I believe this pond was originally used for cows. It is partially built up with a berm on the backside and is fed from watershed from a good sized hill. There is a drain pipe in the bottom of the berm that is open, it partially fills with water in the spring but slowly drains. I'm not sure how long the pond has been kept drained but I would guess it's been at least 7 years. In that 7 years many trees have grown up around the edge and are now pretty big. My question is , can this pond be resurrected if the trees are removed and the silt is removed? The trees are growing in the berm, if we cut them down, will the rotting roots cause leaks? Would it be better to tear down the berm and start over?

This is not a large pond, I am guessing that it would be about 40 X 70 when filled. I am really just interested in attracting wildlife, and only stocking the pond with fish to maintain a balanced pond.

Can anyone recommend a pond builder in the Dayton, Ohio area?

Thanks in advance for any help
Jean

Sounds like the cheap and easy answer is to plug the pipe and fill her up and see what happens. The trees around the periphery will die when water covers them. They will fall eventually fall into the pond and provide cover for fish and wildlife. If you have too many trees, chain saw some and drag them away.

Concerning the roots, they probably do not grow through the dam. Willows that grow behind a pond are bad about doing that, but if your trees are on the water side of the dam, they should not have sent roots through it. They have enough water where they are.

Well thats too darn simple!! I think I must be trying to make it harder than it has to be. With the drain in place, it would not be hard to drain it later if we find that it needs to be revamped.

Thanks for the reply,

Jean