Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Alum Kicks Clay Butt!

I have a pond that appears muddy. However, when I dipped up a jar of it, it didn't look all that bad. After a week, I saw a very small amount of sediment at the bottom of the jar. Would alum help?

No it hasn't cleared yet. We will probably wait till the grass starts growing before we try using the alum.

Dave, go to a grocery store and get a little bottle of alum and try it out. It should only be a buck or two.

What if I drained my pond and spread alum all over the bottom then refilled it? Would that hold the mud down?????
AZBLUE

Welcome to the forum azblue! Sure glad you're joining in!

To answer your question about ground application of alum---Not too well. Alum is intended to remove already suspended particles. There is a product called Silt Stop that amkes the ground soil stick together and contains bio-safe polymers that prevent turbidity and are used in construction areas. Send me a PM and I will get you the company contact info.

Rainman;
Thanks a lot. I really need to get this yuck settled down. Where do I find Silt Stop? What's a PM? Sorry, I really don't know!
I have some Catfish in the pond. Do they keep the water messed up?
AZ Blue

PM= Private Message

When you say catfish, what kind? Channel don't disturb the bottom much when foraging, where Bullheads and common carp will muddy any waters.

Do you have exposed clay above the waterline? If so, that will need to be vegitated before anything will clear the water.

Have you done a jar test? Put some pond water in a clear jar and let it sit undisturbed for several days. If the water clears something mechanical is muddying the water (fish, wave action, cattle, etc) If nothing, or VERY little settles to the bottom, other means will be required to clear the suspended solids. (alum, barley straw, hay, polymers, lime, gypsum, etc)

And how many catfish are "some"? Very large populations are more likely to stir up bottom sediments while looking for food than small ones.

I was thinking about clearing up my pond now even though it is not full yet. Should I go ahead and clear it now or wait?

Do the exposed clay areas have cover or did you cover it with topsoil? If not, incoming clay will suspend since the aluminum will sink to the bottom with the floc.

The only exposed clay is in the pond basin.

What about the uncovered pool area Chris? Covered with some vegitation? How turbulent will the inflow be in a heavy rain event? Stirring up the flocculated solids won't be an issue. new solids will.

No vegitation at the moment.

The watershed is relatively flat until it gets to the pond where it then changes to a 1:5 slope for about 25 feet.

I think you're better off waiting till it's full. If you put your FH in yet, they seem to like the muddy water.

Did you throw some Ag lime in yet? It's cheap delivered and can't harm anything. It may clear the water on it's own and will continue to floc incoming solids. Plus, if you DO need to use alum, you may not need the hydrated lime.

If you want to clear it now and your inflow is pretty confined, you could add a pond log to floc out any incming colloidal clay. You can also suspend one or more above an aerator to clear the pond slowly.

What's a pond log? A barrier at the input or?

Dave, The pond log is the name of a relatively new product specifically formulated with polymers to rapidly floc suspended solids from water. It was first designed for construction soil run-off control. Set up correctly in stages 1000's of gallons per minute of muddy water come in and crystal clear water flows out. It appears to be getting some very good reviews and is relatively inexpensive at about $100 per "log". The company does a free water sample test, sends you the results along with the formula number/qty required.

When I can get back to my pond, I plan to try their complete "Silt Stop" system. Here is some info. http://www.siltstop.com/flog_log_aps_700.html

IIRC, Sue has tested it. Greg Grimes may be a distributer--not sure.

Used all the time in erosion contol in ATL. Never tried the logs in pond. I will apply alum this week to pond sealed with sodium bentonite. It has been 6 weeks since complete and stil very turbid. I will let yall know results.

Rainman,

This is what I am dealing with( look at the left bank). The grass is going to be planted soon and will be irrigated. I think I have around 450 feet of bank. I may just clear it now and go back and do small applications as needed.

Chris, I have far less exposed are than you and after one medium rain, all the money spent on alum was wasted. The Alum does not stay in the water column. As the negatively charged particle attach to the positively charged aluminum, the Floc falls to the bottom and only helps to settle back out what is disturbed, ie like when you walk in it after clearing.

Been there done that! Wait till you get vegitation to control the erosion and run-off. Try about 15 ton of ag lime thrown into the pond and around the edges---it can only help.

A suggestion for mixing the Alum, use a trolling motor (if you have one). I found that I use half the amouunt of alum when mixed with a trolling motor for the same results verses simple paddle mixing. I do this in a 55 gallon drum and then spray the results with a 2" trash pump. I spend 10 minutes letting it churn. Since the 4" rain we had the other day here outside of Houston, I have a terrible clay problem.

Great idea Ken! If I used a trash pump, I might try to fire it out through a reducer for distance and improved spray though......Maybe a 1/4" or 3/8" pipe nipple about 4-6" long.

Good point Rainman. I actually shoot it across the pond with a 1" hose, necked down from the 2" outlet. This allows me to shoot it a good 80 to 90 feet, with a pretty good pattern.
Since this is a new pond constucted last fall, and has a tremendouse amount of clay, I am trying this spray method on the banks to keep the bermuda seed/grass to grow. We have had such a bad drought here in central Texas, any means to get grass growing and hopefully keep that darn clay in the ground verses the pond is a good idea. I am ready to line/spray the banks with gunite if I can't solve this very strong clay problem.

If you have a bottom diffuser, mix it up in your boat and just keep pouring it in the bubbles. I've had pretty good luck with mine clearing up after a rain since it was 1st put in a year ago.

Alum (Aluminum Sulfate) mixed with Gypsum in a 55 gal drum worked well for my 3/4 acre pond. It turns to milk chocolate after heavy rains due to ag run off. The slurry needs to be sprayed across as much surface area as possible. You will see results in a couple of days. Don't over apply--- will change ph.