Please be advised that we will begin to refill Kinderhook Lake on Monday, April 1, 2024, in accordance with our DEC Drawdown Permit. Changes in the water level during the refill are weather dependent: more rain & snow melt = quicker refill; less rain and snowmelt = slower refill.
While it’s sad to see the water level dropping to winter levels, just remember how much fun you had this past summer and that next summer will be here before you know it. Fall is a beautiful season and is also time for a few important reminders.
- Do NOT rake leaves into the lake bed, as rotting leaves create nutrients for weed and algae growth. Also, if you can, please remove fallen leaves from the lake bed.
- Do NOT throw brush or branches into the lake, as they end up floating to the dam, clogging the sluice gate debris rack and inhibiting control of the water level.
- If you have any shoreline projects, please complete them this Fall, as the water can rise quickly in the Spring depending on snowmelt and rain. Plus, our DEC Permit requires that we raise the lake back to summer levels as soon as the ice is off the lake in the Spring.
- Please secure any outdoor furniture and loose equipment. In the Spring, we often find deck chairs, carpets, water toys, dock parts, and boat and fishing gear stuck in the sluice gate debris rack at the dam.
On April 1st we will begin the process of refilling the lake to summer level in accordance with our DEC permit. The sluice gate will be lowered and the flashboards will be reinstalled atop the dam. As always, the time it takes to reach summer level is weather dependent.
Shoreline residents are asked to finish any shoreline projects and also clean their lakebeds by April 1st. Decaying leaves create nutrients for algae and invasive species to grow. Floating branches and twigs are a hazard to boating and often end up floating down to the dam and clogging the sluice gate.
One of the primary missions of the KLC is to maintain and upgrade the Nivers dam. Over the past decade, the KLC has completed well over $200,000 of major upgrades to the dam. Projects have included new coffer steel and concrete support to the upstream side of the dam, relining of the sluice pipe, repairing the sluice gate, replacing the old pedestrian bridge, and refacing several areas of the downstream side of the dam. None of these upgrades would have been possible without the generosity of our members.
Another project is now required to reface the deteriorating downstream main spillway and adjacent face of the dam. While a certain level of repairs will always be required to maintain an operational dam, we hope this project will be the last in this series of major upgrades, and will insure that the dam remains in good condition and fully operational for many years into the future.
As can be seen in this photo, the face of the main spillway is spalling and deteriorating. An area just west of the main spillway looks the same. This project will require chipping away approximately 6” of deteriorating concrete face, installing pins grouted into the remaining sound concrete dam, installing a grid of epoxy coated steel reinforcing bars, and forming and pouring a new concrete face to the main spillway and adjacent area. Approximately 620 square feet of concrete surface needs to be replaced. An added expense of this project will be the need for a crane to reach the face of the spillway in order to remove the demolished concrete facing.
Design of the repairs has been completed by Ed Horn, the same Professional Engineer who has designed the previous dam upgrades. Engineering and construction is expected to cost approximately $68,000 based on the low bid received by one of the experienced contractors who has successfully completed other major upgrades to the dam. Thanks to the Board’s yearly transfers from the General Fund, as well as member donations, we have a Dam Reserve Fund balance of approximately $52,000. However, to help close the gap between available funds and the cost of engineering and construction, we ask that all members consider making an additional donation to the Dam Reserve Fund a high priority this year. You can either make an extra donation to the Dam Reserve Fund when completing your 2020 KLC membership application or simply click on the DONATE button in the righthand column of this page. Thanks in advance for your support.
Remember the old adage – Without the dam, there would be no lake!
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