The lake level is 570 even and has dropped two inches in the last 24-hours with about the same generation time. It took over six days for the lake to drop the last foot. At this rate it will be late October before we reach the new power pool of 553.75. It was 552 before the worthless minimun flow law for the put and take trout on the rivers took away 1.75 ft. of flood capacity and changed the way the percent of flood storage is calculated resulting in less being discharged. It may go faster as the lake draws down the bowl resulting in quicker drops with the same amount of generation. This is all predicated on the assumption that we do not get much rain. It has been very dry the last couple of months. One big rain in the Norfork river basin could change all of this. Never the less the lake is in good condition for boating and swimming and mostly just campgrounds, swim beaches, launching and parking being affected. It makes it tough for the day users but people staying at resorts not so much. Some resorts have more parking than others and better launching facilities. During the week things are not so crowded. Blackburns still has two cabins available for Labor day weekend . We were full but had cancellations. We are normally the first resort to fill up with people taking advantage of the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals. Many of our guests are regular customers and we do not want to charge them too much. Veterans and Police are expecially welcome here. The lake remains clear with a surface water temperature of 85 and most of the debris is sticking to the windblown banks with the dropping water level but it is still a good idea to check out the area carefully before you drag children through it. A few logs are starting to appear that were once submerged. The lake is down about three feet from it's high earlier. Fishing remains the same with a thermocline at about 25-ft with several fish at or around this level. Spooning is the best fishing technique but bass fishermen are catching some good ones in the evening on salt craws.
