I doubt that an agent would know whether a body of water is "healthy". The rule of thumb here in the colonies is determined by a water test and visibility. Normal healthy water should have a visibility of between 18 and 24 inches. That is phytoplankton which is the basis of the food chain. And even though you're not interested in fishing I'll bet that you don't want an area infested by mosquitoes. Fish eat the mosquito larvae. You will rarely get a mosquito bite around a lake/pond when fish are present. My only experience with water testing is here across the pond so can't give you a reference.

I would try to determine water depth and average depth. If it is shallow, you might be buy a swampy mess.

I use a new baby bottle to take a water sample.

Cost to maintain is hard to judge. If you want a beautiful pastoral setting you will probably want to mow.

Take a good look at the dam. If there are any telltale wet spots in a certain area it could mean a leak. Those can be expensive to repair.

How much runoff area is there? In other words, look at a topographic map to determine just how much land drains rainfall into it. How is the excess water removed? Is there a pipe through the dam to keep it from overflowing instead of washing out the dam? Is there a spillway for a huge rain event that the overflow apparatus(if there) can handle.

What legal issues might you have regarding a body of water? How about insurance issues if a child wanders in and drowns?

Who built the pond and how long ago? If it is over 20 or so years old, it might have a lot of silt on the bottom that could shorten its life.

And on all properties that you might wish to buy, what are the neighbors like?

Bob Lusk, owner of Pond Boss, has written a book titled "Perfect Pond...Want one?". I would contact the Pond Boss office and order a copy. It will tell you a lot about buying or building a pond.

BTW, welcome to Pond Boss. I believe you may be our first Brit.

Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 02/26/12 07:58 PM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP Grandpa