2022 - 2023 Drawdown Summary:
The initial drawdown of our lake for dam repairs began on Oct 10, 2022 with work being completed and refilling beginning on November 9, a full month later. Large mats of rooted milfoil were observed at the water's surface, thriving where water was still present, or taking on its terrestrial form where it had been stranded.
It turned out that once the water was almost all the way back up (Nov 16), the repairs weren't holding up, and another drawdown by 3 feet was necessary. This second drawdown began around Nov 17 for an evaluation of the failure and for solutions to be implemented. Again, milfoil was seen to survive and thrive, whether in or out of water.
By December 2nd, with the second round of repairs complete, our lake was back up to its full complement of water. By this stage I was no longer kayaking to view N. minor in the water.
Winter Storm Elliott's heavy downpours and strong winds on Dec 23, 2022 led to half of the flashboards on the dam being washed away. The water level subsequently dropped by about 3-3.5 feet.
It's been quite a journey. It's made for some interesting observations and fluctuations in ice formation and plant growth.
We've been fortunate in having a fair amount of rain, instead of snow, so refilling hasn't taken too long each time. As of January 13 2023, repairs have not been attempted yet, so refilling has not commenced since the most recent storm damage.
Update: repairs to the dam flashboards began the week of February 13. On February 22, our cove began filling with water and the water pipeline is once again underwater. The notification that dam repairs were complete came out later that day.
Update 05/01/2023: a massive rain- and wind-storm battered our community on April 30 into May 1, 2023. Our water level rose to the highest we have seen in 12 years, causing many docks to float away. The flashboards of the dam gave way, and we are losing water again.
Repairs began once the water was drawn back down to 4 feet below the normal level. On Friday May 19, 2023, it was declared that repairs were completed and that refilling would commence over the next week. As it turns out, a heavy rain fell the following day and our water level began rising quite rapidly. By May 21, our cove was connected to the main lake water again.
17 Nov-Dec 2 - 2 weeks, no water
Dec 23 - Feb 13 - freeze, no water except in deepest central channel
May 1 - May 19 - No water