Quabbin water levels

[james1981]

 Just a FYI anyone heading around in the quabbin its really low this year, 10ft lower than normal...  Bad spots are everywhere... Really shallow in between the center of the grassy island and the sandbar just around gate 35. The hidden sandbar is  just under the surface. you can see it but getting around was tough at first. If you stick to the right side of the bar its about 8 ft deep crossing it.  It also gets shallow around the grassy island.

 I talked with the guys at the launch some people have grounded and got stuck.

[Baitbucket]

Your GPS/Charts are your friend out there right now. The ranger told me its the lowest its been since the early 80s (that was a couple weeks ago) and it was dropping an inch per day.. Todays rain should help, a little.

[stripernut]

Makes for great shore fishing...

[bigbellybilly]

Been out at night notice water level real slow fishing

[james1981]

 I have not ventured on the inside of the grassy island on the prescott penisula side, I am assuming it is above water as the normal depth on that stretch is about 5 ft.

  Its also a great time to look for hardware lost in the rocks...

 Wachusett at the quinni the pump house seems to be running full bore, levels look high when i am driving by 2 times a day. I would imagine that this rain will help draw salmon into the fall spots or at least close..

[taxid]

I forget which one of the two reservoirs is the main water supply and the other the back up? I assume Quabbin is the main one? I can't imagine how much water the Boston area needs! Seems a drought is compounded by water usage.

[Baitbucket]

I heard recently that worcester is purchasing water from quabbin now as well, due to drought.

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2016/09/as_worcester_begins_purchasing.html

"The council also discussed the possibility of a stage 4 drought, which the city has not endured since 1960."

[stripernut]

WOW... Had not heard that, no wonder it is going down so fast...

[westernmas]

I really hope this doesn't impact the flows at the swift.  Usually in times of drought the swift stays up since they release water to keep the CT river at a somewhat stable level.

[stripernut]

I really hope this doesn't impact the flows at the swift.  Usually in times of drought the swift stays up since they release water to keep the CT river at a somewhat stable level

Sorry I don't follow you there, the Swift (that flows out of the Quabbin) and the Conn. River don't meet until Chicopee. I don't think it does anything to keep the flow of the Conn River level stable... The deep (cold) water release from the Quabbin (the Swift) is fairly constant... The many fluctuations of water level in the Conn river (and upper Deerfield) are all about power generation.

[westernmas]

Sorry I don't follow you there, the Swift (that flows out of the Quabbin) and the Conn. River don't meet until Chicopee. I don't think it does anything to keep the flow of the Conn River level stable... The deep (cold) water release from the Quabbin (the Swift) is fairly constant... The many fluctuations of water level in the Conn river (and upper Deerfield) are all about power generation.

I've read several posts/blogs on how the water level in the swift will fluctuate depending on level of the CT River.  A guide in that area posts (PM for a name or his blog) the flows on his blog and constantly states that the swift is running higher due to the CT river being lower.  The swift flows also fluctuate from about a low of 30-40CFS up to 130CFS in the last few months and my understanding is that is typically done in order to aid the CT river.  Also if you look at the historical flows of the swift they are much higher this summer than in past years.  Starting in Nov. 2015 the flows are usually around 50CFS and then starting toward the end of May 2016 the flows average over 100CFS.

[westernmas]

I've read several posts/blogs on how the water level in the swift will fluctuate depending on level of the CT River.  A guide in that area posts (PM for a name or his blog) the flows on his blog and constantly states that the swift is running higher due to the CT river being lower.  The swift flows also fluctuate from about a low of 30-40CFS up to 130CFS in the last few months and my understanding is that is typically done in order to aid the CT river.  Also if you look at the historical flows of the swift they are much higher this summer than in past years.  Starting in Nov. 2015 the flows are usually around 50CFS and then starting toward the end of May 2016 the flows average over 100CFS.

Taking a quote directly out of the gentleman's blog..."The Swift is the lifesaver this year but I will complain about the yo-yo flow regime. As we understand it the flow is increased traditionally from 50 cfs to 120 cfs when the Connecticut River gets into the low 2000 cfs range. That has been an additional 70 cfs of water released that results in a whopping 3 to 4% increase for the Connecticut. The question is do they really need it or does it represent some historical pre-Quabbin contribution to the Connecticut River? Anyway, the up and down flows will effect the trout in all but the deepest spots."

[thetroutwhisperer]

I agree with westernmas and having fished the Swift many times during this awful drought I've notice the flows much higher than in years past. I wish I didn't have to, would love to be plying the Westfield, Deerfield, or smaller  Berkshire streams.

Although the project was enthusiastically supported by lawmakers in the Boston area, it was bitterly opposed by residents of the affected towns, who took their case all the way to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, but lost.[citation needed] The state of Connecticut sued Massachusetts, claiming waters that were rightfully meant to flow into the Connecticut River, and subsequently through their state, were being illegally diverted. The lawsuit was unsuccessful, but Massachusetts was still bound by discharge minimums set under the regulatory authority of the Secretary of War over navigable waters.[3
Looks like 70 million gallons a day are supposed to be let go June through Nov when the CT drops.

[stripernut]

Thanks for the info, must be some agreement with Connecticut...