"A common misconception is that the Town owns Woodland Lake and controls the water within it. That is not the case." The Town of Pinetop-Lakeside posted that line on July 29, 2026, in a statement that asked and answered a question a lot of people walking the loop trail had been asking: "Why is Woodland Lake Nearly Empty?"
Most of the answer is weather. The rest is a property line that runs through the middle of Lakeside's best-known park. The Town owns the ground you walk on. A separate company owns the water, and that company's first legal obligation is to its shareholders. Since 2025, the Town has had no agreement that gives it any say over that water.
The Line Runs Along the Shore
Woodland Lake Park became Town property after a long effort. Pinetop-Lakeside and the volunteer group Save Our Park had set the goal of buying it back in 1987. The Town eventually took title to 107.88 acres through a quitclaim deed from the U.S. Forest Service, with a donation from the Peter and Nancy Salter Family Foundation, and Mayor Stephanie Irwin signed the deed.
The 107.88 acres cover the developed footprint: the path around the lake, the ramadas, the ballfields and the playground. They do not cover the water in the lake.
All of the surface water belongs to the Show Low-Pinetop-Woodland Irrigation Company. It's a private entity founded in 1874 to supply irrigation water to farmers and ranchers in Show Low, Pinetop and Lakeside. The Town's statement puts it plainly: "The Irrigation Company's primary legal obligation is to deliver water to its shareholders." The lake is older than most people assume. Hans Hansen built Woodland Reservoir around 1897, and it has always relied on seasonal runoff.
Put simply, Woodland Lake is an irrigation reservoir with a public park built around it. A White Mountain Independent story from the last time the lake ran this low summed it up: "When is a lake not a lake? When it's an irrigation reservoir."
Why Rainbow Lake Still Has Water
If the reservoir is fed by weather, you'd expect every lake in the system to drop together. They haven't. Rainbow Lake has held water this year while Woodland sat close to empty, and the reason is the order the water flows in.
Most of Woodland Lake's water comes from snowmelt and rain. The Town says last winter's snowfall was well below normal and the monsoon before it was weak, so very little runoff reached the watershed. Woodland's other source is Pinetop Springs, which feeds Walnut Creek on its way into the lake. Those flows have also been unusually low and at times dry.
Below Woodland, the water picks up more spring flow from Adair Spring, Big Spring and Walnut Spring before it reaches Rainbow Lake. Those springs keep running in dry periods, which the Town says "helps explain why Rainbow Lake may still contain water while Woodland Lake remains low or empty." Woodland sits at the top of the system and gets the weather first. Rainbow sits lower and gets the springs too.
A License, a Renewal, and a Lapse
The Town has tried before to secure some control over the water. Here's how that has gone:
- 2018. The Town signed a recreational and wildlife use agreement with the Irrigation Company for about $3,000 a month. Under it, water would leave Woodland Lake only when needed to serve shareholders, and not just to top up Rainbow Lake or Show Low Lake.
- 2022. A similar agreement was renewed.
- 2025. Near the end of the term, Town management concluded it was hard to justify paying for a lake with no water while the Town faced serious budget pressure. The agreement expired and was not renewed.
- August 6, 2026. At a council work session, Town Manager Salskov reported that the Irrigation Company was asking for $6,000 a month, double the old fee, plus Town help applying for grants for lake infrastructure. That money is not in the current budget.
- September 3, 2026. The council agenda listed an "Update and Discussion Regarding the Show Low/Pinetop-Woodland Irrigation Company and a Potential Agreement Between the Town and the Company." According to the minutes in the October 1 council packet, Salskov presented a draft. Because the $6,000 request arrived after the fiscal 2026-2027 budget was adopted, the draft had no cash payment this fiscal year. Instead, the Town would help find grants and could provide reasonable in-kind assistance, and the agreement would expire July 1, 2027. Council Member Fernau asked for a measurable minimum lake level in place of general "minimum pool" wording. Council Member Heisler said the draft did not give the Town definite enough benefits or protections. By consensus, council told the Town Manager not to present the draft to the Irrigation Company yet and to talk first with an attorney experienced in water law. No formal action was taken.
