Calls from state, local advocates for 300-foot safe passage while water is high

LACONIA — The last time the water was this high on Lake Winnipesaukee in mid-July was ... well, if it was ever this high on this date, it occurred prior to 1982, when the state’s published records begin.

Lake Winnipesaukee is considered “full” when its surface is 504.32 feet above sea level, according to charts kept by the state’s Department of Environmental Services. Charts show the lake would normally be slightly below “full,” around 504 feet, by this time of year. Instead, the level, as recorded at the Lakeport Dam at midday on Monday, was 504.89 feet, 10.5 inches above normal for this time of year, and about 3 inches higher than the historic maximum level.

It’s worth noting that the current lake level, though apparently a record for this date, is still lower than the highest level in recent history. The “Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Level Data Graph,” published by DES, shows that a level of nearly 506 feet had been previously recorded.

And it’s rising. That chart shows a dramatic spike in the level, rising from 504.57 feet, measured at 2 a.m. on Sunday. This comes at a time of year when the lake is usually slowly but steadily dropping, as water evaporates in the summer sun or is drawn up by the roots of plants.

Ted Diers, assistant director of DES’s Water Division, said water is high all over the state. The Suncook River, for example, is flowing at 4,000 cubic feet per second, and its usual for this time of year is 314 cfs. “These are significant rain events,” he said about the weekend’s thunderstorms, which dropped as much as 4 inches of water in some parts of the state.

Any more rain will likely lead to more flooding and rising lakes and rivers, he said, because the ground doesn’t have the capacity to absorb additional water.

“The other issue is the ground is pretty much saturated statewide, so wherever these [storm] cells show up, they have the ability to create significant events, because there’s no place for the water to be stored.”

It’s not just a point of historical curiosity — water this high presents hazards to boaters, as well as environmental dangers.

“We are 8 inches higher than normal water level,” said Pat Tarpey, president of the Lake Winnipesaukee Association. When the water is this high, it presents concerns about pollution and sediment washing into the lake.

This can happen because the shoreline is now at a different place than it normally is, and waves are washing onto lawns and banks that are usually stable. This can lead to sediments, bacteria and nutrients, which would normally stay on land, being pulled into the lake.

Many of Winnipesaukee’s tributaries are visibly browner than normal, Tarpey said. “That’s a significant concern, there’s just going to be all kinds of pollutants coming in.”

Boaters should take caution, and if they aren’t concerned about their impact on the environment, they should slow down for their own wellbeing.

Capt. Brendan Davey with the Department of Safety said his agency is advising boaters to take it slow, as high water levels can bring unusual hazards.

“We are concerned about the hazards that boaters face, in that when water levels are high, an extra several inches higher, the water is going 10 or sometimes 10s of feet farther onto the coast,” Davey said. In addition to shoreline erosion, that can mean that tree limbs or blocks of wood, which had previously been high and dry, can be washed into the waterways. Increased outflows from dams can create powerful currents where there weren’t any discernible currents before. Lastly, the high water can hide rock outcroppings or other hazards that are normally visible, but now are hiding just below the water surface.

“We have been encouraging the boating public to be very careful, be scrupulous of throwing big wakes particularly in tight areas,” Davey said. The law remains the same, restricting boaters to headway speed within 150 feet of any other boat, shoreline or fixed object, but Davey said current conditions warrant a doubling of that distance.

That’s also a measure advocated by Tarpey. She is encouraging people to contact their local state representatives, and to reach out to the Department of Safety, to request action to improve safety and reduce damages to local ecosystems.

Tarpey said she’s asking “for everybody to be aware and do their part to not make the situation worse than it is. ... People should be aware and do headway speed within at least 300 feet of the shore.”