PPL wins interim approval to lower lake level because of snowpack

Lake Wallenpaupack will be even more valuable as a flood control resource now that PPL Corporation has received interim approval to use regional snowpack data in setting the water level in the lake.

The change, suggested by PPL and approved on an interim basis by the Delaware River Basin Commission, means that PPL can lower the lake level in March based on the amount of snow on the ground, allowing the lake to hold back more water during heavy spring rains.

The more water the lake holds back, the less flooding there is downstream.

“PPL has been working very hard to manage the lake level in a way that is best for everyone in the region,” said Paul Canevari, PPL’s community relations director in the lake region. “Many people have asked us to keep the lake level low in advance of heavy runoff, and using snowpack as a factor to manage the lake level will help us do that.”

PPL sets the water level in the lake to balance many interests. Besides flood control, the lake also provides drought relief, recreation and water power for PPL’s Wallenpaupack hydroelectric plant. Setting the proper water level is the key to managing these interests successfully.

In advance of expected rain Thursday (3/1) and Friday, PPL has been operating the hydroelectric power plant at Lake Wallenpaupack to reduce the lake level. Running the power plant increases the lake’s capacity to store water because the plant uses water from the lake to generate electricity.

PPL has been discussing water level management and other issues with an advisory panel of key community leaders and area residents and officials.

“Snow lying on the ground is like ‘water in the bank’ ” Canevari said. “We know a good portion of the water in that snowpack will run into the lake when the snow melts. This allows us to lower the lake in the early spring for flood control, knowing we’ll get the water back for other uses when the snow melts.”

Until now, PPL did not have accurate data on regional snowpack. That data was recently made available to the public by the National Weather Service, Canevari said.
 
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls more than 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.