Full pond is an American phrase used to describe the water level of a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

or other body of fresh water when the level is just below the

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

, or is otherwise at a maximum, sustainable and safe level. Technically, a body of water can have a water level higher than full pond when the inflow of water into the body greatly exceeds the outflow (such as during a heavy rain event), even if the body of water is not at full flood level. Most lakes and reservoirs have the ability to lower the level of the lake even when it is already significantly below full. This is used for

flood prevention Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: #Further reading, Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or ...

during periods of high (or potentially high) inflow to prevent flooding and to prevent water from breaching containment when it is expected the body of water will soon exceed full pond status.

See also