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.
This is an early reminder that on October 15 we will begin to lower the lake to winter level. The water will be lowered to approximately 52″ below the average summer level in accordance with our DEC permit. The purpose of the drawdown is to protect shoreline areas and docks from damage during ice and snow thaw. The lower lake level has the added benefit of allowing time for shoreline and dock maintenance projects, although we suggest you complete any such projects in the fall as it is often difficult to control the rising water level in the spring due to rain and snowmelt. The speed of the drawdown depends on the weather – a lot of rain will slow the drawdown, while little rain will hasten the speed. We reverse the process and return the lake to summer water level following ice-out in the spring.
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.
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