Hi Everybody!
About two years ago, my family moved into a house in a newer development. There is a one acre retention pond in our back yard. Originally, the pond was very small, maybe 1/10th acre. About 3 years ago it was dug out by the developer to accommodate drainage. Since we moved in, the pond has always been very cloudy/muddy. I would estimate 6-12” or so of visibility. The pond varies in depth about 10-14’ deep in the center (rectangular in shape). When it rains, the pond does get muddier yet from the drainage and runoff. It gets better after a few days, but there is always a constant cloud of mud and the same visibility. Also the aquatic weeds grow like wildfire by summertime.
Late last summer, we installed a Vertex aerator with two diffusers. We hope it will help clear the water and cut down on muck. We’d also like to stock bluegill eventually.
I’ve been reading your forum about aluminum sulfate in muddy water. I did a basic test yesterday with three 2-liter bottles (2 with pond water, and 1 with tap water). I added ~1.5 oz of alum slurry (mixed at 2oz/2liter). Within 3 hours, the bottle with slurry cleared completely and the clay particles accumulated on the bottom. The pure pond water stayed the same. When I get home today, I will check the alum-free bottle to see if it settled itself. If that is the case, then something is keeping the clay suspended.
Is it worth the money to spray the whole pond with alum slurry to settle the particles? I ask this because I understand I am only fixing the symptom. The pond probably has a clay bottom. More clay enters the pond when it rains. Is the aerator keeping the clay suspended? The pond has always been muddy even before we installed the aerator. Are bullhead churning things up? I have never caught a catfish there.
For the record, using basic test strips, I recorded ph of 8.0, hardness of 150, and alkalinity of 300. Oh, and I am in West Michigan.
