Winter at the Lake of the Ozarks means a change in the water level. Every winter Ameren performs a lake drawdown. They intentionally reduce the lake level from a full elevation of 660 feet down to around elevation 654.
This process has two purposes, one that benefits lake property owners and one that benefits residents in the season to come. It gives lake property owners an opportunity to do maintenance on seawalls, docks and riprap. The other thing it does is to reduce the possibility of flooding during spring rains.
The Osage River level also fluctuates when Ameren Missouri’s Bagnell Dam releases water during the drawdown and to meet the demand for electricity.
Dock owners at the lake and on the river must make certain their docks are winter ready for the possibility of freezing ice and snow. Dock preparations help minimize the overall effects of lower lake levels and cold weather. Ameren Missouri offers the following tips to help both Lake of the Ozarks and Osage River dock owners prepare for the winter season:
- Ensure that hinges, pins and other connections linking docks to seawalls or piers have the flexibility to follow water level fluctuations.
- Lengthen cables to allow docks to drop as the lake or river levels drop.
- Use a dock deicer to help protect docks from ice damage, be aware that a deicer may not provide protection from large ice sheets and blocks.
- Ask neighbors to keep an eye on the dock or retain a local dock builder or similar contractor to care for the property when the site is unoccupied.
- (For those below the dam) Remove docks from the Osage River before freezing occurs.4
Hourly information about lake water levels is available at AmerenMissouri.com/Lake. Water levels are also updated daily at 573-365-9205.
If you would like for us to check on your dock for you please give us a call.
Signature Realty Group, RE/MAX Lake of the Ozarks
3525 Osage Beach Parkway Suite 102
Osage Beach, MO 65065
Office: 573-302-2322
info@SignatureRealtyGrp.com
www.SignatureRealtyGrp.com
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