Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Muddy Water - How Much? Where?

My pond is 18 months old, 3 acre surface, 27 ft at deepest point, was filled with well water and was clear. Then gas company used pond to frac gas wells, blowby from pumps stirred up clay and the clay has not settled since. I know I need to add alum, but I need advice on how much and where to purchase. Pond is now half full, about 5 million gallons. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum cowpoke!

How about getting the gas company to foot the bill for the alum? They have a duty to repair damages---especially to water!

Do a jar test first to make sure it is suspended clay. Put some water in a glass jar and let it sit undisturbed for a week. If it clears, something else is causing the problem. If it doesn't clear, read through this thread...... Applying Alum

I generally use 75 pounds per acrefoot of water.

Thanks for the response Rainman. I have collected the pond water and let it set for several weeks...the water remains muddy. I'm pretty sure the problem is suspended clay. I have tested the pond water, in a glass jar, with gypsum and lime, and both clear the water. In all my research, it appears that it would take a lesser quantity of alum vs. gypsum or lime, thus cutting down application time and possibly costs.

Since I'm new to this muddy pond issue, maybe you can advise an old cowpoke how to determine the acre/foot of the pond and where I might purchase large quantities of alum (cheap).

As far as getting the gas company to pay...it's not going to happen! So, this cost is on me.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

An acre foot of water is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land 1' deep, or approximately 326,000 gallons.

Are there fish in the pond your trying to keep alive??

Cowpoke, check your soil PH first in a few areas around your pond and if it is below 7.4 and IF a spreader truck can back up to your water, start with 5-10 tons of AG LIME being spread into the water and around the edges, especially any inflow areas. I say this for three reasons.

#1) Ag Lime can not raise PH quickly or above 8.2 and it will be a buffer of future PH swings.

#2) It is usually less expensive than the required amount of Alum.

#3) If the Ag Lime does not clear the water on it's own, it will buffer any future application of Alum and reduce the potential PH drop that can occur

#4 of 3) Ag lime is not a chemical, even though Alum is considered generally safe to use.

I'm probably going to have to do this too. How do you do the calculations when you have uneven depths? The far side of the pond near the dam is 12-14 feet deep and about 30 feet wide but the depth varies, the other half of the pond ranges from 4-6' deep. Total surface area is about 1 1/2 acres. Do you average the two and start with the lowest amount and add to it if it is not effective? Also, how much (ballpark) should AG Lime cost per ton delivered? I've heard $27 from a neighbor. Not sure that is a reliable number.

Anna, around my pond, it is $10 per ton delivered and spread.

Any idea on the amount I need?

Anna, you should get a soil sample tested to see what the actual PH is. You may not need any lime but, AG lime is safe to use. 2-5 tons per acre spread as evenly in the water as possible would be a good start without the sample test.

Should I test the soil around the pond or soil out of the pond. We have a great nursery about 5 miles away that does the testing for free. Also, if it is pond soil, do I need to let it dry out before testing?

Anna:

With your pond renovation, the soil right outside the pond probably pretty close to what is on the pond bottom. I'd grab some from under the water or as close to the pond as you can, depending on how brave you are! As for how dry it needs to be, I don't know, but I'll bet the nursery does!

Got a sample yesterday. I just waited until they dug out a few bucket's with the excavator and grabbed a quart bag of it from the shore. Worked out perfectly. I'll drop it off today.