The vegetation does a pretty good job most of the time in keeping the water clarity at about a couple feet in terms of seeing fish. After a big rain, it gets muddy, and in the winter, the clarity sometimes gets to 6 feet or more. In spring, we sometimes have more algae than I like for a couple weeks. All in all, I am pretty pleased with it. I also understand that others like the look of a "city-park" pond, with turf right up to the pond's edges. Our ponds and wetlands are part of an ongoing large wildlife-habitat restoration project that goes back 25 years and still has a ways to go. We have no shortage of chores to do, so reducing mowing is a help. Its all what the individual wants. We do keep the lawn mowed around the house, and that is not very different from mowing around a pond from a philosophical point of view. We also keep paths mowed all over our land for walking and access.
