Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Dualing Ponds

I have a seven acre (now four acres-drought) that has a small farm tank mated to it at the fenceline. Meaning the farm tank is my neighbors across a fence. It is connected by a canal and is slightly higher. So I do get runoff when it rains (ha!) and continual mixing when the water is high (normally spring and fall).

Question: Are there any negative effects from cattle, or whatever, that I should be aware of? I am sure this has been discussed before and would appreciate any guidance.

Thanks.

The runoff from the cattle rich area will bring a lot of excess nutrients into your pond, very likely causing algae (FA) problems.

Besides the high organic nutrient levels normally associated with cattle manure, you probably have an elevated count of coliform (E.coli et.al.) bacteria which could pose a health hazard.

A cow craps everywhere it steps. It both grows and kills plants. Yes, it could be a problem if your water is naturally fertile. However, I've seen some ponds in pine tree country that were mostly infertile except for manure. They grew some beautiful fish.

They also are going to erode the bank and wade in the water. The best bet is to minimize their effect by fencing off the pond and watering them elsewhere.

Thanks, all. It is naturally fertile and I notice where the water has receded near this fence, I now have 6 foot plants of some sort.