Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Buying 2.23 Acres with small pond Help Plz :D

HekCid, welcome to the forum!!!!

Signs of leaks would be first, and only "real" concern. Based on the pictures, and without knowing the last significant rainfall before the pictures you posted were taken...It looks like a well thought out pond. Erosion control is set up, the water appears to be over full based on the pontoon float dock. I'd imagine it could use Ag Lime, having high acidity pine trees at the water's edge, yet fish it and find out what you have.....the beauty of a smaller pond is that even if you need to kill it off, the cost is fairly low.

Dam integrity, primary drain integrity and erosion control are the primary concerns....next is water quality and watershed concerns, followed by fish present. Remember, except for the original stocking numbers, a pond is always going to be out of balance, and that is where keeping good catch records can come in handy when managing numbers are needed.

Look for wet spots behind the dam....look for erosion in the pool area below the water line....look for sunken places along the banks to see if muskrat dens have collapsed. Look for "wet" or soft spots on the backside of the dam...look for erosion or signs of water seepage under the primary drain pipe....Look for signs that water has flowed over the emergency spillway...this could indicate the watershed is too large for a pond too small...and or the primary drain is inadequate.

Edit....It doesn't look like you have a "primary drain"...only an emergency spillway. On the bright side, the e-spillway looks to be pretty well graded with a slow slope and has rip rap (though small) to help reduce erosion or a washout. The spillway is also built to direct water away from the toe and base of the dam....just judging by the pictures, the pond looks to be well built and in good shape....