Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources Help me find a good measuring stick......

Looking for a quality measuring stick to determine in the first year of my pond, the exact maximum/evaporation loss and day to day height of water within my pond to help establish weather i get a well dug next year or to help figure out where and how high to build the permanant dock.
Wondered what you guys recommend for this, it will need to be free standing, not get all algea'd up, big numbers etc.

Any ideas?? I was thinking of a contractors scale but they are always made of wood, Ill want stainless I am thinking.

Any ideas?? I thought about making one and placing decals on it, but it seemed a little too hard when surely, there is something like this out there already.

Thanks guys,
Mark (Salmonid)

Mark:

Off hand, I can't think of anything commercially available that would do, except possibly survey sticks as used with a transit. IME those are collapsable, so they would have to be secured in an extended position so they don't slide down and lose your reference.

If you end up having to make one, you might consider using color coding instead of numbering. Electical tape (3M Super 35) comes in many colors and will stick to painted wood, plastic, and metal well in the water. You could use a different color for each foot marking and black for every 2 or 3 inches in between. I think the colors would be easier to identify at a distance (or with a algae staining) than written numbers.

I have about a 4' ruler type made of aluminum, heavy duty, flat about 2" wide; picked it up at auction somewhere so I know they make them. I nailed it to my dock rail to measure fish (my first thought was to use it as you want but I didn't do that--preferably to put something on the dock footer where I could see it from the bank with the highs and lows.

I'm doing it the easy way. I drove in a long t post until the top was even (approx according to a level) with the bottom of my overflow. Then I measure how low the pond is. You could keep a log.

Ok; when the pond is occasionally, very occasionally, close to full I have to guesstimate. In a pinch, I could put a yard stick on a pole to reach the post.

What about marking a piece of pvc?You could concrete it into a coffe can for a stand maybe?

I'm with MarkECIN....
Menards sells aluminum yard sticks.
Eddie Walker wades out into about 2' of water and sticks it into the bottom. Done.

Ah! Someone who know where I can buy a second one to nail to my dock footer. Yippie! Thanks, Brettsi! Dot

I like the PVC idea, Ill see what I can come up with and post some pics.
Thanks for the ideas folks, i appreciate it.
Mark <><