Painters Pond in the Kettle is one of the most pleasant features of the Massanutten community. It’s a pretty spot, and a popular place to relax. Waterfowl enjoy it, and it’s great for fishing; Massanutten Resort spends more than $14,000 each year to stock it with trout, for the benefit of MPOA members and resort guests.
But the pond also serves several other important purposes. It’s the primary reservoir for snowmaking for the ski area and summertime irrigation of the Mountain Greens course. It’s also an important water reserve for firefighting.
You’ve probably noticed the pond is currently drained. The last major maintenance work on the pond was more than twenty years ago – and like many ponds, it has silted in over time.
The pond has been drained so that it can be cleaned out and returned to design depth. Just as importantly, a new water intake for the Pumphouse is being installed – and that’s kind of cool; the intake will involve rotating, fine-meshed screens designed to ensure that fish aren’t inadvertently drawn into the system.
That intake will inevitably clog with leaves, twigs and other matter – so once installation is underway, you’ll notice a rail system that will allow the pumphouse gang to retract the intake from the pond, clean it out, and return it to position.
The work is expected to be complete this fall, and the pond will then be ready to refill.
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