Lake of the Ozarks Dock owners should prepare for declining lake levels
By AmerenUE Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 8:53 PM CST LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- AmerenUE advises dock owners at Lake of the Ozarks that the annual winter lowering of the lake level will soon begin. The company reminds property owners that they should take appropriate measures to protect their docks from the lower water levels and other winter conditions that routinely occur at this time of year. UE normally lowers the lake by several feet during the winter months to provide increased water storage capacity for flood control during the spring rainy season. Phil Thompson, superintendent of UE's Osage Power Plant at Bagnell Dam, says the annual lowering of the lake is expected to begin around Jan. 1, 2010, and reach a target seasonal low of about 654 feet (above sea level) by mid-February. However, Thompson says lake elevations down to 651 feet—9 feet below full reservoir—are possible during the winter season. He adds that UE’s federal license permits the level to go as low as 645 fe