Lake Levels are Great, If You Like Lots of Water
As of this writing, we are happy to report that all of our pond water levels are in great shape, if you like water! Actually, a little bit higher than we would like no thanks to these unrelenting showers! It hasn’t been exactly Chamber of Commerce weather but close enough for this time of the year. I wish the showers took place at night while I was sleeping, but no-o-o-o-o-o!
Great Pond’s Village dam is currently 3.24” above full pond with one gate opened just 1’. Long Pond’s Wings Mill dam is right at 4.68”, also above full pond with one gate opened up three feet to bring things back down to 3” above which is our goal for all of the ponds this summer. Salmon/McGrath is now 2.88” above full pond with its calibrated valve set to the mandated 1 cfs flow. Our neighbors on Messalonskee are actually down 2.23” below full which is just a fact of life with their electricity generation needs. Although NOAA and the “experts” are still calling for a summer of 26% less precipitation, we’ll remain vigilant in our “save the water” mode with all of our gates being closed when at all possible. It is a bit easier to deal with slightly higher water levels than wishing we had!
Precipitation for the past 10 days was 1.13” and we are forecasted to get just 1” for the next ten. FYI, our normal weekly precipitation during the summer is supposed to be 0.875”. Although the long-term forecast is calling for an average 26% less precipitation, which is what they forecasted for the past five years, all remains good news as we pen this week’s column for our farmers, wells, gardens and of course, our lakes. We’ll take what we can get, as if we had a choice!
If you have particular questions regarding our dams or water levels, please email your inquiry to , and we will try to answer your question either in this column or via email.
Enjoy your summer! It’s supposed to be beautiful. But I’d keep the GoreTex handy, if I were you!
Dick Greenan is chairman of the Belgrade Lakes Watershed Dams Committee. He submitted this report on May 27, 2026.
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