Pond Boss
Feeling pretty down guys. I put a lot of work into our little pond here, 1/2 an acre. Drought this year in east texas (pond is close to Lake Fork) is dropping it at an AMAZING rate. I am probably at 50% capacity right now and I don't really see it making it through another year.

Back in the great drought of 2004, it got completely dry...dead fish all over the bank including a 12lb largemouth (not a big fish out of Fork, all fish I stocked were small) my 1 albino catfish and of course the tilapia and redear/bluegill.

I do a ton of work on it, read all the time here on the forum...but if the pond dries up again I think I am going to call it quits and let nature take over. Between sprayings, stocking time, and the 1lb a week of golden shiners I put in I am at a bit of a loss for what to say.

Sorry to complain, just not too hopeful about the future.

I wonder if I can lay a line and get the river authority to approve me pumping water out of Fork into my little pond.

Wow, that's tough Cameron. I wish I had an answer for you, or at least one that didn't involve an unlimited bank account. I'm always saddened by news that shows one part of the country suffering in the grip of a relentless drought, while other parts are experiencing their highest water levels in decades. Some things are just beyond the scope of human understanding.

Sometimes, all you can do is accept the fact that the goals of a pondmeister are too far removed from the goals of mother nature. Given enough time and resources, one can sometimes contradict her plans, but, in the end, she always wins. Hers is the final word.

Keep your head up, remember, all it takes is one or two good thunderstorms to make a world of difference.

Whatever happens, you will have the knowledge you gained from this pond to put towards your NEXT pond. And I'm betting there will be another BOW sometime, somewhere, in your future. Life is kinda' funny that way.....
Been there also and no help in sight.

I think I would quietly(?) start an electric pump at night. I don't think you will adversely affect Fork.
I am just a short distance from you in East Texas and understand your concern. I have a pond that I think will be dry in a few weeks and others that are losing water level but hopefully will make it. I remember a few years back during the last bad drought here that I lost big fish even on the ponds that retained some water as a result of low oxygen levels. For that reason I have been taking more fish out of my ponds than usual anticipating that this could happen again. (Better in my freezer than dead on the shoreline.)
And hold out hope! We actually have 30-60% chance of rain over the next few days and another chance on the weekend! Radar shows thuderstorms to the West! Maybe we will get mercy from Mother Nature.
I got 1.7 inches here in Cowtown last night. Hopefully you guys got some of it.
What can you do to help the fish in there right now? Mine in the hill country is getting real bad too. What can be done while we wait for rain?
What can you do right now? As somebody said, you can try to pump some water in your pond until it rains.
But if you don't want the same situation in future, you have to think about digging pond deeper. Otherwise you can expect empty pond on 2013, on 2014 and maybe even every year.

Edit:
Aeration may help fish to survive. And better don't feed them much - some part of fish food won't be eaten and it will affect the quality of water (it wouldn't be so important in case when your pond would be full).
What exactly would be good if we started aeration? Is there a certain aeration pump to get per acre or what? How do you do it?
If you aren't aerating now, adding an aeration system will increase the oxygen level in the existing water, which will become critical as the water decreases (more fish per gallon of water remaining). You might avoid a fish kill with an aerator. I jammed all my fish from a 1/3 ac pond into about a 1/20th acre pond while I was renovating my pond. The water had a couple of inch visibility due to the sediment that was stirred up, but I only lost one 9" BG during the 4 month renovation.

I realize that adding an aeration system to a BOW that might dry up may sound silly, but it all depends on how many fish you have in the pond, and how much of a gambler you are. It won't help at all if you run out of water!

I just had Sue Cruz of Vertex Water Features map out a system for a pond. Give them a call and talk. It can't hurt!
Sorry to hear about the pond, it definitely makes you run the gamut of emotions.

I'm in the same situation, pond built in 2007, didn't fill till 2008, and never really maintained a decent water level. Now it's down to a mud puddle. I thought I did my homework, used a well recommended pond builder, and a retired NCRS guy for drainage evaluation, but it's just not happening.

I'm trying to decide where to knock out some of the dam to have a nice pistol/rifle berm and maybe a small ATV track. The money pit is stopping.
Dig a well. Best money I ever spent - no worries of drought and no sleepless nights.
I've got 2-3 feet of water left in my pond here east of Austin...

How bad of an idea is it to use a water hose (tap water) to try and raise the water level?

I understand the cost issues, but is the tap water guaranteed to kill the fish?

Thanks for any thoughts on the topic...
Bob:

How big is the pond? Is it well water, or treated city water?

Welcome to the forum!
You aren't the only with ponds about to go dry. We haven't good runoff in over a year.
My heart goes out to you all...watching your ponds slowly dry up has got to be devastating. I will be hoping for timely rains. If well water is an option I'd go for it...city water, not sure. Little chlorine and flouride doesn't seem like it would impact fishery, but I'm not any kind of expert. Cody or Eric would know...
I know bass do not tolerate tap water very good at all. We always use pond water when transporting them.

TJ, every time it rains its so dry that the ground sucks it all in or the next couple of days we are over 100 with 20 mph south winds just burning everything up. There is no subsoil moisture to speak of.
236 of Texas's 254 Counties have been declared Federal Disaster areas due to drought.
It is a serious deal. It is not just Texas either. It extends on up into western Kansas. Oklahoma is split between the west side being extremely dry and the east side doing fairly well as far as moisture.
Water wells are going dry in my area (Kansas), my 40' well is suck air, the 80' well that keeps my pond at full pool will be next…..not good. I now get to experience what some of you folks are going through.
We hit water at 90' - I told them to triple that just in case. I'm glad I did. Again will pray for timely rains - or any rain for that matter.
Originally Posted By: teehjaeh57
Dig a well. Best money I ever spent - no worries of drought and no sleepless nights.


I second this suggestion. Since you have a 1/2 acre that is a realistic solution. I also live near Lake Fork and this spring I looked at the water level in my pond - realized it wouldn't last the summer unless I took action - did some research Filling from a well? - then hired the well driller.

I'm now pleased to report the well is flowing and my water level is rising during the worst part of the summer. Fishing is great and we can be confident we will enjoy our pond year round.

Best of luck - feel free to PM me if you'd like contacts or references for the driller I used.
Well guys....

Decided yesterday she is done.

The pond is past the point of no return. I spread the word in our subdivision and told several people with children to start taking the catfish and bass out and clean them.

frown

We are a commerical site and have the pond located in our subdivison and backs up to our motel, drilling a well isn't an option or I would do it in a heart beat.

If anyone around Lake Fork would like the tilapia for their pond, please send me a pm or contact me by email info@lakeforkmarina.com May need to bring a seine or I can keep what I catch from a throw net in our minnow vats.

If I ever get this going again I think I am going to make it a bluegill/red ear pond with a feeder. I wish I had a source for warmouth bream smile Those are some evil fish.

Not really sure how deep I can make this pond, my father has a crew in this area and said he can drag down a couple of machines and probably finish it up in 2 days. He said he can take it as deep as I want...thinking 20foot?
Sorry to hear about the demise of your pond. How deep is your pond now? FWIW my 1/2 acre pond is about 16 - 18' deep when full and I doubt it would have made it through this summer without the well - it may have not gone completely dry but I don't think there would have been enough water left to sustain the fish population. This is worse than the 2006 drought in our specific area.
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