CountryByNet.com Forums :: Keeping a Pond Clean...

kellenw, Here is a rough sketch (really really rough) that will help, I hope, in describing the situation.

North is at the top. The horizontal lineat the top is the highway running E-W. A seasonal stream runs in a culvert under the highway into #1. It gets runoff from the pastures and pond overflows on the north side of the highway. #2 overflows into #1 (no drain pipe.) #1 overflows into #3 with no drain pipe. #3 overflows through a drain pipe into the seasonal stream leading to #4.

#5 overflows into #6 down a seasonal creek. #6 overflows via drain pipe into #7 which overflows via drain pipe into #4. #4 drains off of the property via seasonal creek.

# 8, 9, 10, and 11 are isolated and do not drain into another pond on my property nor are they fed from another pond on or off my property. Note, #10 is the pond with no number in the sketch.

Here are their characteristics:
1. Pretty clear most of time. Clears fast after a rain with or without overflow from upstream.

2. Like #1 except receives no overflow, just watershed.

3. Mostly clear, some turbidity but not red muddy look.

4. mostly clear, gets muddy from overflow from muddy pond upstream (#6 & #7) but gets clear again in a few days.

5. mostly clear, clears up quickly after a rain.

6. Always muddy (red colored) varies in degree but always poor visibility, never clears but not quite so bad as #7.

7. Always really muddy with red muddy look, never clears.

8. Always very muddy, never clears.

9.Always clear except after hard rain but clears up again quickly.

10. Always clear except after hard rain but clears up quickly.

!!. Just built, not even 10% full has only experiences 3 inches of rain. Hope for clear but may be muddy, we'll see.

Before I built #6 I observed #7 to always be very muddy and when it overflows into #4 it made #4 muddy too but #4 would clear right up while #7 stayed perpetually muddy. Then I built #6 which receives overflow from a clear pond, #5, but stays muddy anyway.

It is as if #4 is "ordained" to be clear and when made quite muddy by runoff from #6 and #7 it clears itself up in a few days.

Some of these ponds have springs or seeps feeding them as well as watershed and upstream sources. #6 has clear springs/seeps running into it as does #4 and probably #1 as they both are drought tolerant.

The overflow drain pipe for #6 dumps directly into #7 which in turn Dumps directly into #4.

I think the biggest mystery is why #4 resists staying muddy and why #7 and #6 stay muddy. I was told some fish stir the mud but #6 was muddy for the 2 years before it was stocked.

Reviewing the drawing I realize I have lost count. There is a 12th pond which is small like #8 but stays clear except for cloudiness after a hard rain. #8 is bright red mud color all the time. I have never fished it and don't know if it has fish. It has turtles and frogs.

The ponds froze over with a thin layer of ice a few times but are thawed now. It was in 40's last night and will hit low 60's today. On sunny "warmish" days between cold ones the turtles come out on logs to sun themselves. They can't digest food when their internal temp drops too low so they sun themselves as an aid to digestion.

If I could do something not terribly expensive or difficult to make some of the muddy ponds stay clear I would be happy even if I never found out why some are muddy and some clear by their nature and why they defy change.

I understand the comments regarding erosion and moving water as a source of turbidity. Last year was the worst drought on record in the state. The muddy ponds stayed muddy as they tried to dry up. the clear ponds stayed clear. Some of the clear ponds are spring fed and those stayed nearly full AND CLEAR. #6 stayed muddy and did not get too low as it is also spring fed.

Solve the mystery and I will submit your name in a drawing where you may qualify to win a swell prize.

Pat

"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"

Edited by Pat (12/20/07 08:57 AM)

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