Photo By Michel Sauret | A sudden burst of rain stalled over Trumbull County over the weekend, dropping more...... read more read more
TRUMBULL COUNTY, Ohio – A sudden burst of rain stalled over Trumbull County this weekend, dropping more than two inches in less than 24 hours and raising the water at Mosquito Creek Lake to a historic level on April 27.
“Even though we anticipated some rain this weekend, the weather system stalling over the lake was not foreseen by anyone,” said Tim Hough, the supervisory resource manager at Mosquito Creek Lake.
The storm pushed the reservoir to reach 902.55 feet in elevation, making it the fourth highest pool on record since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the dam to form the lake in 1944.
The difference in lake levels was visible. Water levels rose by more than a foot-and-a-half, from 901 feet to 902.55 feet between Friday and Sunday. That jump moved the reservoir from just seven percent of its flood storage capacity to 62 percent in one weekend.
“Mosquito experienced a large and unexpected weather system, but as always, the project and our team delivered to protect the local area from this type of unpredictable event,” said Col. Nicholas Melin, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, which is responsible for the reservoir.
The reservoir stored the rain just as designed, preventing all that water from overwhelming downstream communities.
“This was an unexpected event,” said Megan Gottlieb, the Water Management Unit Lead for the Pittsburgh District. “There was no high-water forecast. The storm stalled directly over the lake. It was isolated, powerful, and fast.”
While weather models missed the storm’s severity, the reservoir did not miss a beat. The dam at Mosquito Creek Lake performed as designed, capturing excess runoff and sparing communities such as Niles, Leavittsburg and Youngstown from potential flooding.
The reservoir’s response is a reminder of its mission. Mosquito Creek Lake has prevented more than $915 million in flood damages since it was built in 1944. The lake can store runoff equivalent to 29 inches of rainfall across its 97-square-mile drainage area.
It also provides a municipal water supply, supports aquatic ecosystems, and enhances recreation for the region. The surge in water levels may even provide an unexpected advantage in the months ahead, in case a drought occurs.
“This gives us more ammunition to fight with if drought conditions arise this summer,” Gottlieb said. “We’ll be able to release water to support downstream flow and water quality when needed.”
Mosquito Creek Lake’s highest water elevation on record was in 1947, when the pool reached 902.97 feet in elevation. Mosquito Creek Lake’s top five water elevations recorded are:
1. 902.97 feet – June 4, 1947
2. 902.58 feet – April 1994 and June 1989
3. 902.57 feet – May 16, 2011
4. 902.55 feet – April 27, 2025 (current event)
5. 902.48 feet – May 1983
As the lake reached its crest on Sunday, engineers carefully increased outflows to ease the pool level without overwhelming downstream channels. By Monday, the district planned to increase releases up to 960 cubic feet per second (CFS), just below the downstream channel capacity of 1,000 CFS.
The operations team successfully adjusted flow levels thanks to coordination between on-site crews and water management engineers, which supports the mission at Mosquito from over 90 miles away in Pittsburgh.
“This kind of adaptive response shows the professionalism of our operators,” said Vincent DeCarlo, the Pittsburgh District’s operations chief. “The way our specialists and experts responded this weekend was awesome to see.”
That message resonated with Albert Coglio, the district’s Chief of Emergency Management. Coglio stressed the importance of communication across district offices and partnering agencies in real-time updates, even on weekends.
“Top five pools are high visibility events,” he said. “We are constantly ready and vigilant to notify municipalities and first responders when needed.”
In rare cases, if the lake reaches an elevation of 904 feet, water could spill northward into a tributary of the Grand River and eventually into Lake Erie, a unique feature of Mosquito’s design. But that scenario remains distant for now.
Gottlieb noted that although 904 feet is technically possible, the recent crest remains more than a foot below that threshold right now.
“We’re monitoring it closely, but we’re not near the natural spillway yet,” she said.
Even so, the event highlighted the value of continued investment in dam safety and coordination across agencies. As Mosquito’s waters begin to recede, lessons from this storm will shape future responses.
“These storms don’t always give us notice,” Gottlieb said, “but when they hit, it’s reassuring to know our reservoirs are ready.”
For a reservoir that cost just over $4 million to build more than 80 years ago, the value it provided this weekend alone was immeasurable.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2025 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 496471 |
| Location: | TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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