Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Grit160, Falcons_King, Aakash, REDRIDER07, Sparkyyc
18,441 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,872
Posts556,783
Members18,441
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,365
ewest 21,463
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,097
Who's Online Now
6 members (Fishingadventure, catscratch, 4CornersPuddle, DON, FishinRod, BackyardTrout), 685 guests, and 201 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#481133 10/16/17 11:39 AM
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 10
T
OP Offline
T
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 10
Hello,
Within the last 2 - 2.5 months we have noticed our pond's water line going down. We have a pond that is a little less than 1/4 acre located about 30 minutes SW of Cleveland, OH. I would venture to guess that it is down about 1.5 feet, maaaybe as much as 2 feet. We have river rock lining the pond and the water line is down to below the rocks and you can see the clay/mud on the sides. Now, I know that we haven't had much rain in this area, some say its drought conditions. But, I tend to worry so I want to make sure that this amount of water loss in this area is normal?

I called Aqua Doc, a local pond maintenance company, and they wanted to send out their pond construction crew, but they are booked until spring 2018. They also hinted that it could be a muskrat problem. I have not seen a muskrat or any evidence of their activity. The pond bank on one side is heavily overgrown as it abuts a stream. So, there is no way to check for muskrat activity on that side. This pond is also aerated and we have 2 dogs, so I would guess it's not ideal for Muskrat living. Just need to be talked off the ledge if that amount of evaporation is normal. Thank you!

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,714
Likes: 281
R
RAH Offline
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
R
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,714
Likes: 281
If you can locate a local trapper, they can probably check for muskrat sign better than anyone.

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
I'm in North Central Indiana and my pond is down between 4 and 5 feet due to lack of rainfall. It's also a water table pond so it follows the height of the water table in the ground.


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,058
Likes: 7
D
Offline
D
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,058
Likes: 7
Yes if the water is low you will see the rats holes. With a 1/4 acre pond that should be an easy job. Check your local rain data. If you aerate 24/7 you will have a good 1/2" or more per day. To the math against your local rain fall data.

We have not seen any substantial rain in two and a half months in Ontario. The hurricanes normally would bring a week of rain every time there is one but they would not make it up to Ontario. The weather just pushed them east with just the tails catching us.

Our pond is at its lowest it has ever been. We do pump it full with a pump from a drainage ditch but that ditch has been dry for two months.

Cheers Don.


[Linked Image from corvettejunkie.com]
http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4


7/8th of an acre, Perch only pond, Ontario, Canada.
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,885
Likes: 142
C
Offline
C
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,885
Likes: 142
esshup, dono, any rain over this past weekend? South of us by Kalamazoo had 5" and Western MI Univ football field was completely under water. WE had just over 2" and it was very much needed, the pond filled back up nicely. Hoping you guys get the rain you need!

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
I emptied my rain gauge before I left for Texas. When I returned, it had 3" in it. The pond is lower than when I left for Texas.

It's about as low as it ever has been. The fixed platform for the dock is 12' long and this spring it was 6' out into the water. The walkway is 16' long and it overlaps the floating portion of the pier by about 18" at full pool.

The part of the floating dock closest to the shore is now resting on the bottom of the pond.

A client nearby that has an area that is roughly 4:1 slope has 40 feet of exposed pond bottom.........

How do you plan and place cover in the shallow areas of the pond that won't look like a junk yard when the water drops??


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668
Likes: 57
T
Offline
T
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668
Likes: 57
esshup, assuming low water is due to drought but will Muskrats in low numbers reduce water levels when burrows are in the dam area? If so, they must really do some serious digging. I think I found some rat holes at my pond this week. And for me, my water level remains really low right now due to drought at my farm (I missed all the hurricane rains) and I think the diffusers play a role with increased evaporation, if it does, I am assuming you are running diffusers also.


Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.


Tracy
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
The only worry I'd have about muskrat runs/dens is the ground caving in when walked on or rode over with equipment or mowers. If they dig deep enough to cause water loss, the water would be showing up behind the dam. (I think) If that is the case, once the water gets to that level, it will stop leaking.

I have not seen any difference in the amount of water loss with diffusers running or without diffusers running.

Some quick googling and some math revealed some info on how much water vapor air can hold at 100% relative humidity.

O.K. Here's something to think about if I did my math correctly.

Running an aeration system that puts out 1 cfm of air for a day
will remove 1.63 fluid ounces per day providing you start with 0% relative humidity and the air bubbles once they hit the water surface are at 100% relative humidity.

That's in a 24 hr period. So, that's why I am not seeing any loss of water in the pond due to aeration. That is if I did the math correctly.

What I found was 1 Cubic foot of air can hold 0.01725 fluid ounce of water at 100% RH. My math skills aren't the best, so maybe someone else can double check my figures.


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,424
Likes: 19
J
Offline
J
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,424
Likes: 19
Evaporation rate directly depends on the difference in water surface temperature and the dew point temperature of the air. Wind is another factor. Aeration, particularly at night, would tend to lower water surface temperature, thus retarding evaporation at the water-air surface. If the surface temperature of the water is at or below the dew point, there will be no evaporation, regardless of wind. In fact, in late winter, when a rare gulf air mass comes over us, a pond can actually gain water by absorbing it from the air.

Example: With a surface temperature of about 45 and a dewpoint of 65, a pond will gain a small amount of water from the air.

More frequently, in late summer, we experience high evaporation, with water surface temps in the upper 80's or low 90's and dew points in the upper 50's or low 60's. Any wind makes evaporation greater.

You folks in central Texas may experience even greater differences between surface temperatures and dew points, and stronger winds.

Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668
Likes: 57
T
Offline
T
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668
Likes: 57
I am most likely wrong when it comes my pond and my thought process. I have killed a few fish as I did things in the past 3 yrs. But it just seems to me I loose more water per day since I started running the diffusers. So, after seeing the your thoughts on this, maybe I have a larger leak today. My pond has always had seepage somewhere and will lose around a 1/4" per day during the summer. Some to evaporation and some to seepage I am guessing.

Last edited by TGW1; 10/21/17 06:22 AM.

Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.


Tracy
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,365
Likes: 774
You can find evaporation tables for your area on the NOAA website (I think). Evap rates vary from day/day to season/season and location makes a difference too.


www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 10
T
OP Offline
T
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 10
Wow, thank you guys for the info. It is still slowly going down. I put some snow stakes in there to mark the water level's progress. In about 3 days it went down another few inches. I am keeping an eye on it but so far no sign of holes. At the level it is at now, they would have to have about a 15 to 20 ft tunnel to get from the creek side into the pond.


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
PasquotankPond
Recent Posts
Horizontal vs Vertical (big bass)?
by FishinRod - 03/18/24 09:41 PM
Watershed or Groundwater Pond?
by FishinRod - 03/18/24 09:30 PM
What did you do at your pond today?
by FishinRod - 03/18/24 09:23 PM
Pond needs help!
by Falcons_King - 03/18/24 06:31 PM
A modest proposal
by anthropic - 03/18/24 06:29 PM
Hybrid Striper Stocking Frequency
by esshup - 03/18/24 05:26 PM
Rust in Small Engine Gas Tank
by esshup - 03/18/24 05:17 PM
Bladderwort problem
by ewest - 03/18/24 02:49 PM
Managing black crappie
by Sunil - 03/18/24 12:47 PM
Reducing fish biomass
by Snipe - 03/17/24 10:08 PM
Water hyacinth woes: Dredging?
by esshup - 03/17/24 05:52 PM
I'M NEW SO BEAR WITH ME
by FishinRod - 03/17/24 04:12 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5