Chautauqua Lake’s Water Level To Be Lowered For Winter Season

Chautauqua Lake Stock Image.

JAMESTOWN – Starting today Chautauqua Lake’s water level will be going down in an effort to get the lake ready for winter.

The Chautauqua County Division of Planning and Community Development team says the annual tradition of opening the Warner Dam takes place every fall.

Those who still have boats in the lake are encouraged to pull them out as soon as possible. If boaters experience issues, crews recommend using the public boat launch at Long Point State Park, which is considered by many experienced boaters as the best public ramp to use in low lake level conditions.





“In late October, we try to drop the lake level from the summer recreational season level of 1,308.2 feet to a lower winter elevation goal of 1,306.0 feet,” said Dave McCoy, Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator. “We are rarely able to get much below 1307.0 due to the wet weather we typically experience in the fall.”

The dam helps to sustain Chautauqua Lake’s water level during the summer recreation season.

It also helps mitigate flooding around Chautauqua Lake and downstream along the Chadakoin River.





















A Rule Curve, which was formulated in the 1980s, governs the operation of the Warner Dam by correlating established seasonal lake levels with low and high flow conditions for the river.

 

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