Levels of Opechee, Winnisquam will be lowered Monday, on schedule

Lakes Opechee and Winnisquam will both be drawn down this year, according to the state Department of Environmental Services schedule.

The annual fall drawdown lowers the water level on dam-controlled ponds and lakes statewide.

Opechee and Winnisquam are not drawn down every year, but follow a biennial schedule, which lands on even numbered years.

Opechee will be lowered to 2 feet below full on Monday, Oct. 12. It will take two days for the water to pass downstream through Winnisquam, which will likely not drop noticeably to 2 feet below full until Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Following that release, the Lakeport Dam holding will increase to refill Opechee. Water levels on Winnisquam will then begin to rise late on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Lake Kanasatka, in Moultonborough, which flows into Lake Winnipesaukee, will be drawn down 1.5 feet below full on Monday, Nov. 2.

Every fall, lake drawdowns occur in an attempt to reduce damage to shoreline properties from winter ice, as well as to reduce spring flooding. Annual drawdowns also give property owners a chance to carry out repairs to their waterfront property. To do so, property owners must first obtain a permit from the New Hampshire DES Wetlands Bureau.

A few bodies of water will be drawn down later to allow for recreational use.

Horace Lake will conduct a release for recreational activity downstream from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17. During this time, 300 to 400 cubic feet per second will be released. Little Suncook River will undergo a recreational release, to allow for downstream use, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. Release will also occur from Greggs Falls Dam in Goffstown, at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 31, giving the community an opportunity to enjoy canoeing and kayaking downstream in the Piscataquog River.

“Every year, there’s a couple that we try to — when we have enough water to allow it — we try to do a yearly release of water just one day a year," said Dan Mattaini, NH DES chief operations and maintenance engineer. "They’re going to be drawn down anyway for the winter drawdown. So, it seems like a good opportunity to give a chance to get some recreational use for that water as it’s released.”

A full drawdown to the base of the Alton Power Dam started Sept. 2, and was conducted for about two weeks. Directly following, the dam was refilled to a water level 2.5 feet below current level by leaving the stoplogs out of the dam.

Winnipesaukee is not included in the drawdown schedule. The releases from Lakeport Dam, beginning on Monday, will then be reduced from the minimum of 250 cubic feet per second, to between 30 and 50 cubic feet per second. That speed is the minimum needed to sustain aquatic wildlife downstream. This will last for up to two weeks, allowing for maintenance on facilities and dams on the Winnipesaukee River.

Lake Winnipesaukee is, at an average, 15 inches below its spring level by midway through fall. Due to drought conditions over the summer, the lake was already at this level, according to a Sept. 28 press release from NH DES. When the flow of water through the Lakeport Dam is slowed down, Winnipesaukee is not expected to drop drastically through the rest of the month of October. Levels will remain stable through December, unless there are any significant rain events. In January, levels may be lowered 2 feet below normal level, dependent on snowfall throughout the winter.

Mattaini said levels on Winnipesaukee are “not nearly as bad as last year,” due to the prolonged drought in 2025. NH DES staff will continue to monitor dams and water surface levels across the region, and adjust levels on Winnipesaukee accordingly.