Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Priorities while pond is low

The water level in my 2 acre pond is down pretty low. Most of the stumps I want to remove are well exposed. I plan on burning them using some strategic cuts with a chainsaw and a propane burner. About 1/2 of my undesirable weeds (mostly primrose) are exposed. The drain pipe is out of the water and needs inspection. With a long list of other things to do, I was hoping to get some advice on how to prioritize the tasks with the water level low like this.
Thanks in advance.

Might be a good time to build some gravel spawning beds.

Trench a ditch to lead fish towards spawning flats. Pier in a dock. Properly grade the bank. and build a beach "For the Family"

now would be a good time to investigate how in the world the pond lost enough water to expose things this much, and then devise and apply the solution. It would be nice to get all your low water maintenance done, fix the 'leak' and fill it and keep it full thereafter!

It sounds like you dropped water maybe 3 feet or more? 3 feet in a 2 acre pond, is that like you lost a couple million gallons somehow?

PondZombie, the stumps have to be totally waterlogged...may be easier to just cut off a foot or two of the tops than the frustration of burning up a 20# propane cylinder to just scorch a stump. Any way an excavator can get in and maneuver? A good sized track hoe could make quick work of the stumps, and make some really nice piles you could actually navigate around at a pretty reasonable price.....

Thank you guys. Exactly what I needed. Guess I could set aside an hour for some actual fishing.

>For the Family:
A beach is great idea. 1st Grandson due to be born July 6th. I will name the beach after him. Any kind of sand best for this purpose? Dock is on the list. I have about 12 utility poles that need some inspection and sawing.

>dg84s:
Would road gravel work or does it need to be smaller?

>canyoncreek:
I wondered about that. I will take some time this weekend and walk the back side of the levee to look for overly green spots or wet spots. I wouldn't say 3 feet, maybe half that or a little more.

>Rainman:
Renting the backhoe next weekend. Guy says if I put 10 hours or less on it, I can use it for the entire weekend for the one day price. He will deliver and pick it up for me. Does $300 for a day sound right?

Over 40 years or so, I have seen the pond get low a few times. The previous owner built a nice levee and added a drain pipe. I haven't seen it this low before, but I didn't know to check evaporation with a bucket, etc.

Up until a month ago, there was a 30 yard trail of green from a point above the pond down to the edge. I thought there might be a natural spring or something there bubbling up like crude oil on the Beverly Hillbillies. I dug some with my front end loader on the tractor in the highest spot and hit a 1 inch pvc pipe. But no water came gushing out. Turns out that the treatment system (septic) for the house really had 4 sprinkler heads installed instead of 3. Somehow, the 4th got buried and was contributing to this 'mysterious wet spot' on the property. I sealed the pipe instead of fixing the sprinkler head. Now, with no real rain recently, that spot is dry as can be and the grass is slowing down a lot.

I am not sure what to hope for here. Evaporation sucking up that much water? The wind can hit the surface pretty well. We have to water the outside plants every day and the grass in front of the house is pretty brown. The levee is my driveway and if I have to dig it up to fix a leak, then it almost has to be a one day job.

Search around on the NOAA website. You should be able to find "pan evaporation rates" for your area. That will tell how much you will lose per day/week/month. Time of year does matter. Sun is the most direct now, so the rate should be highest now.

I'd be worried about getting a wheeled backhoe stuck in the mud. Tracked equipment is designed to spread the weight and "float" over the soft mud.

If you are in water, and can't see what is on the bottom, a wheeled backhoe can be rolled very easily!!!