The Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development is advising that Chautauqua Lake stakeholders should make plans to remove their boats and docks from the water before October 20. That's the date when Warner Dam will open and Chautauqua Lake levels will trend downward for the winter season, according to County Watershed Coordinator Dave McCoy.
"Each fall we reduce the lake level from the summer recreational level of 1308.2 feet to a lower winter elevation," says McCoy. Once the dam is opened, McCoy expects the lake level to drop about a foot or more over a two- to three-week period.
The dam, located along the Chadakoin River in Jamestown, is owned by the State DEC and is operated by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. The BPU opens the dam each year during the fall and winter months to lower the lake level and reduce potential flooding and shoreline damage caused by the lake's ice cover.