The Pond

First, a brief description may be in order. To give you an idea of the general climate and such the pond is located in a basically rural area not too far from Atlanta, GA in the USA. It is a rather small pond being just over an acre in size. (Approximately 45,000 square feet or 4,100 square meters. ) It's not a large pond but does support an abundant array of wildlife. In fact, the relatively small size lends a certain air of intimacy to the setting. The banks of the pond are kept clear for about 75%-80% of the pond with the remaining portion (primarily the shallow end) being allowed to grow free.
The pond is spring fed but also relies heavily on the annual rainfall which averages around 50 inches per year. The last 12-18 months have been unusually dry and we are still suffering from the effects of that drought which brought only about 40%-50% of the normal rainfall in 2007. The lack of rainfall evidently impacted the flow of the springs also as the ground water levels fell. The recent winter rains have brought up the level of the pond but it is still about 12-14 inches below full currently.