When Deep Creek Lake was first formed in 1925 by the Youghiogheny Power and Electric Company, its sole purpose was to provide water for the Deep Creek Hydroelectric Power Station, and the operators of the dam exercised full control of the water levels. Over the past 98 years, various recreational uses of the waters of the lake have developed, and the ownership and management of these waters has shifted from private to public entities. The levels of the lake are now set by the State of Maryland with the intent to balance the needs of all users of its waters.
The uses of the waters of Deep Creek Lake are as follows:
Not all of these uses are active at the same time and the volumes of each can vary.
Figure 1 shows these uses in a schematic format.
Figure 1. Uses of the waters of Deep Creek Lake
The geographical layout of some of the features shown in the above schematic is seen in the map detail shown in Figure 2. This detail highlights the dam and penstock tunnel running underground which supplies water to the hydroelectric power station. Once the water has passed through the power station, it is discharged to the Youghiogheny River via the tailrace. It is important to note that the lake level can only be lowered via this process; raising lake levels depends on the natural processes of tributary inflow, rainfall, and groundwater recharge.
Figure 2. Map detail showing the dam, tunnel, power station, and discharge to the Youghiogheny River
The State of Maryland, through the Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, owns and manages Deep Creek Lake and attempts to balance the requirements of the various users of its waters. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) owns the lakebed and shoreline of the lake and manages recreational use through a variety of permits and regulations. The Department of the Environment (MDE) manages the use of the actual waters of the lake via permits that govern allowable discharges and withdrawals.
The permit that governs lake levels is held by the owner and operator of the dam and power station, Brookfield Renewable Power. The current permit was issued in 2020 and is set to expire in 2032, with triennial reviews established in the permit. The permit authorizes certain levels of daily withdrawals from the lake to provide for electricity generation by Brookfield. The permit also mandates specified releases of water from the lake for whitewater rafting and the Temperature Enhancement Protocol for the fisheries stocking program in the Youghiogheny River and also specifies a “Rule Band” of lake levels for recreational boating which must be met, superseding Brookfield’s daily allowable discharge amounts.
Figure 3 shows the Rule Band as the blue shaded area with the lake level on the y-axis in feet above sea level. Generally, the band allows Brookfield to “build up” lake volume going into the Spring, and then discharge throughout the Summer to generate electricity (when electricity demand and prices for power are typically higher) and to support releases to the Youghiogheny River for recreational uses. The lake level is drawn down to lower levels during the Fall and Winter to minimize shoreline erosion. Although most lake-based recreational activities are relatively independent of the lake level, there are a non-trivial number of buffer-strip permit holders whose docks become non-navigable as the lake is drawn down from August into September.
Figure 3. The Deep Creek Lake “rule band” and 2022 actual water levels
The blue line in Figure 3 shows the actual levels from 2022. Excursions outside the rule band are allowed in the permit to account for the variability of weather and the physical limits of the discharge path. Importantly, excursions are also allowed for temperature enhancement and whitewater boating releases as specified in the permit.
The temperature enhancement release (TER) requirements generally mandate that the temperature of the Youghiogheny River stay below 25 C, the flow is kept above 40 cubic feet per second, and dissolved Oxygen above 5 ppm. The necessity and duration of a TER are determined daily and are based on current and forecasted river and weather conditions.
The permit specifies a regular schedule for standard white water releases (WWR) and provides provisions for special WWRs based on local or regional events. The standard WWRs are essentially every Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM in June through August, with additional dates in the shoulder months of April/May and September/October.
For information on the WWR release schedule, current lake level, and operating status of the generators at the power station, Brookfield operates a website, with a screenshot shown in Figure 4 at https://www.safewaters.com/facility/deep-creek. This data is collected at the dam and is updated live.
Figure 4. Screenshot for Brookfield’s Deep Creek website
For downloadable data on current and historic lake levels and temperature, the United States Geological Survey maintains a page here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/03075871. This data is recorded at the State Park Bridge, and the monitoring system was paid for in part by the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation (DCWF). Water levels and water temperature information is also available on the Foundation website as well as information about DCWF’s projects, Board of Directors, Advisors, and more. Visit the DCWF at www.deepcreekwatershedfoundation.org
The State of Maryland attempts to balance the needs of various users of the waters of Deep Creek Lake primarily through the permit issued to Brookfield Renewable. This permit provides for withdrawal rates to support power generation, specifies releases for fish habitat and whitewater boating on the Youghiogheny River, and delineates predictable variations in lake levels for users of its surface waters. It is important to note that aside from electricity generation, all of the other uses are recreational – Deep Creek Lake was not designed nor has it been used in any meaningful way as a source of drinking water or as a flood mitigation reservoir. Each of the recreational uses has its own economic impact (and impact on other uses of these waters), so the hierarchy of users should carefully reflect these values.
