July is prime time on Mahopac lakes, but unseasonably low water levels on the town’s “other” major body of water—Kirk Lake—have baffled residents and put a crimp in summer recreation plans.
While the community around it is used to seeing levels drop over the winter, some have questioned why the water remains so low this early in the summer.
The lake, the bulk of which lies between West Lake Boulevard and Hill Street, feeds the Muscoot River and is part of the New York City watershed and has a dam on its south end, and it’s this structure that is partly behind the level drop.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, which manages the NYC reservoir system, and Kirk Lake Watershed Association President Alan Belsky, the water remained low later than usual as the DEP worked on the dam leading from the main basin to the Muscoot.
“DEP worked closely with the three Kirk Lake homeowners’ associations on selecting the timing for a critical concrete repair project on the spillway that required lowering the lake’s surface level either this spring or late this year into early next year,” DEP spokesperson John Milton told Mahopac News. “The homeowners group leaders selected this spring and the project was completed in early May. The lake’s refill is contingent on the rate of natural precipitation.”
Noting that “the NYC DEP controls the dam,” Belsky said there was no cause for alarm and urged residents to let nature take its course.
“Every year on Nov. 1, they lower the water,” he explained. “On March 1 they close the valve. The lake usually fills in four weeks from snowmelt and rain. This year, the NYC DEP had to do repairs to the dam and did not close the valve till May 11. There has been very little rain since then. That is why the lake is low.”
Both said the later-than-usual valve closure and a relatively dry late spring and early summer have kept the levels low.
As for planned work on the culvert at Stocum Avenue—which some speculated was behind the low level—Town Supervisor Mike Cazzari confirmed that there was no relationship between the two projects.
“It would’ve been wise to do the bridge at the same time as the dam but, of course, no one cooperates with each other, so the lake will be empty again next year when they do the culvert at Stocum,” he said.
Cazzari told Mahopac News the project is expected to begin in the fall and will likely mean the levels will also be low early in the 2027 season.
“The work is going to be put out to bid,” Cazzari said. “It is too big of a job for the town. I believe they will start this coming fall, but it’s going to affect the lake level for next year.”
Meanwhile, Cazzari acknowledged that residents have asked about cleaning up the area, which still shows the aftermath of the tree removal earlier this year.
“People are complaining about it,” Cazzari said. “It’s a mess. They want us to spend money and beautify it (now), but I don’t see a point in spending money for something we’re going to have to tear up to do the work.”
Meanwhile, residents are hoping rainfall will at least make the narrow north inlet between the Stocum Avenue work area and the main body of the lake navigable again soon.
“People would like to boat,” one 30-year area resident said. “And maybe that’s possible on the south end but sure the heck not on the north.”
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