Many newly built ponds in my area are muddy because of suspended clay. One of the things I discussed with my NRCS guy was that I would like non muddy water. He suggested putting as thin of layer as possible of topsoil back in the pond so water was exposed to less clay. Some of our subsoil clays suspend in water, some do not give a problem. Silt in the topsoil being larger particles than clay will settle out where some fine clays will not.
I did so and lining with topsoil did give me a pond without the normal muddy clay turbid water.
That is the good part to putting topsoil to cover the clay bottom. The bad part is it introduces fertility so may make any FA or plant problems you could have worse. If you line with topsoil you may have no need to fertilize to get an algae bloom.
I built another pond very near without putting topsoil covering the clay. It is clay turbid and muddy looking. I fertilized to get a bloom. It will clear eventually as the bottom gets a muck layer. At least all old ponds around here eventually clear unless bullheads are keeping it stirred up.
So it is a mixed bag putting topsoil back in to cover the clay. It depends.
Last edited by snrub; 08/04/17 01:21 PM.
