Hi all,


Just joined this forum and thought these are the type of people I needed to hear advice from! We are planning to buy a property with lake, and are hoping to hear some advice from those who know better. The lake would be about 2 acres to 1 hectare in size and would only be used for leisure; neither myself or my wife nor any of our family being keen fishermen. However we realize that before we undertake this adventure we need to have some more practical knowledge esp cost of lake maintenance + how to determine what is a healthy lake / pond.

With this in mind I'd appreciate any tips on:


  • Any standard set of questions that we can ask to estate agents or sellers to know if a lake would be healthy or not?
  • Lake inspection. Can you suggest any warning signs or methods(visual, otherwise) that we as noobs can use to determine if a lake is healthy or not? e.g. water color or things around the lake or lake sources?
  • What is your annual cost in maintaining a lake? Again since we don't plan to have it as a fishing lake, would this cost be reduced as a result?
  • Would anyone be suggest any water quality laboratories that they have used and would recommend, and their cost?
  • If we like a property and make a 2nd visit, we plan to take a sample of the lake water. Any tips? Can we just use a normal water bottle or do we need to use a bottle that is specially sterilized etc?


Thanks