ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Low water levels are reflecting the impact of this year's mild winter weather.
Due to less snow, Hinckley Reservoir is about 10 feet lower than normal for this time of year.
That can translate into sixty or more feet of shoreline depending on the location.
Water from the reservoir is used for local drinking water, a canal system, a hydro-electric company and recreation.
Even with the low level, the Mohawk Valley Water Authority Executive Director said the drinking supply is safe for now.
"We use about three percent of all the water that passes through Hinckley Reservoir on a given year. The other ninety-seven percent of all of that water goes down the creek. It's really how you release it, stage it and maintain that storage that dictates what the water levels are. That's something that's totally out of the control of the Water Authority," Patrick Becher, Mohawk Valley Water Authority Executive Director.
Officials will continue to closely monitor the water level through the coming months.