Summer Water Loss… Is it a Leak or just Evaporation?
Many pond owners do not realize how much water can evaporate from a pond during the dog days of summer. As the temperature rises, water loss is completely normal! It's not unusual to see increased water loss and an increase in calls about leaks in the summer months.
Typically, you can expect a weekly water loss of 2”-5” in warm weather conditions. Factors influencing water loss include pump flow rate, sun exposure, rainfall, and stream length. Water loss is impacted by several factors, including cloud-cover or sun exposure, humidity, wind, rainfall, and the length/size of the water feature. For example, the longer a stream, the more water is exposed to the air, greatly increasing evaporation.
While water loss can indicate a greater problem, in most instances, the simple explanation is often the correct explanation. For a pond to lose ½” – 3/4” of water per day under certain conditions is not terribly uncommon and is probably no cause for alarm.