5″ of rain which has so far brought the lake up 21.6″ with most of the rise occurring in the last 5 days. This afternoon the lake level sits at 34.9″ right at the bottom of the hole in the dam. As of this afternoon there was no water coming through the hole but as the lake continues to rise over the next few days that will change.

In any case, get out there and enjoy the (relatively) high water while it lasts. The lake hasn’t been this high since late June last summer and there’s no telling what to expect as the summer advances. The State boat launch is usable now and if you’re careful you won’t have any trouble getting your boat in the water. There’s 2.1′ of water over the foot of the ramp which is just a little shy of the design specification of 2.3′. Be mindful of the rocks- the water is only about 12″ deep 20′ off the end of the ramp.

I thought Kelley was going to open the gate this weekend in an attempt to keep the water level below the hole in the dam as he did last summer but he hasn’t touched it. Surprise, surprise. Last year he was ostensibly concerned about the impact of high water on the integrity of the dam and he did everything he could to keep the level -40″ or more below the top of the dam. Now maybe everything has changed; he has been referring to the dam as the “breached dam that formerly impounded Clary Lake” as if he’s given up on the useless, broken relic. Still, he’s trying to sell it and you’d think he’d want to keep it from deteriorating further especially considering he’ll probably still own it, and have to fix it, when the lake level order goes on.

Happy Memorial Day everyone.