The 2020 Fall Drawdown of Lakes
Every year the state will draw down the level of many lakes in New Hampshire. This is done to allow for spring runoff and prevent ice damming in the winter. This protects the dams that hold back the lake levels. It is also a great time to clean up the lake shore by your property.
| LAKE | RIVER | TOWN | START DATE | DEPTH (in feet) FROM FULL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akers Pond | Greenough Brook | Errol | Oct. 12 | 1' |
| Angle Pond | Bartlett Brook | Sandown | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| Ayers Lake | Tributary to Isinglass River | Barrington | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Ballard Pond | Taylor Brook | Derry | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| Barnstead Parade | Suncook River | Barnstead | Oct. 12 | 1.5' |
| Bow Lake | Isinglass River | Strafford | Oct. 12 | 4' |
| Burns Lake | Tributary to Johns River | Whitefield | Oct. 12 | 1.3' |
| Chesham Pond | Minnewawa Brook | Harrisville | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| Crystal Lake | Crystal Lake Brook | Enfield | Oct. 12 | 4' |
| Crystal Lake | Suncook River | Gilmanton | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Deering Reservoir | Piscataquog River | Deering | Oct. 12 | 4' |
| East Washington Pond | Beards Brook | Washington | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| Glen Lake/Greggs Falls | Piscataquog River | Goffstown | Oct. 31 | 1.5' |
| Goose Pond | Goose Pond Brook | Canaan | Oct. 12 | 7.5' |
| Grafton Pond1 | Bicknell Brook | Grafton | Oct. 1 | 8' |
| Great East Lake | Salmon Falls River | Wakefield | Oct. 1 | 3' |
| Great Pond | Powwow River | Kingston | Oct. 12 | 1' |
| Highland Lake | North Branch Contoocook River | Stoddard | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Horace Lake (aka Weare Reservoir)2 | Piscataquog River | Weare | Oct. 30 | 5' |
| Horn Pond | Salmon Falls River | Wakefield | Oct. 5 | 1.5' |
| Howe Reservoir3 | Tributary to Minnewawa Brook | Dublin | Sept. 8 | 6' |
| Island Pond | North Branch Contoocook River | Stoddard | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Lake Kanasatka | Tributary to Lake Winnipesaukee | Moultonboro | Nov. 5 | 1.5' |
| Kezar Lake | Lane River | Sutton | Oct. 1 | 2' |
| Kingswood Lake | Churchill Brook | Brookfield | Oct. 12 | 4' |
| Little Sunapee Lake | Kidder Brook | New London | Oct. 12 | 1' |
| Lovell Lake | Branch River | Wakefield | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Mascoma Lake4 | Mascoma River | Lebanon | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Mendums Pond | Little River | Nottingham | Nov. 9 | 7' |
| Milton Three Ponds4 | Salmon Falls River | Milton | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Newfound Lake | Newfound River | Bristol | Sept. 1 | 2.0' |
| Nay Pond | Dead River | Milan | Oct. 1 | 7.5 inches |
| Nippo Pond | Nippo Brook | Barrington | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| North River Pond | North River | Nottingham | Oct. 12 | 1' |
| Northwood Lake | Little Suncook River | Epsom | Oct. 24 | 6' |
| Opechee | Winnipesaukee RIver | Laconia | Oct. 17 | 5' |
| Ossipee Lake4 | Ossipee River | Effingham | Oct. 12 | 3.25' |
| Pawtuckaway Lake | Pawtuckaway River | Nottingham | Oct. 12 | 4.8' |
| Pequawket Lake | Tributary to Swift River | Conway | Nov. 2 | 2' |
| Pine River Pond | Pine River | Wakefield | Oct. 12 | 8' |
| Pleasant Lake | Tributary to Little Suncook River | Deerfield | Oct. 12 | 2.70' |
| Shellcamp Pond | Academy Brook | Gilmanton | Oct. 12 | 2.2' |
| Silver Lake | Minnewawa Brook | Harrisville | Oct. 12 | 3' |
| Squam Lake 4 | Squam River | Ashland | Oct. 14 | 2.5' |
| Sunapee Lake4 | Sugar River | Sunapee | Oct. 14 | 2.5' |
| Suncook Lakes | Suncook River | Barnstead | Oct. 5 | 5' |
| Sunset Lake | Suncook River | Alton | Oct. 12 | 7' |
| Trickling Falls | Powwow River | East Kingston | Nov. 2 | 1' |
| Union Meadows5 | Branch River | Wakefield | Oct. 5 | 4' |
| Webster Lake | Chance Brook | Franklin | Oct. 12 | 2' |
| Whittemore Lake | Tributary to Contoocook River | Bennington | Oct. 12 | 1.5' |
| Winnisquam Lake | Winnipesaukee River | Belmont | Oct. 17 | 2' |
- Grafton Pond will be drawn down 8 feet again this year for a two to three-week period for some minor maintenance of the dam. This drawdown will start on October 5 and the lake level will be raised to the normal two-foot drawdown level after work on the dam is complete.
