How to empty out a reservoir ... Mount Bold, Clarendon and the river

How do you empty out a reservoir? This is the challenge at Mount Bold right now, where the dam is due for a major "safety" upgrade. It must be couple of years ago when Dave and I were there, and a knot of guys in hardhats were clustered in a bunch, talking in undertones and looking ... concerned. About that time, SA Water lowered the level in the reservoir, took it waaaay down, and now -- well, this, from the SA Water website:

"Mount Bold Reservoir Reserve will be temporarily closed to visitors from Monday 4 May for around three to four weeks, while we use heavy equipment and machinery on site, as part of early investigative works for a dam safety upgrade.

The water level at Mount Bold has been lowered to enable this part of the project to be undertaken, and there will be an opportunity for the public to view a near empty reservoir from usual access areas, following the completion of the works."

Cool. But how do you empty out the reservoir, down to zero, without flooding something or someone? The answer --

Carefully! You work out what the river can carry at one time, open the spills juuust enough ... and the result is a full river (which you very seldom see), and some picturesque views. Make the most of it ... soon enough, the river will be back to reed beds and levels so low, it can be more like a chain of unconnected ponds.

We'd heard the news, and went to Riverbend Park, behind Clarendon, on Tuesday, to take a look...

...and yes, I'm loving the Lumix camera. It's not just that it's s light and easy to carry in (and use with) one hand, but it also captures excellent images. 20MP is a godsend.