Goin' up, up, up

There must be more water being released from the dams, as the lake level has jumped again. These are pics from the La Reserva Seawall, which is about 5 meters high. The water level has been climbing up it all season. Two weeks back, I could reach down from the top and extend my arm and just barely touch the water. Now it is lapping over the wall!

Quite a picture. The lake level is getting close to the highs of 2008 and 2010.

The lake has crept up and over the retaining wall at the SAT málecon creating a mini lake over by the bridge and undermining the walkway.

2005, the water came over the road at the bridge going to Vista del Lago. Flooded some fields and a couple of small buildings.

Never saw that again.

If you can get to this link    Lake levels by year
It will show you when the water was somewhat higher than 2005

Move your mouse over the chart and you can see that date and the height of high water each year.

It appears that whoever built our ancient casa was thinking of possible flooding since the structure is considerably elevated from the street. I have also noticed that the main plaza in Ajijic is a uphill walk from 16 de Septiembre, as is the church.  Hmmmm?  Anyone know the lake history from a century ago?

CheckTony Burton's  site not the forum but the article side. If I  remember correctly a long time ago I  think reamabout the history of flooding back then. 

Several years ago I  posted pics of Chapels flooding all the way up to the Cazadores building. CB might be able to find at least the pics and hopefully there was a link or some other info.

http://www.lake-chapala.com/lake-chapala-title-

Not the flooding or maybe.. was in a hurry.

https://www.google.com/search?q=chapala+flood+pics+a+century+ago&client=tablet-android-verizon&hl=en&tbm=isch&prmd=nisv&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifkaPL1sfeAhUq0YMKHeVDCZQQ_AUIESgC
Some more

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3112-lake-chapala-part-4-2002-follow-up-to-saving-mexico-s-largest-lake

In depth from MC site. 

Sorry for not digging deeper limited time..

"[size=34]At the eastern end of the lake, farmers had tried several times to gain permanent additional land by draining parts of the lakeshore. Calls for more land, and more control over the position of the edge of the lake were renewed following a drought in 1896, and the very low lake level the following year, when the hydro plant had to be taken out of service for lack of water. Engineers decided to build a dam at Poncitlán to regulate the River Santiago and conserve water in times of plenty.[/size]
[size=34]A few years later, in 1904, very high floods following the rainy season made landowners even more unhappy. The inauguration of the Poncitlán dam in 1905 ironically meant that water levels remained high each year for longer than usual in the much-coveted eastern marshes. In several places, including Jamay and La Palma, local landowners constructed dykes to prevent the water from covering their fields. Levées were built along the Lerma and its tributary the Duero.[/size]
[size=34]Manuel Cuesta Gallardo, a native of Guadalajara, had a much bolder vision, which reflected how successfully Europeans had increased their areas of farmland through drainage and reclamation schemes. He convinced President Porfirio Díaz to award him a concession for the 50,000 hectares of land that would be gained by constructing an 80-kilometer-long earth bank from La Palma to Maltaraña, to completely amputate the eastern end of the lake, the area known as the Ciénega of Chapala. The scheme, designed by engineer Luis P. Ballesteros, also involved digging major drainage channels. All the work was done by hand. By 1908, the work was complete.[/size]
[size=34]The following year, disastrous floods overwhelmed the earth banks, destroyed bridges and wrecked crops. Further floods in 1913 caused further damage, but all the dykes were rebuilt by the following year. While the scheme has certainly not prevented occasional flooding, it has increased the agricultural area in the region. But at what cost? Critics say that the delicate ecological balance of the lake was destroyed for ever. The marshland’s natural sponge-like ameliorating effect, soaking up excess rainfall to make it available again in times of drought, was gone for good."[/size]
[size=34]http://geo-mexico.com/?p=768[/size]

We could tell Guadalajara that they need to drink more water and take more showers.

The why of the lake high may be because I think the new reservoir on the far side of Guadalajara is now functional and/or I also wonder if the pipe that takes water from the lake to Guadalajara has been repaired? It used to leak like a sieve.

I wish the OP would post a current picture of the same place.

CanuckBob wrote:I thought the pipe was fixed a couple of years ago hence the steady rise however I didn't know about a new reservoir.

It was like pulling teeth to get this information since I'm not a subscriber and the site is incredibly slow to load and navigate. I'm hoping that Slainte may have better resources and knowledge. This site gives you dribs and drabs of three different dams that would affect the lake and two of them are on hold. The El Zapotillo dam is the one that I thought would have been finished by now since we first heard about it 10 years ago and it was started. It's not finished but...

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/waterandwaste/amlo-to-continue-construction-of-el-zapotillo-reservoir1

Any other reliable info that anyone trips over would be most appreciated.

More...
http://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/privatization/spotlight-3-dam-projects-under-construction-in-mexico

More...
http://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/waterandwaste/spotlight-guadalajaras-us444mn-dam-el-purgatorio/

More...
http://www.bnamericas.com/en/features/waterandwaste/troubled-waters-mexican-dam-projects-surrounded-by-controversy
One of the dams in the above link IS finished but it's in Michoacán... I'm trying to find out where it's located and if it's affecting the lake now.

Can't edit the above link any more since editing ability is timed out.

So, I don't think the Francisco J. Mugica dam affects the lake... but ya never know... zoom out on the location map. Point being is that if a source is no longer being used then the water goes elsewhere???
http://www.rccdams.co.uk/dams/francisco-j.-mgica---formerly-nueva-italia/

No kidding! I'm a block and a half from the lake in Riberas.