The recreation lake at elevation 1,080 msl has a surface of 1,090 acres and a length of 4.2 miles. Spillway crest elevation is 1,117 msl. Most of the time the dam operators release water from the dam independent of other dams' operations.
Water is released through the gates in the dam control structures.
The dam operators get weather information by telephone and the internet from the National Weather Service. Stream level information is received by the internet and over the radio from stream and rain gauges on the watershed. These four areas are all very important to monitoring high water and water quality. The WCQS has overall control of water release of all the dams in the district. Also, there is a radio drill every Wednesday with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which controls the areas downstream of the dams.