Rains benefit Greenbelt Lake

Heavy rains the last two weeks have pulled Greenbelt Lake out of its Stage 3 Drought condition.

The lake level was sitting at 52.9 feet Tuesday afternoon, gaining about 1,600 acre-feet of water in just ten days, according to Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd.

The reservoir’s Stage 3 Drought contingency is triggered at a depth of 51 feet.

“We actually just crossed back into Stage 2 on August 25,” Kidd said, noting that the rising lake level would reach its Stage 1 level when it gets back to 54 feet.

As of Tuesday, Greenbelt had come up about three feet in the last ten days and was now at 28.4 percent capacity. The reservoir is at its fullest point since November 30, 2010.

If the lake climbs to 57 feet, it will be at Stage Zero or completely out of drought contingency.

The lake was still rising Tuesday afternoon after more than three inches of rain was recorded at the filter plant Monday and Monday night.

“We’ve received 7.69 inches in August,” Kidd said. “Kelly Creek is where we have seen the biggest gain recently.”

Kidd said heavy water flow on Kelly has now washed the lake’s low water crossing on that creek twice since May.

“Our culvert is currently about 200 yards down from the crossing, and we’ve got to go pull that out,” Kidd said.

The forecast is calling for more rain this week. Measured precipitation varied over the county recently, but Lori Howard, Cooperative Observer for the National Weather Service, reported that her gauge west of Clarendon registered 9.54 inches for the ten-day period before Tuesday.