Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Friend of mine bought some property.....

A friend of mine bought some acreage with a nice little pond on it.
this is inlet end


this is the dam end with tall trees on it


This is where the dam leaks

Water is very clear with a few fish but not hardly any minnow activity around the edges. I do see some bluegill nest holes in the inlet end, but they don't look recently used. Haven't checked depth but the shore edge is very very shallow angle to the middle from what I can see. Earlier this summer he mowed and cut brush from around it, so it looks good. But I suspect pond has had no management for a decade at least. probably more.

I would suspect only real fix would be to remove dam and start over. Any other suggestions?

Is it badly silted?

It looks like it is filled in pretty good. Just looking at the back side of the dam, I don't think it was too deep to start with. I'm guessing it isn't over 5 to 6 foot deep in the middle. I need to check it out with by casting a bobber and a weight sometimes.

That's right. I would drain it by cutting the dam in the late spring, then rebuild in late summer after it dries up. Remove all trees, roots, and stumps, cut a new core.

In the long run, it might even be cheaper to fill this one in and build a new pond below it, considering all the sludge that will be in the existing one. That's what I SHOULD have done with my renovation, just pushed all the brush in, and the old dam on top of it.

If the budget and space allows for a new pond below it, why not leave it there for a sediment-forage pond? You could also drain the water in it, to the new pond below during drought.