Lack of rain lowers some Maine lakes | News

CAMDEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - Like people in many parts of Maine, those who live along Megunticook Lake in Camden are hoping for rain this week, providing some relief from nearly three months of dry weather.

Camden's dam agent, David Bolstridge, says the lake water level is about 31 inches below normal. The Megunticook River, which flows out of the lake through two dams, is running at the lowest allowable water level. That's all because the area has received very little rain since the end of June.

Paul Leeter, executive director of the Megunticook Watershed Association, says low water on the lake has made boat travel more difficult because of newly-exposed rocks, and now is making it harder for residents to take floats and docks out of the lake.

In some cases, boat owners are also having trouble reaching launching ramps to haul boats out of the water.

Despite the three dry months, however, the local water company says there is not a drought. Managers at Maine Water Company say Mirror Lake, one of two reservoirs, is typically at a low level this time of year. Maine Water says weather records at Mirror Lake show 27 inches of rain in the first eight months of this year. That is significantly less than 2014, but closer to the figures of some previous years. The company says the records show the last ten years were unusually gone, but prior to that there were several years that were drier than 2015 has been.

Both the water company and the people tracking Megunticook Lake say they're confident normal fall rains and, more importantly, winter shows, will restore lakes and rivers to normal levels in 2016.