Residents around Warren may have noticed that the water in Mosquito Lake Reservoir is creeping higher than it has in past years.

They would be right as according to the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that manages the lake and surrounding bodies of water the "pool level," the water level of the lake by itself excluding nearby rivers and creeks, is now at 902.55 ft.

This makes it the fourth highest level in Engineering Corps records.

The lake has only been higher three times:

  • 2011: 902.57 ft.
  • 1994: 902.58 ft.
  • 1947: 902.97 ft.

As of Friday, April 25, the lake sat at 7% of its maximum capacity.

On Sunday at noon, when the lake crested and reached its peak height, the reservoir was 62% full.

Andrew Byrne, a Public Affairs Specialist at the Engineering Corps, assures local citizens that this is actually a good sign. It indicates that the lake is working as intended and preventing flooding in surrounding areas.

In fact had Mosquito Lake not been functioning properly as a reservoir it would have resulted in moderate floods of more than three inches in certain areas of Niles and outer Youngstown according to Megan Gottlieb, Lead Engineer of Water Management at the Engineering Corps. 

The cause of the major height increase was all natural, according to Gottlieb, being the result of an unusual storm that stalled right above the lake for an extended period of time.

However, even with the unusual rainfall, Army Corps Water Managers were not worried about any form of overcapacity due to the presence of several fail-safes, including a unique natural spillway that would flow into Lake Erie, unlike all regular precipitation in the area that naturally finds its way to the Ohio River.

Gottlieb also expressed a pleasant surprise at the natural phenomena due to the lake's function as a guard against potential summer droughts.

If the downstream water near Youngstown were ever dangerously low, Mosquito Lake would open its gates and help increase levels back to normal.

Now with more water in Mosquito, Gottlieb and her team have "more ammunition to fight with," if it were ever to come to that.