When will the RWA artificially release water from Lake Whitney downstream to the lower Mill River?
The vast majority of the time there will be plenty of water flowing over the Lake Whitney dam spillway and artificial downstream releases will not be necessary. In wet years there will be flow going over the waterfall 365 days per year. However, the RWA will have procedures in place to release water from Lake Whitney to the lower Mill River when there is no natural water flowing over the spillway. The RWA will be able to release water both from an artificial waterfall designed to simulate waterfall aesthetics and a pipe that will carry water by gravity to the spillway plunge pool located at the base of the dam. Water releases to the river will be managed to achieve a balance between public water supply needs, the downstream Mill River, and the upstream lake environment. For example 4.2 million gallons per day (mgd) of water will be released initially upon the lake level dropping below spillway elevation. However if the lake level drops to 1 foot below the spillway elevation, downstream
