Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Making sand beach questions

I think the sand in a beach often does not get lost. What I see happening is the sand becomes mixed with years of dead organic materials that accumulate in and among the sand particulates. Thus a beach in a pond often becomes an accumulation of mucky often smelly materials from mostly the dead organics (dead plants, leaves etc) that get mixed on top of and into the sand. It is amazing how much dead plant material that will accumulate after 5-10 years on submerged beach sand. This result often does not happen on beaches on large lakes. This is because beach shorelines on large lakes receive a monthly thrashing from pounding wave action. This has a oxygenation impact upon the upper layers of beach sand which allows or produces fast, clean decomposition of the organic layers that have accumulated since the last pounding wind driven wave action. This does not happen in ponds due to lack of strong wave action.

Best way to create a small pond beach is to build or create a curb of dirt (bull dozer - bobcat) or cement blocks to outline the deep end or outer edge of the beach. This curb helps contain the sand from 'working' its way down the slope toward deep water.

Often I get asked what I think is the best material to use for beach material - sand, small crushed limestone, or pea gravel. Each of these materials has benefits. I often suggest to split the beach 50-50 and use two different materials for a beach bottom variety so when one side goes array the other hopefully remains more usable. The secret to keeping a beach bottom area "clean" is to use Mother Nature's time tested recipe. Frequently (monthly) mix the top layer to keep it well oxygenated so oxygen consuming invertebrates and beneficial bacteria can quickly and cleanly decompose and process the accumulated dead organics. The more physical activity a beach receives the cleaner it stays.