Lake Levels Are On The Rise

As boater and lake goers prepare for the kickoff of the summer lake season this Memorial Day weekend, safety becomes a concern as the Keystone Lake levels have risen significantly due to the heaviest rainy spring the area has seen in years.
“Our recreation areas are 95 percent operational – there is some high water in some lower areas. Releases were increased just this morning (May 18) to 14,000 cubic feet per second (cfs),

said.
Current conditions for Lake Keystone are as follows, according to the Corp of Engineers website:
Pool elevation is 730.44 feet on Wednesday 20 May15 Time: 0800 hours.
At this elevation the total amount of water stored in Keystone Lake is 605,274 acre-feet.
Reservoir release is 20,000 cubic feet per second on Wednesday 20May15 Time: 0800 hours.
Flood control pool is 15.36% full.
Flood control pool storage filled is 173,352 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.15 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.
Flood control pool storage empty is 955,290 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.80 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.
Normal elevation of Keystone Lake is 723 and seven feet above normal at this time.
An additional note on a more local level from Mannford City Manager Mike Nunnelely, reported the Mannford City Lake is 100 percent full. The lake filled up to capacity and began running through the spillway pipes Saturday morning May 10th. This is the City’s water supply, and had been down 5-7 feet over the past year.
There was still 25 to 30 feet of water in the main channel during the prolong dry spell, however, Nunneley said.
Goodeyon reported that the effects downstream will be that there is more water in the river which always increases hazards. As always, boaters should beware of debris in the water and should always wear a proper size and fit life jacket.