I'm struggling with my inflow pipe once again and am working on a final solution. However, I was wondering on how much your water level varies over the course of a summer. I'm guessing it shouldn't vary at all.

If you go through a dry spell, you can expect some variation, particularly if you don't have a creek or spring in flow. Evaporation will occur and you will lose water volume. Water levels can also change with water table depending on how your pond was built and designed.

I'm not sure what part of PA you are in, but if you are southern or central, I would assume your weather to be quite similar to mine.

We have been at full pool since last fall. But, that is unusual. I've seen my pond go down at least 18-24 inches, with about 12 inches being the norm. We usually go below full pool by early to mid July, and don't get back to full pool until sometime in October -- unless we get the remnants of a tropical storm or hurricane. However, I see other ponds around us that stay full year around, and others that go dry when I'm only down several inches.

So, in the words of our good friend Bill Cody -- it all depends.

Got an inflow running from a spring. Last year it went down about 3 inches. This year 9. Should I be concerned? SPCA is correct.

It will vary according to your soil, and how well it was compacted/sealed.

I have a groundwater based pond (very sandy soil, no clay and the pond water level is dependant on the amount of water that is in the soil for it's water level)

Here's what a 40" drop in water level looks like......

my ponds this year dropped around 18"-24" depending on which one. The little one was down 24, the big one 18. This is extreme due to the drought - I would say in the 7 years I've owned the place the average summer drop is in the 7-14 range.

This is great information. Thanks.