The August discussion shows what the Town is weighing. Council talked about writing an entirely new agreement instead of patching the old one. That would spell out the Town's financial obligations, water rights and use, accountability, and enforcement. Members also asked whether the Town could buy more Irrigation Company shares, since it already holds some, instead of paying a monthly fee. Other ideas on the table were a minimum pool, a possible well, a hydrology study, federal money for the dam, and recreational user fees as another funding source.
Every one of those ideas competes with other needs. The minutes record council repeating that public safety comes first, including police vehicles and staffing. Staff was told to keep researching and to hold off on the next meeting with the Irrigation Company until more is known. The Town describes the talks as having "resumed in a positive and cooperative manner."
The Dam Is a Separate Question
Some people have wondered whether the dam is the real reason the lake is low. The Town took that up directly. Inspections have found vegetation and tree roots growing into parts of the earthen dam, which the Town calls a common problem in older dams that will need attention over time. It also said "the dam condition is not the reason the lake is currently empty," and that with normal snow and rain the lake would hold water despite those issues.
As of July, the Irrigation Company planned vegetation work around parts of the dam "in the near future." The Town added that neither it nor the company can pay for a major reconstruction alone. We found no report since then that the vegetation work has started.
Where the Fishing Went This Year
Woodland Lake's low water also changed fishing plans for the whole area. In April, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said it would not stock Woodland Lake or Scott Reservoir with trout in spring and summer 2026, and that both boat ramps would stay unusable until the water came up. AZGFD's reservoir specialist for the region, Marshall Stuart, wrote in the August report that most reservoirs there were low "due to drought conditions and releases for irrigation."
The lakes AZGFD suggested as alternatives in the spring haven't all held up.
| Water | Latest AZGFD read, 2026 | What it means this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Woodland Lake | No trout stocking in spring and summer; shore or hand-launch access only, as of August | Walking and birding, not a fishing trip |
| Scott Reservoir | No trout stocking in spring and summer; ramp out of the water, as of August | Same limits as Woodland |
| Rainbow Lake | Stocked with rainbow trout the week of March 30 to April 3; no later condition report | Spring flows keep it wetter than Woodland |
| Show Low Lake | Hard to launch anything over 14 feet; vegetation pushes shore anglers toward the dam, as of August | Bass, panfish and walleye at dawn and dusk |
| Fool Hollow Lake | Water level and quality "remain poor," both ramps closed, catfishing "quite good," as of September | Catfish, with AZGFD encouraging anglers to keep what they catch |
| Big Lake and the Rim Lakes | AZGFD's August pick for trout | The drive for anyone set on trout |
AZGFD's September note on Fool Hollow suggested keeping fish because dropping water could lead to a fish kill. These are monthly snapshots. None of the sources we reviewed measured Woodland Lake after the monsoon, so the late-summer picture is the most recent one available.
What's Still Being Decided Along the Path
The water is out of the Town's hands, but the path is not. On August 6, the same work session that took up the lake agreement opened with Police Chief Dan Barnes presenting a draft ordinance on bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters, skateboards and similar devices, based partly on Flagstaff's rules. Much of the debate was about whether e-bikes belong on paved and unpaved multi-use paths, "including areas such as Woodland Lake and other Town trails." Council weighed pedestrian safety and speed against the value of pedal assist for older riders. Members floated posted speed limits on certain paths as an alternative to an outright ban.
A revised draft came back on September 17. No adoption was requested, and council sent it back for formal consideration after any required public hearing. The October 1 agenda did not include it. Save Our Park still holds volunteer work days in the park. At one led by Jeff Stearns and Cathy Purvis, volunteers installed and repaired trail signs, made trails easier to use, and found the submerged Big Springs outlet in the beaver pond.
Until the Town and the Irrigation Company sign something new, the lake's level depends on how much snow falls this winter. Back in a different dry stretch, the Town noted that "it is possible for one good winter to completely refill the lake." For more on getting outside in town, see our guide to outdoor living in Lakeside, or browse the Lakeside neighborhood page.
If you own a home near Woodland Lake Park and want to talk about how this season looks from a buyer's point of view, Erin Amos keeps track of these council sessions and can give you a straight answer. Start with a free home valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
