I was getting some word that the water hasn’t started to drop on Beech Fork or East Lynn this year yet. Normally, the Core of Engineers will begin drawing the lakes down around the western part of West Virginia at the beginning of November and will have them already at winter pool before December 1st. Well this year is a little different circumstance.
I got word of this the other day and then after seeing a post online and could clearly tell the lake was still up, I decided to see what was going on. According to a post on the East Lynn Lake, US Army Corps of Engineers Facebook Page the post read the following:
“The Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces a pause in the normal drawdown at Alum Creek, Deer Creek, Paint Creek, East Lynn, Beech Fork, Grayson, North Fork of Pound, John W. Flannagan, Fishtrap, Dewey, and Yatesville Lakes as we evaluate the impacts of the drought/abnormally dry conditions in the area.
Under normal conditions the Water Control Manuals specify that drawdown will be complete at these lakes by December 1. The District will delay drawdown past December 1 and restart when either the US Drought Monitor indicates that the relevant basin is no longer in drought or abnormally dry conditions, or if the monthly drought outlook indicates that drought conditions are no longer forecasted. The length of drawdown will be between 2-4 weeks dependent on the Climate Prediction Center 10-day precipitation forecast. Longer drawdowns will be directed if forecasts predict lower amounts of precipitation.
Should the monthly forecast predict climate conditions returning to normal, the District will resume draw down to minimize flood threat risks.
For more information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353″
