OXFORD — Property owners on Thompson Lake voiced their concerns Thursday at a public hearing on a plan to prevent spring flooding by regulating water levels each October.
The Thompson Lake Environmental Association recommends a water level of 32 inches below the top of the Robinson Mill dam, which would be set by Oct. 20, after most boats are out of the lake. That level is slightly lower than the winter level in past years, but Scott Bernardy, environmental chairman for the TLEA, said the level has naturally been lower some years.
The planned October water level is “not that far off” from previous years, he said. By keeping the water level from rising too high, the TLEA could prevent erosion, which washes algae-feeding phosphates into the lake.
People who live on the lake were concerned about their ability to boat there once the water level begins dropping, and about the lake’s water level being replenished fast enough in the spring. He said winter snowpack usually brings the water level up 30 to 32 inches.
Parts of the lake were created after the Robinson Mill dam was built. That means some areas are very shallow, and a low water level can make boating difficult, he said.
Bernardy said lowering the water level had to happen in October, before trout spawn, or the shallow area where they lay their eggs could be drained dry.
Bernardy didn’t have an exact date for when the lake would begin draining down to the winter level by way of the dam. It will depend on the water level over the next month.
More than 120 people crowded into the hot third-floor room at the Oxford Town Office on Thursday. The meeting was hosted by the Oxford Board of Selectmen and the Robinson Mill Dam Committee.
Town Manager Michael Chammings said anyone who wants to keep up with the dam committee can contact the town and ask to be added to the committee’s email list.
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