Meeting the Recreational Interests
To meet the recreation interests on the lake, the dam is operated to try to have the lake full, at elevation 504.32 feet, by the end of May, the beginning of the summer recreation season.
Water levels much above full can cause problems with boating, preventing access to marinas in Wolfeboro and Alton and creating a greater potential for shoreline erosion. Water levels much below full can also cause problems with boating for the owners of property where the waterfront depth is shallow.
However, it is difficult to maintain a constant water level on Lake Winnipesaukee. When the soil is saturated from previous rain storms, an inch of rain over the 363-square-mile watershed that flows into Lake Winnipesaukee will raise the lake level five inches.
Also, from the beginning of June to the beginning of September, the lake level will, on average, drop approximately 10 inches due to evaporation and the 250 cfs minimum release made from the dam during the summer.