I have archived the April 2025 water level chart (above, and at left). The drought conditions in January and February finally gave way to increased precipitation in March and that wet trend continued into April. We received 5.02 inches of precipitation more or less evenly spread out over the month, 1.20 inches more than average. This kept the lake level hovering between the top of the dam and the high water mark for pretty much the entire month. It did drop below the top of the dam briefly near the end of the month but 2 inches of rain on the 26th and 27th brought it right back up again. We ended the month with a lake level not too far from where is was at the start of the month. Our mandate from the DEP per our water level order is to fill the Lake to it’s “full capacity” after ice out, and we’ve done that. We’ll see where it goes from here!

Despite the high and relatively stable water level this spring, actual outflows for the year remain low compared to previous years with the exception of 2021 when we actually had trouble filling the lake up until mid summer. By contrast, this year, like most years, we hit the high water mark in March and we’ve been not too far from that level ever since. Generally (very generally) higher flows are better for water quality because of the flushing effect. However, high outflows often come with high inflows that can bring sediment polluted water into the lake, and that’s not good. Time will tell. Flows are just one element affecting water quality.

Spring is finally here I don’t know about the rest of you but April fairly flew by for me. We plan to start our water quality monitoring in a couple of weeks, and our Courtesy Boat Inspection program on Memorial Day Weekend. Summer, here we come!