2023 Fall Issue

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34 HISTORY LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Drawdowns Through the Years by MARTY KANE Photos courtesy of the LAKE HOPATCONG HISTORICAL MUSEUM This year heralds a quinquennial event at Lake Hopatcong—yes, something that occurs every five years—the 5-foot drawdown of the lake. For some, dropping the lake level is a long-awaited event in which to attack dock, seawall and boathouse repairs. For others, it is an occurrence looked upon with dread that the lake will not refill sufficiently by spring. The drawing down of the lake after the season has a long history at Lake Hopatcong going back some 100 years to the abandonment of the Morris Canal. Lake Hopatcong is the source or headwaters of the Musconetcong River. As such, enough water must come from the lake to keep the river flowing. The natural flow has been altered and controlled by the construction of dams at the southern end of the lake (at the site of Hopatcong State Park) commencing in the 1750s. The dam built for the Morris Canal during the 1820s and enlarged in 1840 raised Lake Hopatcong’s water level to what we know today. As the largest single source of water for the canal, Lake Hopatcong had to supply a significant amount of water to keep the canal navigable. The water required for the canal exceeded by several times the amount needed today to keep the Musconetcong River flowing. As Lake Hopatcong began to develop as a resort in the 1880s, the Morris Canal became a major issue as residents and visitors often had to avoid certain parts of the lake by August due to low water. Between 1892 and 1912, the lake averaged some 20 inches below high Top to bottom: The view from Halsey Island to Raccoon Island during the 8-foot drawdown of 1948. King Cove during the 7-foot drawdown of 1959. The remains of the former Nolan’s Point ore dock as seen from the Jefferson House during the 2004 drawdown. The remains of the gate for the outer lock of the Morris Canal as seen in Hopatcong State Park during the 2013 drawdown. water by August. The particularly dry summers of 1905, 1912 and 1923 found the lake down some 40 inches. While it is hard to imagine the lake at such low levels in the middle of summer, it does explain why older docks at Lake Hopatcong were built considerably lower than docks built today, reflecting how the general level of the lake in summer averaged significantly lower than today. When the Morris Canal was abandoned in 1924, most lake residents thought the lake would never again face the problem of low lake levels in summer. It was reasoned that without the tremendous demand of the canal, a high-water level could be maintained continuously in Lake Hopatcong. However, while the abandonment of the Morris Canal greatly alleviated the lake’s water problems, it did not end them entirely. Over the years, the lake has shown it is still susceptible to drought, and in drier summers can be down 12 inches or more by Labor Day. During the mid-1930s, Lake Hopatcong failed to reach its high-water mark for several years and in the summer of 1935 it was down 30 inches. When the Morris Canal operated, there were no regularly scheduled winter drawdowns of the lake. The canal authorities simply had the lake dropped in the offseason when necessary for repairs to the canal lock and dam. The concept of winter drawdowns of the lake started as a recommendation of the engineers who managed the abandonment work for the canal in 1924. They concluded that ice flow damage to boathouses and docks would be lessened if Lake Hopatcong was lowered each fall. This led to lowering the lake by 30 inches annually at the end of the season, a policy that remained in effect until 1990 when the annual drawdown was deemed sufficient at 26 inches. The state is currently experimenting with a 22-inch normal drawdown. While an annual drawdown of the lake began with the abandonment of the canal, these yearly events were not sufficient enough to allow most lake residents to perform major dock or boathouse repairs. The August 18, 1934 edition of the Lake Hopatcong Breeze reported that “a determined effort is being made by several organizations and residents about the lake to have the lake level lowered considerably after Labor Day to permit property owners to repair their docks and clean up beaches, waterfronts, shore walls...It is the opinion of most lake residents that the lake should significantly be drawn down in the late fall about once in every five years. This would permit property owners to make repairs and would give much needed work to local labor.” [The labor aspect was important as this was the middle of the Great Depression.] The state of New Jersey agreed to this request and the lake was dropped 5 feet in 1934 and again in 1939. No drawdowns occurred during World War II and by 1948 many docks and structures needed significant work.
Lake Level Confusion? If you are puzzled about how the lake’s height is measured, you are not alone. Lake Hopatcong is considered at full height when it is measured at 9 feet against the dam at Hopatcong State Park. This means the water is right up to the top of the dam (or spillway as it is known). At 9.5 feet (or 5 inches over the dam) it is considered high enough to prompt a “no wake zone” so that boats do not create waves that could damage docks and other structures. Historically, the highest level ever measured at Lake Hopatcong was the infamous flood of August 2000 when the lake reached an incredible 11.80 feet at the dam. Conversely, December 1960 saw the lake barely touching the bottom of the dam at 0.65 feet. As a result, the lake was dropped 8 feet that off-season, which also allowed for the clearing of stumps and boulders in many areas of the lake with lower water depth. During this drawdown, photographs show there was no water between Raccoon and Halsey Islands. The state turned down further drawdown requests until 1955 and then instituted a five-year schedule that continued until 1980. In 1980, New Jersey was in a drought and the state postponed the 5-foot reduction until 1982. Since then, the lake has been drawn down at five-year intervals with the exception of 2002, when it was delayed a year because of drought conditions. There was one notable exception when the lake was dropped over 7 feet both in 1959 and 1960 to undertake an experiment to control weeds by freezing a large part of the lake bottom. While the state claimed success with certain varieties of weeds, this practice was not further continued. The drawdown of the lake now operates under the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan of 2011. It states that “every fifth year, the lake level will be lowered by 60 inches to allow for major repairs to lakeshore structures and any necessary repairs to the dam.” While the practice of a five-year drawdown was formerly considered fairly routine at the lake, it became more controversial in recent years because of two instances in which a dry spring following a drawdown caused problems. In June 2009, the lake was down about 18 inches, but crisis was averted when rain brought the water level back to normal by the end of the month. However, users of the lake were not so fortunate in the summer of 1988. There had been a 60-inch drawdown over the preceding winter and the gates of the Hopatcong State Park dam were kept open longer than planned in order to allow for completion of dam repairs. An unusually low spring rainfall left the lake down some 2 feet in July. It did not fully recover until fall. Trying to balance the wishes of homeowners, businesses and recreational users with the needs of the Musconetcong River will certainly be a challenge in the years ahead. History has demonstrated that as much as we try to plan, only Mother Nature truly controls the level of the water. To try to lessen the risk of the lake not sufficiently refilling this winter, the drawdown began on September 22, releasing 1 ½ inches of water per day and will be down 5 feet by November 1. The lake will remain down 5 feet until December 15, at which time it will be allowed to start refilling. Historically, this should be enough time to be enjoying a full lake next spring. Meanwhile, hope to see you along the shoreline of the lake on Saturday, November 4 for the fiveyear cleanup coordinated by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. Born in Baiano and raised in the US, Maria has been bringing tours to Italy for more than 30 years. Italy Tours with Maria BOOKING NOW FOR 2024! Each tour includes a “hidden itinerary” surprise. July 3 - July 16, 2024 Venice • Murano • Burano • Padua • Florence • Cinque Terre Monticatini Terme • San Gimignano • Siena • Rome • Pompeii Isle of Capre • Amalfi Coast • Sorrento • Ravello and much, much more! Email us for tour details at: ItalyTourswithMaria@yahoo.com Traveling to Italy with Maria offers guests “a true cultural experience.” This is not your typical commercial tour. lakehopatcongnews.com 35
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