Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Around the dock?

I've got a dock that silt has filled in around, creating a shallow swimming area that is always covered in algae. I'm not so concerned about the depth as much as nobody wants to swim in the "yucky stuff". Plus fishing is almost impossible there as you can't really cast far enough out to get to open water.

I'm considering three options; chemical to keep the yucky stuff at bay, hiring a backhoe to come deepen the area around the dock, or adding to the dock to get it into deeper water.

Draining the water isn't an option.

Best option?

Something I haven't thought of?

Thanks.

Can you post a picture?

I don't have additional ideas, but I can shoot a hole in a couple that you listed if you will allow...

Chemicals to control the algae could do just that, but the silt will still be there and IMO the silt is still "yucky".

Using a backhoe to clean out the silt will only be temporary as the surrounding silt will soon slump into the fresh hole you've had dug so it's temporary at best.

I'd do like the idea of extending the dock out to deeper water.

Best picture I could find of the pond. You can see the dock sort of...

Here is another pic of it with a low water level. It had been very dry for 4 yrs straight when I took this pic. You can see the dock is setting shallow.

I don't mind being shut down as I hate to do stuff twice or in a way that doesn't work!

Chemical would help with fishing, just not so much for swimming...

Extending the dock might just be the way to go.

Thanks for your input.

Very nice place! I assume moving the dock to another location is not feasible ?

What about adding pea gravel etc around the dock, depending how deep the silt, then chemical treat.

But like suggested best option might be to just extend it out.

Since it is a floating dock, can you move it to a different location with deeper water? Maybe somewhere closer to the house.

Thanks Beastman. It is a very nice place!

Moving it might very well be the best option. Closer to the house does provide deeper water near the bank. I'm not sure that will happen though, it's located where my father in law put it and I think the family would like to keep it there.

I could add to the walkway section to extend it out further. I don't think that would cost a whole lot and it would be simple to do.

I've thought of adding gravel but the silt is pretty deep. Don't think it would take long for it to sink in.

You might look into a more natural remedy..

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=274762

I've always wondered about Tilapia. I would think getting the numbers right would be very important. Wouldn't over stocking them completely clean the pond out of important algae? To few and you wouldn't notice a change.

19 acres seems like a lot of stocking.

Wouldn't considering predators also come into play when stocking Tilapia? This particular pond frequently produces bass from 1-6lbs, with the occasional 10 pounder being caught. It's also got a healthy supply of channelcats that are over 8lbs...

Beautiful pond CatScratchFever!

You may want to experiment with Cutrine Plus Granules.

I'm thinking that would be a good first step. It might be as easy as throwing some of that out. I don't know, never tried it before.

CatScratch....

Here is my pond before Cutrine Plus Granules and after Cutrine Plus Granules:

Is the problem of "yucky" around the dock due to silt or green algae or both? If you have fairly deep silt around the dock, swimmers will likely not like walking in that either.

Holy cow, that is a huge difference! How long did it last? How many time a summer do you have to treat it to keep the algae back?

It's both, but the algae is the biggest factor. My wife doesn't "like" to get in the mud, but she WILL NOT get in the algae. The kids don't care too much either way. If they see me go through it first they will follow right along with me. The kids don't like the algae because it makes fishing from bank difficult.

The Cutrine granuals work good, but they are not a "once and done" proposition. The algae will come back.

But where you are mostly worried about the dock area, it is a quick fix and you could just treat the area around the dock. That will work unless other areas get bad enough that the FA blobs up and the wind blows it to the dock. Treating around your whole pond that size would not be cheap. Treating around the dock and a ways each way from the dock not bad.

The trick to controling it, in my reading learning and also experience, is you need to treat early. If you wait till it already appears to be a problem, you are already behind the curve.

When the water first starts warming in the spring, the FA starts growing on the bottom. It may have already started as warm as recent weather has been. Treat it as soon as you start seeing it. It will die quickly and the treatment will last several weeks. Then when you start to see regrowth, you will need to treat again. Probably 2 to 3 times a season.

You have a beautiful lake.

I suppose a cheap way may be if you have a boat motor you can clamp to something locked in place to blast the silt and algae away from the dock using the power of water. Sure it will stay in the pond and be cloudy for a while, but it may be an easy way to clear up and deepen around the dock.

Otherwise leave the dock where it is, add a new one for swimming where the access and water is better.

Thanks!

I'll get some chemical soon and see where that gets me.

I'm also drawing up plans for anot her dock. Have some 40ft trusses found and currently looking for barrels.

Thanks!

I'll get some chemical soon and see where that gets me.

I'm also drawing up plans for anot her dock. Have some 40ft trusses found and currently looking for barrels.


Don't have a boat with a motor or I would try it!
Thanks.

Snub provides very good advice. Treat the FA early as soon as you can see it greening up on the bottom spread some Cutrine granules. FA always starts growing on the bottom than later it breaks loose and floats, but by then it is quite difficult to control.

You might want to check with Esshup before building a dock out of barrels. He made a nice one, but as I recall after all was said and done if he did it again he would just buy the commercial dock floats.

Have to ask him the particulars.

i think a fair size excavator would do you lots of good, especially if you can get a dump truck close enough to load in to. removing 3 loads of silt would make a big difference