This is my first post, so please excuse any "flubs".
We have an approximately 3/4 acre pond that is about 18 years old and we are located in southern Illinois. We have a silt and muck problem. Pond was built "in a hole" and we had a lot of clay wash in for the first 3-4 years until we could get some grass and trees to hold onto the slope and stop the erosion. We also recieve ag run-off from grain farm next door. We get the run-off from about 5 acres of corn or soybeans. Also, have hardwoods (oak, hickory) bordering about 40% of the pond.
IN the shallow end, 6-8 feet from shore,we now (in midst of drought) have 12 inches of water and 2 feet of "muck". In the "deep" end, we now measure 9 1/2 feet of water. Factoring in the low water level due to drought, we have lost about 9 feet of depth.
We would desperately like to avoid draining or dredging. Is it realistic to hope that aeration plus removal of SOME of the muck (what a back hoe or track how might reach) will clean the pond out---- to clay bottom---within a few years? We've read the above posts, and quite a bit more. Where would we buy acrylic 3/4 inch pipe? Would Menard's or other home supply store carry this? What lengths does it come in?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. We greatly appreciate Pond Boss for the ideas and experience it makes available.
