The third-acre pond I built last year has never cleared. I have about 6 inches of visibility due to suspended clay.
Part of the problem may be the constant "weeping" along the steep backside that was cut into the hillside. It stays wet almost year around and is shaded much of the day. I'm having a real hard time getting any vegetation established. Crown vetch is very slowly getting a foothold. I don't know if it is the major source of clay, or a very minor source.
Significant mud, like a real dense dust cloud, gets stirred up if a fish grabs a pellet in a shallow area. Visibility goes to zero in the cloud.
I was hoping it would clear on its own. It feeds several settlement ponds on its way to my main pond. The lower ponds have almost no suspended clay, except after a heavy rain when the muddy pond has lots of outflow.
Is it worth putting in alum or Phosclear if the clay is coming from the weeping side. The main source of runoff water is very clear where it enters the pond.