- The drawdown of Horace Lake will begin on October 30 this year, which is approximately two weeks later than normal.
- The drawdown of Howe Reservoir will start in early September for maintenance work on the dam.
- These larger lakes generally do not reach their full drawdowns until mid or late March. The values listed above are generally the maximum levels reached, although during any given year the levels reached can be either higher or lower due to weather conditions.
- Union Meadows Dam will have a drawdown to facilitate some minor maintenance that needs to be done and to facilitate an inspection of the upstream side of the dam. As soon as work all work is complete, the lake level will be allowed to return to full pond.
The depth of drawdown listed above is not from the current level, but is from the normal full pond level. Because of the drought conditions the state has been experiencing through the summer, the levels of many of these lakes are already a foot or more below full. As a result, NHDES will not be making its normal special releases from Horace Lake and Northwood Lake for downstream recreation this year, but intends to resume them next fall. However, on Saturday, October 31, a release will be made from Greggs Falls Dam in Goffstown to provide an opportunity for canoeing and kayaking in the Piscataquog River downstream. The release will begin at 11:00 AM.
Lake drawdowns are conducted each fall to reduce winter ice damage to shoreline properties and to reduce spring flooding. Drawdowns also give property owners an opportunity to conduct any necessary repairs to their waterfront property, provided they first secure a permit from the DES Wetlands Bureau at (603) 271-2147.
Generally, lake levels are allowed to return to the normal full pond level in the spring. However, the drawdowns of Opechee and Winnisquam Lakes, which occur on a two-year interval, last only approximately two weeks. This year, the lowering of Opechee Lake will begin on October 17, and it will likely take two days to pass the water from Opechee Lake downstream through Winnisquam Lake. Therefore, the level of Winnisquam Lake is not expected to drop noticeably until October 19. On October 30, flows at Lakeport Dam will be increased to refill Opechee Lake, and the level of Winnisquam Lake should begin to rise late in the day on November 1.
Not included in this schedule is Lake Winnipesaukee. Unlike the other lakes in this schedule, Lake Winnipesaukee is not purposely drawn down in the fall. Instead, in the fall after Columbus Day, the releases from Lakeport Dam are reduced from a normal minimum of 250 cubic feet per second (cfs) to a flow between 30 and 50 cfs for a period of up to two weeks to allow for maintenance of the dams and hydropower facilities on the Winnipesaukee River. The flow of 30 to 50 cfs is the minimum flow needed to maintain the downstream aquatic life during this period. This year the reduction will be begun on October 17.
By the middle of the fall, Lake Winnipesaukee is, on average, 15 inches below its springtime full level due to evaporation and releases from the lake that have occurred over the course of the summer. Because of this summer's drought, the level of the lake is already at that elevation. When the amount of water released from the dam is reduced after Columbus Day, the lake level is not expected to drop significantly for the remainder of the month of October and, if drought conditions ease in the fall and winter, it is expected to remain relatively stable through the month of December absent any major rainfall events. Depending on the amount of snow on the ground in the winter, the lake level may be lowered further beginning in January to a depth of two feet below the normal full level.
