Maybe, but the lake has a HUGE drain into the gulf. Maybe someday, we will get to the bottom of it.
I don't know the particulars of lake P, but from the photos of the bridges damaged that I have seen, it looks likr nearly ALL of the fallen bridge sections fell at odd angles in to the lake, and are still there...
could these have a significant effect on outflow?
"To: SolomoninSouthDakota
Maybe, but the lake has a HUGE drain into the gulf. Maybe someday, we will get to the bottom of it."
The Lake IS above its normal level.
The outlet to the Gulf IS exactly as big as the maps show it to be.
The flow through that outlet IS however many gallons per second it is carrying out now.
Since the Lake IS above normal levels, and the outflow IS what it IS, the inflow MUST exceed the outflow at this point.
The inflow can only come from two places.
The river, which drains so much of the US that you can't view all of it and the Lake on the same scale map, AND
The area around the Lake which is inundated from the storm surge and the rainfall.
I think the fundamental thing you arer missing is that this is a dynamic situation.
There is NO water IN the Lake.
All the water is flowing THROUGH the Lake.
More is coming than is getting out.
When that is not true, the level will drop.
While it is, the level will rise.
The guys with big calculators that get paid to calculate exactly this equation say that the level is rising.
My money says they are correct.