Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Muck Bottom - HELP

I've got a 5 acre pond that was dug on an existing bog about 50 years ago. Since it was an old swamp to begin with, the bottom was all muck. The ground got too shaky for the dozers and they stopped with the deepest part being about 8 feet. It's always provided great fishing and has never had a winter kill (it is aerated). I'm worried that the muck will just continue to get thicker and the pond will get ever shallower. The high nutrient content of the muck has always created a weed problem but that is now controlled with grass carp (almost too well). Is there any way to deepen this pond? Could there be clay under the muck if we go deeper? Would the best option be draining and digging, digging some deeper holes with a dragline excavator, or using dredge equipment? HELP!

Gus, welcome to Pond Boss. Sooner or later one of the guru's will provide some answers for ya so stay tuned.

Post photos if ya got em!

Gus,
if the aeration system is sized properly for the pond, it should not only help stop muck accumulation but help decompose what was there to begin with. aeration experts could help more here.

if the pond is not leaking, you could safely assume you have good clay soils under it, however, anytime you dig deeper, you risk breaking the clay seal......it would help to evaluate how thick the clay might be either through doing a couple test pits, revieweing local water well log information, or having a reputable pond/geo/engineer consultant take a look at yer place....then determine excavation methods if you go that route.

assuming the aeration is doing its job, and if the pond is fishing good though, why do you want to deepen it? what are yer goals?

I'm just worried that it is going to winter kill one of these years. It is so shallow in places (less than 1 foot) that it could freeze to the bottom in places if we have a harsh winter. It's tough to get a boat around in the shallows and tough to fish in only a foot of water. There is only one area of about half an acre that is still 7 or 8 feet deep. I've thought about using a long arm excavator to just dig some deeper holes around the edges, but I don't even know if that's possible.

Gus:

Removal of silt from ponds tends to be expensive because you're not just moving dirt, you're also handling water, and you have to move the dirt twice (get it out of the pond, then move it somewhere else). If it is possible for you to add depth by raising the dam, this is frequently a much more cost effective way of increasing volume (and acreage). See Lusk\'s comments here.

Two other threads to read on silt removal:
Cleaning out silted pond.
Renovating an old pond.

It is possible to deepen areas from the shore; master equipment guy Eddie Walker (actually, Eddie seems pretty good at everything except keeping a barber gamefully employed) notes that you will not be able to dig as far into the pond as you might think.

Anytime you dig out silt you may run the risk of piercing your water retaining clay layer; the size of this risk varies immensely with local soil conditions.

I am 99% sure that the new Perfect Pond book has good info on renovation; I will double check my copy tonight and confirm that. I highly recommend you buy a copy.

On Perfect Pond:

I made a huge understatement. Chapter 4 is "Renovating an Existing Pond" and is chock full of priceless information and advice for the silted-up pond owner, all for the cost of a book. Plus you get all the other chapters, too.

there is a "homeowners dredge" made by piranha pumps that would work quite well. By dredge standards, pretty cheap.For most folks, a little cost prohibitive though. About 7k. Still, if you start pricing dredgeing rates, it could pay for itself,If you do the work. Good luck.

I just used a 4 inch trash-semi solids pump to clear about 2500 sq feet of Muck 6-10 inches deep in an afternoon...

What specs are important on the trash pump? Which did you use? I would like more information on how you did this. We are now in the market for a trash pump.

It was just a regular trash pump.. Not a water only pump.. I thought it worked great..

I replied to your PM..