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Large pond questions



Subject: Large pond questions

> This may be a little off-topic for these lists, but I thought I'
> the problem to the groups in the hope that someone has some advi
> can point me in the right direction.
> 
> Anyway, my friend has a farm out in northeatern Pennsylvania. La
> they had a pond constructed on the property from a fairly wild a
> crops growing here). The pond is about 1/2 to 1 acre on the surf
> goes as deep as 12-16 feet. It is fed mostly by runoff from the 
> (in this part of PA, all you have to do is stand still, and you 
> the water running under your feet).
> 
> They had is stocked with some sunfish and Bass this year, and I 
> fish are ok. There are no plants in the water, it's basically a 
> THe water is silty, with a light brown tone to it. Visibility fr
> surface is no more than 12" or so.
> 
> I'd like to be able to recommend to them what they can do to a) 
> the water and b) improve the conditions for the fish. I was thin
> on the 'uphill' side of the pond, that they dig out some of the 
> replace it with coarse gravel (or scrap rock that can be gotten 
> local quarry), to provide a kind of mechanical filtration for th
> that keeps the pond filled. I hope that this would reduce the si
> help clear the water.

Silting is usually a sign of an unstable bank, which in turn is 
the sign of a lack of vegetation.  A natural pond would _not_ be 
free of plants!  He could greatly improve water clarity and 
provide more natural food and spawing habitat for fish and other 
wildlife if he planted lots of emergent wetalnds plants along the 
edges of his pond. (he can leave a sand or gravel "beach" for 
viewing) If it were my pond, I'd probably introduce fully aquatic 
plants as well.  Plants are nature's "water purification system"!

One caveat... with a large pond like this that could potentially 
spill over and conaminate other natural water bodies, he should be 
careful to use _only_ native plants in his pond.