Responding to my two previous posts, a neighbor across the pond told me she’s unconcerned about the high water “because I don’t think it is high, especially not for early spring.” That begs the question. It’s not the high water per se that’s at issue; it’s the slow rate at which the high water recedes that’s worrisome; it leaves the pond vulnerable to flooding.
High water is normal in the spring from snow melt and rain, but the rain was little and late this spring. It was not until on March 7th that a full day of rain melted most of the remaining snow and produced localized flooding. There have been only brief showers since.
More than two weeks later, the pond finally returned to its normal level. In prior years, before the flood-induced silting of Chester Brook, that return to normalcy would have taken no more than several days.