Notes:
An 18" drawdown has a limited effect on nuisance weeds, but it is somewhat helpful.
The principal reason for a drawdown is to protect the dam itself.
The drawdown creates some capacity for winter melt and spring rains, so that water won't exceed the capacity of the spillway, run over the top of the dam (that's called "overtopping"), and start eroding the earthen crest of the dam.
Normally, we try to refill the dam towards the end of May. But not this lat. Because of work we needed to do on the dam, the water level had to be kept low well into June - after which we had a drought which prevented the Pond from refilling until Fall.
This year, we should be back to normal, with a refill at the end of May.
