One thing every I look forward to every spring is seeing the lake level reach its annual high mark. As snowpack in the mountains surrounding Big Bear Lake melts and seasonal streams fill with water rushing to the lake, water levels will usually rise through late April into May before finally peaking. Mother Nature has done fairly well keeping Big Bear Lake near full these past few years. Many lakefront properties sure do look a whole lot better when the lake is just a few feet from full than when it is down 17 feet or more as it was about 8 years ago.
Currently, our lake is at 1' 9" from full. That is a very good place to be this time of year. Given last night's April showers and the 3 inches of snow that came afterwards, and considering the seasonal melt we are experiencing right now, we might gain an inch or two in lake level over the next few weeks. That's good. Because once the warm, sunny summer days are upon us and the lake water temperatues near 70 degrees, we'll be losing 1-2 inches of lake level per week due to evaoporation.
A common question from Big Bear lakefront home buyers is whether it is possible for the lake to rise so high that properties are at risk of being flooded. Fortunately, Big Bear lakefronts can't flood by rising lake levels. Our lake is man made. It was created around the turn of the last century when developers from Redlands wanted to create a steady flow of water for their orange groves down below. So they bought the land that is now the lake bed, built a dam, and flooded their newly purchased land creating Big Bear Lake.... and thus Big Bear lakefront homes! So ultimately, if we have a very wet year and the lake fills, before lake water can touch a lakefront home, it reaches a height at which water would spill over the dam.
Last year was one of those rare years when that happened. The lake filled to the point where water was actually skimming over the top of the dam. The Big Bear Municipal Water District then decided to release water to keep the lake's water level a few inches below full. In fact, the BBMWD adopted a policy in 2005 that says the lake is to be kept at 1 foot from full from December 31st through March 31st to ensure a controlled release of water. This would protect downstream environments and properties if Big Bear Lake were to suddenly fill and potentially overflow due to a severe winter storm.
Here's a video of the water release from the Big Bear dam last year.
Pretty cool, eh? This is something that is quite rare. I have been a Big Bear resident for almost 20 years and had never seen this before!
Many people are also curious about the ski resorts using lake water for snowmaking. The resorts have a contract that allows them to use 11,000 acre feet of water over 10 years using a maximum of 1,300 acre feet of water in any given year. The BBMWD has also determined that about half the water taken from the lake actually returns as snowmelt runoff throughout the winter season and into the spring.
So what effect does this have on the lake? Hardly any. If the resorts were to take their maximum allowed amount of water from the lake in any given year, the result would be less than a 1% reduction in the lake's surface area.
So another near-full year on the lake bodes well not only for Big Bear lakefront real estate sales, but also for those looking to spend some time enjoying life on the lake this summer. Hope you can come visit, get out on the water, and see why Big Bear Lake is such a special place!