Blue and Ice-Free!

Today finds Manchaug Pond blue, calm,  ice-free and on the rise!

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Saturday”s wind and warm temperatures did the trick to break up the ice which covered most of the lake.  A fishing boat from the state ramp was limited to the channel but byIMG_1020Sunday morning all was clear for a number of boat ramp visitors to have the run of the entire pond.

 

 

 

 

Since the arrival of meteorological spring on March 1st, we have realized a slow melt of the tremendous snow cover of February and March’s record snowfall of well over 100 inches.  Our dam caretaker, the Town of Sutton, proved once again to have a solid understanding of the drawdown and Manchaug Pond’s capacity as a reservoir. That snow melt combined with spring rains will easily bring Manchaug Pond to the top, protecting residents on lake and down stream from flooding during this wet season while storing water for use through the dryer summer months.

The dam looks good with brush cut on the earthen side, flashboards in the spillway swelling to close the gaps and hold back to a higher water level for summer, and the appropriate flow out the low level gate bringing us up to the proper level and accommodating the many torrents of new water coming in from the forested hillsides and beyond.

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Enjoy the day!