Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel informed the public via Facebook that while the levels at Mozingo Lake are lower than average, they have not yet reached critical conditions.

McDanel said the city does regular testing of the water levels at the lake and as of August 7 the lake levels were at 16.9 feet, slightly lower than the July average of 17.1 to 17.4 feet. The lake is typically at a level of 19 to 21 feet, but recent drought conditions have led to the lower water levels.

The city does not begin to be concerned about water quantity until the lake reaches around 14 feet. At that point, the city would begin to introduce basic watering restrictions such as limiting lawn watering and car washing. While being only three feet above the critical level may worry many residents, McDanel said there is still plenty of water separating the city from having to implement these water restrictions.

“We are very fortunate to have the water supply we have,” McDanel said. “Three feet from concern doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re talking about a 1,000 acre lake, it’s a lot of water.”

McDanel also wanted to point out that simply comparing water levels now to where they were last year can yield a skewed perspective.

“It appears significantly lower than a few feet down because of last year’s flooding,” McDanel said. “Last year we had flooding at Mozingo that reached historic levels. Never had water into the areas we had on the golf course or other areas due to significant rainfalls we had last summer. We were at 23-24 feet at this time last summer, so when you compare that to where we are now at 16.9, it’s a large difference. So you are seeing area with coves that are dry and you’re seeing a lot of shoreline erosion, too, which makes it look even worse.”