Pond Problems and Solutions: Applying Lake Management Techniques to Ponds
Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)common minnow.
Yellow Bullheadacceptable pond sh.
Black Bullheadundesirable pond sh.
Smallmouth Buffaloacceptable pond sh, usually not destruc-
tive. (From Texas Chapter of American Fisheries Society.)
Common Carpundesirable pond sh. (From Texas Chapter of
American Fisheries Society.)
Grass Carpsometimes used in ponds for aquatic plant control.
(From Texas Chapter of American Fisheries Society.)
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Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)common minnow.
Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus)common minnow.
Spottail Shiner (Notropis hudsonius)common minnow.
7.7 SMALL-SCALE DREDGING
7.7.1 MECHANICAL DREDGING
To remove sediments from ponds, either a backhoe or a
backhoe mounted on a barge will often work. Cities com-
monly use these techniques for maintenance in stormwater
ponds, especially around culvert outfall areas. Sand is the
dominant sediment type by culvert outfalls. Silt and clay
particles settle out in deeper water.
A backhoe can be used to reach the sand buildup. Sand
by itself does not represent a nutrient problem, but it can
reduce the ood storage volume in a pond. Also, sand deltas
cover the ponds seedbank and reduce rooted plant growth.
It is usually cheaper to use mechanical dredging tech-
niques than hydraulic (pumping) techniques in ponds.
Dredging the pond deeper will not signicantly improve
water quality conditions in 4- to 8-foot shallow ponds. It
may help decrease rooted aquatic plants, but it is an expen-
sive plant management technique.
7.7.2 HYDRAULIC DREDGING
Removing sediments by pumping is expensive. In urban
areas, the problem is nding space for the dewatering site.
Hydraulic dredging projects in Chapter 5 describe several
techniques that would work for ponds.
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7.8 UNIQUE POND PROJECTS
7.8.1 FERTILIZING A POND
Thats History
Commercial fertilizer has been used in the control
of [several aquatic plant species]. Apply 100 pounds
of 684 and 10 pounds of sodium nitrate per acre...
the algae shades the weeds so that they become
detached and oat in large decaying masses.
Smith and Swingle, 1942
When the objective is to increase sh production and limit
rooted aquatic plants, fertilizing the pond has been
employed. It is a technique used for ponds, not lakes.
Today, the emphasis in lake management involves reduc-
ing fertilizer inputs.
Most ponds are already sufciently fertile. But fertil-
izer might improve sh production in ponds with phos-
phorus concentrations below 0.05 parts per million.
By fertilizing ponds, you decrease water clarity but
increase algae, the base of the lakes food chain. As the
algae increases, so does the zooplankton, because algae
is their food source. In turn, the number of small sh
increase, serving as forage for big sh.
The same nutrients that promote a bumper grass crop
or corn crop also stimulate algal growth in ponds. Basic
fertilizer nutrients include phosphorus, nitrogen, and potas-
sium. If you decide to add nutrients, fertilize a pond in
the spring after the water reaches 55F. Use an emergence
fertilizer, such as 882 (8% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus,
and 2% potassium), and apply it evenly at a rate of 50
pounds per acre.
Pond fertilizer formulations are available and ready to use.
Cabelas (Tel: 800-237-4444) is one source.
Lake & Pond Management Guidebook
A water clarity (Secchi disk) reading of 18 inches (the
distance at which a white disk disappears from view)
indicates that a pond is sufciently fertile and producing
algae that may increase pounds of gamesh.
Be careful, however. Once a pond is fertilized and algae
have become dominant with aquatic plants diminished, it
will be difcult to return it to clear-water conditions.
7.8.2 CLEARING UP MUDDY WATER
If excessive pond turbidity is caused by suspended sedi-
ments or algae, then reducing turbidity will benet plant
growth, sh populations, and lake recreation.
If algae are causing excessive turbidity, remedies are
discussed in Chapter 2. If suspended sediments are caus-
ing muddy water, reducing the visibility to 2 feet or less,
sh production and desirable plant growth are adversely
affected, as well as recreational activities such as shing
and swimming.
To clarify muddy pond water, rst determine the type
of sediment turbidity in your pond. Fill a quart glass jar
with water from the lake and let it set for a week. If most
of the sediment settles out after a week, then something
in the water is stirring up the sediments. Possible sources
include sh, waves, storm inows, or even muskrats.
