(Ed Note: When water needs to be released to increase the flow in the Lamprey River System, the dam is opened alternately in Pawtuckaway Lake and Mendums Pond. When water from Mendums Pond is not available, as in this drawdown, all the needed water must come from Pawtuckaway Lake)
In 2015, Mendums Pond was drawn down 20 feet below full lake so that major repairs could be made to the Mendums Dam. This repair took over a year to complete and Mendums did not reach full lake level until 2017. You can read the NH DES bulletin about that activity here.
Despite that major rebuild, in 2014, the dam bureau felt that more major work needed to be done and the lake was again drawn down 20 feet in the fall of 2024. Here is a quote from the NH DES Dam Bureau website.
“Mendums Pond Dam in Nottingham will have a deep drawdown this fall for reconstruction of the downstream part of the dam. The project is split into 3 phases and when each phase is completed, the pond may be filled incrementally. Worst case scenario for 2025 will be the pond at complete drawdown and best-case scenario is to gain some pond through the summer and fall. Variables such as weather, availability and timing of subcontractors, etc. can impact the schedule and is challenging to forecast”