Why is the water level fluctuating on Lake Redman; what’s happening with Lake Williams?

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Why is the water level fluctuating on Lake Redman; what’s happening with Lake Williams?

With 30 good construction days, the Lake Williams dam project will be finished, a company spokesman said.

Work has finally started on the Lake Williams dam rehabilitation project.

The York Water Company started draining the lake last summer for the work that includes installing a valve on the upstream face of the dam and a pipe liner.

Initially, the project was expected to start around Labor Day and be finished by Thanksgiving.

But all of the rain we’ve had foiled those plans, said JT Hand, chief operating officer with the water company.

Here’s the latest on the project:

What has been the problem with draining Lake Williams?

Lake Williams, which holds about 1 billion gallons of water, had to be drained for the project, but the challenge came with 2018 being one of the wettest years on record.

In fact, November was the wettest month on record for the water company, which has been maintaining weather records since 1888, Hand said. The rain gauge recorded 8.59 inches that month — almost three times the average rainfall.

“Imagine trying to drain a very large bathtub through your outlet drain, only to have your bathtub three-quarters emptied, and then somebody turns back on the faucet again, and your bathtub fills back up again, Hand said. “And you’ve gone through that cycle three different times.”

Why does the water in adjoining Lake Redman keep fluctuating?

People driving along Interstate 83 south of York have spotted the changing lake levels.

Lake Redman, which holds about 1.2 billion gallons of water, spills into Lake Williams. Redman has been lowered to act as a buffer in case heavy rain falls, Hand said. That way it can absorb the precipitation and keep Lake Williams from refilling.

Lake Redman was lowered by about 7 feet, and in the past three weeks, the water level has risen by about 4 feet, Hand said. So it currently remains down by about 3 feet.

“If we had not lowered it at all, then all of that rain would have spilled from Lake Redman into Lake Williams and we would be still under water at Lake Williams,” he said.

It’s also been a balancing act to manage the water levels in the reservoirs, Hand said. Employees have to open and close 48-inch diameter valves. They have to count the turns to determine how much the valves are opened or closed.

More:Fish stubborn on Lake Williams moving day: Public assists in relocation process

More:Still closed, Lake Williams rehabilitation project delayed by months of rain

More:What’s that floating in the middle of Lake Redman?

When will the project be done?

The water company has been keeping an eye on the forecast.

“We’re optimistic that with about 30 good construction days, we’ll be able to have this project complete, and be able to close the valve and allow Lake Williams to fill naturally,” he said.

Some visitors are looking forward to the lakes returning to normal. One man posted on Facebook that he has a kayak, so he can drag it into Lake Redman to do some fishing. “…. just want Williams recovery to begin,” he wrote.

How quickly it will fill back up will depend on the weather.

If the area gets 6 inches of rain in a 30-day period, Lake Williams will fill, Hand said. If it doesn’t rain in that period, then it won’t.

“Wouldn’t it just be like Mother Nature to try to fool us and after such a wet 2018-2019, that at this point, Mother Nature decides to turn off the faucet and we have a dry summer,” he said.

What happens if there’s a dry spell?

The water company would be able to supply residents and businesses with water even if the area would face a drought.

“We’re fortunate,” Hand said. “We have the alternate pumping station at Lake Redman, which we constructed, so we can now draw water directly out of Lake Redman.”

The company has an alternate pumping station on the Susquehanna River, from which it can draw 12 million gallons per day, if needed. It also has a station on the South Branch of the Codorus Creek.

“So we think that we’ve invested appropriately, adequately and conservatively to be able to ensure that we can continue to meet those demands of our customers,” he said.

Is Water Street still closed?

Yes. Water Street remains closed across the Lake Williams dam for the project. It is posted for no trespassing. The water company asks for the public’s patience and compliance with the postings on its property.

You are viewing this post: Why is the water level fluctuating on Lake Redman; what’s happening with Lake Williams?. Information curated and compiled by Kayaknv.com along with other related topics.

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