I bought my property and built a house on 30 Acres in 1996 which had an existing 1 Acre+- pond. Not knowing any different I allowed the existing trees to grow on the back of the dam which are about 30-40 feet from the surface water. Some of the trees now are 18"-24". The pond was already stocked with bass and bluegill and my family enjoyed fishing, camping, etc. The pond never dropped below 2 feet even in summer droughts until about 2 years ago when it started not holding water. It loses about 3/4 of surface water. I don't know if the trees are my problem. I live in NE Alabama and have tried several times contacting the State Soil and Conservation to come and show me what I should do to correct the pond but have had no luck. Should the back of the pond dam be completely clear of trees and what other measures should I take to find the cause? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.