After 8 months of muddy water on our new pond I decided I have had enough. I have tried hay with no change or clarity. I spoke with Dr. Billy Higginbotham last week from Texas A&M who is a pond specialist and he mentioned to me that they used to reccommend hay but don't any more. I know that many on this forum have used it successfully. I put the hay in about 4 weeks ago. My concerns grew this past weekend when my kids went for a swim in the deepest part of the pond. As they were swimming I noticed greyish water coming up from the depths and it smelled awful. They were not touching bottom - it seems that the water from about a foot below the surface had that strong odor and grey color. Dr. Higginbotham reccomended that in East Texas the pond likely needed lime as the starting point.
I had the water tested at the county extension office in Quitman, Texas on Monday and they suggested that I add 3 tons of lime to my 1.5 acre pond with an average depth of 5 feet. Pott's feed store in Quitman is charging me $50 per ton and is delivering it and applying it to the pond for that price. Seems very reasonable to me. They have a large truck that can sling it 20-25 feet into the water. The extension office also suggested running over the dam a couple times slinging lime across the clay to further help the grass. I'll test again in 2 or 3 weeks and report back on the progress. Both the county agent and Pott's feed store felt pretty confident that the lime alone will make a big difference, as they have made this suggestion to many in our area. The county agent suggests that gypsum may be needed if I want it really clear. I would welcome any additional input or advice.

"Our Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, Simplify" -Henry David Thoreau -