To prevent suspended sediments from being stirred
up, use one or more of the following techniques:
Reduce watershed sources of the sediment
Build windbreaks of trees or bushes
Stabilize shorelines and streambanks
Establish vegetation in nearshore areas
Reduce the size of outboard motors allowed on
the pond, or eliminate them
Remove the roughsh
If the jar that you set aside is still cloudy after 2 weeks,
the sediment is probably clay, and it may not settle unless
you take action. It is tricky to remove clay-sized suspended
sediments from the water column. However, if they clump
together, they become heavy enough to settle. The chal-
lenge is to get the particles to aggregate. If particles have
an organic coating on their surface, this neutralizes elec-
trical charges, the particles may not aggregate, and the
clay-sized particles could take years to settle out.
One solution to this problem is to add something to
the water to make the clay particles clump together. Straw
and agricultural gypsum are two additives that have been
used successfully. A third additive is alum, which physi-
cally removes the clay.
7.8.2.1 Barley Straw
It is not precisely known why or how barley straw bales
promote clay aggregation that results in clearer water.
Nevertheless, applying two bales of good straw for each
Pond Problems and Solutions: Applying Lake Management Techniques to Ponds
surface acre every 2 weeks usually clears the water. Green
barley seems to work best.
Apply no more than four bales each year. Break up
the bales, repack the straw into mesh bags, and stake them
at the end of the pond. Barley straw also has been docu-
mented to control nuisance blue-green algae problems.
Other types of vegetation do not work as well.
7.8.2.2 Gypsum
Calcium sulfate (gypsum) is available from lumberyards
or fertilizer dealers. It requires large doses and may take
a week or two to clear the water.
The gypsum dose is about 525 pounds for each acre-
foot. If turbidity remains after several weeks, dose again
at about one fourth the original strength, or 130 pounds
of gypsum per acre-foot. You may have to add a couple
of bags a year after that to maintain the clear water.
7.8.2.3 Alum Products
Aluminum sulfate (alum) will also remove turbidity and
is faster acting than gypsum. The water will be clear several
days after it is applied.
An alum dose is 50 pounds per acre-foot. Alum is
available from Aquatic Eco-Systems (Tel: 877-347-4788).
You may have to add this product twice a year to maintain
clear water.
7.8.3 FIXING POND LEAKS
As a rule of thumb, if a pond is losing water faster than
6 to 12 inches per month, the pond is a candidate for
bottom sealing.
To seal the bottom, one approach is to disk a dry pond
bottom to about 8 inches and mix in bentonite (1 pound to
1 square foot) or clay (5 pounds to 1 square foot). Then
compact the mixture with compacting equipment. Estimates
for this work range from $1000 per acre for disking and
compacting, to more than $17,800 per acre ($0.40 per square
foot) for 6 to 12 inches of a bentonite and sand mixture.
Bentonite, a swelling clay, is mixed with soil and then compacted.
This forms a bottom seal for a pond. (From Tourbier, J.T. and
Westmacott, R., Lakes and Ponds, 2nd ed., ULI, The Urban Land
Institute, Washington, D.C., 1992. With permission.)
275
Geomembranes (tough, rubber-like sheets) can also
be used to seal the pond. Place the geomembrane on the
bottom and cover it with 6 to 12 inches of sand to protect
it. Costs for installing geomembranes start at about $0.40
per square foot.
Geomembranes are one option for sealing a leaky pond bottom.
The geomembrane should be covered with 6 to 12 inches of sand.
In some cases, the pond may seal itself. After extended
dry periods, large cracks sometimes appear in the bottom
sediments. When the pond rells, some seepage will occur
initially because water will escape through the large cracks.
However, after several months, the clay or peat will expand,
the cracks will diminish in size, and the seepage will slow
down.
If a pond is losing 1/2 inch to 8 inches of water per
day, consider applying a sealer to a pond with water in it.
The added material will ow to the cracks or holes and
plug them up. One example of a waterborne product is
ESS-13 added at 1 gallon for every 2000 gallons of water.
ESS-13 is a liquid polymer emulsion that has the consis-
tency of heavy white vegetable oil. It can reduce the loss
rate by 60 to 90%. The drawback of this method is that
the sh should be removed prior to application. ESS-13
is a product of Seepage Control, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ).
REFERENCES
Dillard, J.G., Missouri Pond Handbook, Missouri Department
of Conservation, Jefferson City, 1989.
Henderson, N., Landscaping for Wildlife, Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources, St. Paul, 1997.
Lopinot, A.C., Pondsh and Fishing in Illinois, Fishery Bulletin
5, Illinois Department of Conservation, Division of
Fisheries, Springeld, IL, 1972.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Lake Management
Planning Guide, Special Publication 132, Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, 1982.
Schneider, J.A., A Fish Management Guide for Northern Prairie
Fish for Ponds, Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Fish Wildlife, St. Paul, 1983.
Texas Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Stocking and Man-
agement Recommendations for Texas Farm Ponds.
Assessment and Corrective Management for Fish Pop-
ulations in Small Impoundments, Special Publication 1,
available from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, TX,
1986.