Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Poor Watershed

I own a newly constructed pond. It is just over two years old. My goal is to manage for trophy LMB. We received above average rainfall after construction and water levels rose well after a few months. It was stocked with BG and FHM the first fall after construction and followed with F-1 fingerlings in the spring. I have recently caught and released some one pounders so the LMB seem to be developing ok. My concern is that the watershed is inadequate. There has never been outflow, even following torrential rainfall. There are huge fluctuations in the pool volume, going from 2 acres at greatest to less than one acre during natural winter drawdown. I worry that as the fish increase in size, they will be stressed by the low water levels. I am considering having an irrigation well drilled to supplement the water input. Anyone heard of this being used as a successful tactic? Would ph and hardness issues be expected? I would expect that could be minimized by keeping the levels relatively constant and avoiding a large irrigation influx. The pond is about 3 ft below max now. Advice appreciated.

Hi Buzzman and welcome to the Pond Boss Forum!

My watershed is too small to support my ponds so I dug a well before I even broke ground on my ponds. I am topped off 24/7/365 and feel it's one of the best investments a pond manager can make - along with feeders and aeration.

There's a ton of info on here regarding drilling wells for supplemental irrigation. First call I'd make would be to your county NRD/NRCS and ask them about well drillers in your county and if they know anything about water availability in your area. Next, contact well drillers and ask them all about their experience in your neck of the woods: Is there water? Average depth? Any salinity/other issues with water quality? Chances are there's a well driller who has popped wells very near your pond site for ranchers, farmers, or acreage owners and will have a pretty solid idea of what your situation may be.

Depending upon where you are in TX, Bob Lusk and Mike Otto can probably suggest some solid well drillers if you happen to be in their area [Whitesboro].

Depending on the depth your costs will vary. I suggest keeping a small pump [5 hp or less] as it costs far less on electric meter. I run a 5 HP which pumps 50 GPM and it costs $300/mo if I run it 24/7, which I have only had to do once - when I topped them all off.

Keep us in the loop on how you proceed - I'm sure others will chime in with well experience. My advice - if you can afford it, absolutely DO IT - it's well worth avoiding sleepless nights during droughts.

There are row crop irrigation wells on my farm but not near the pond. They have a good aquifer at 60' that produces over 900 gpm. I don't believe water availability will be an issue.

Thanks for the input.

That's one heckuva flow. How is the ph and alkilinity of the well water?

Remember this...one acre, one inch deep, is 27,000 gallons.
An acre is 43,560 square feet.
To raise a two acre pond one foot, you'll need 648,000 gallons of water.
At 900 gpm, it will take 720 minutes, or 12 hours.
That's a lot of water.
I would want to know the water quality of the well water. Most aquifer water in Texas is great for fish, but some isn't so good. Some well water, when pumped into a pond, oxidizes the dissolved metals and causes the pond to become muddy.
What part of Texas does your pond and well reside?

The current well is used only for row crop irrigation and hasn't been analyzed. We are in the Red River bottoms near Texarkana.

I don't have electrity there and I am trying to figure out what diameter well I would need and the best way to drive the pump. I do have an 85hp tractor. Is it possible to have a pto driven pump? Would an electric generator and motor be better? I would really only expect to use the irrigation a few times a year, so don't want to go overboard on a pumping unit if I can help it.

Welcome to Pond Boss Buzzman.

Buzzman we have some great reference material available right here at your fingertips.

When it comes to pond management, one of my most favorite books is "Raising Trophy Bass" and it's available right here at the Pond Boss Store. I have read this book over and over, it's about much more than just trophy bass, it discusses the dynamics of pond life in such a manner that even a bean counter can understand it. If you don't own it I highly suggest that you purchase it.

As for the the folks that responded to this thread previously, shame on you for not recommending this book, all of you are now on top secret double probation.

This probation is so secret even Mr. Lusk doesn't know about it and now he's on the probation list!

Check into renting a large pump.