Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations cattle upstream of pond question

I've found a piece of land that I'm very interested in buying and building a 3.5 acre pond on with about 30 foot depth at the dam (winter kill issues up north here). There is a spring fed creek running through this valley that I would dam up, but about 300 yards upstream is the neighbor, who grazes cattle on his land. Is this a bad situation as far as water contamination? Is it workable somehow? Is there a way to buffer or filter the water before it gets to my pond? Or do I forget it and look for a different piece of land. My intention is to have a nice LM bass pond.
Thanks

Have you considered the possibility of a silt dam? If constructed correctly you could give up a small amount of your potential surface area to creation of a wetland, in which you could grow large numbers of emergent aquatic plants to process some of the nutrients. An important point might be to discuss the number of cattle vs. the number of acres in your potential watershed.

There are two main potential concerns with cattle in the watershed: silt (as Bruce has mentioned) and over-fertilization.

The amount of concern wrt silt is influenced by several factors: cattle density, how hard he grazes the land, and what's in between the pastures and the pond. Best case is if the pastures are intelligently used - not overgrazed, with good sod and grass coverage maintained year round. IMO this is the best way to utilize cattle pasture to both keep it productive AND maximize long-term yield. The amount of silt running off the pasture in this scenario is minimal.

Worst case would be a feedlot - no grass, just mud and manure. From your brief description , this does not sound like what's going on.

What silt runoff exists can be mitigated by using a sediment pond (as Bruce suggests) and/or a dense growth of grass between the pond and the pasture. If it were me, I'd want that 300 yard buffer to have at minimum thick grass kept 6"+ high year round. Worse silt runoff could call for the sediment pond method of control.

Worrying about over-fertilization is also dependent on the number of cattle upstream, as well as being a general water quality issue. Some ponds with poor water fertility would probably benefit from a certain amount of manure in the watershed. IMO the mnaure situation is somewhat linked to the silt situation, i.e. low silt is likely to mean fewer problems with manure, but if you get a lot of silt I bet you'll likely be getting more manure with it. Silt control methods probably help mitigate manure risk, at least to some extent. But you'll have to watch water quality, keep track of secchi depth from algal bloom, that sort of thing.

FWIW I graze 8-12 head of cattle and 6-8 horses on about half the watershed for my pond (roughly 5 of 10 acres). They are NOT on these fields in the Winter months (when they would be most likely to trash the grass and have a large amount of mud exposed). I endeavor not to overgraze and try to maintain good grass coverage year round. I also rest the portion of the pasture immediately above the pond for about 3 months going into Winter, to get a taller grass buffer grown up before cold weather hits. These practices cut silt runoff into the pond to a few % of what it would be if I abused the pastures without regard for the fields or the pond. The manure runoff is low enough that secchi depth has never been less than 16" and usually runs about 2 to 2 1/2 feet.

Chet,

I can't speak directly to your question because the watershed surrounding my pond(s) is wooded......at least for now. One question that came to mind, who would own the 300 yard buffer between the proposed pond and the cattle? Next thought was, is it possible to test the stream now to have some idea what you might be up against if you buy the property and decide to build a pond?

Not sure if the jury ever came to a verdict on this one but here is a topic, especially the last three posts, that may help.
(I understand there is a big difference in geographical location, the cattle have direct access to the pond and there is no flowing stream but I'm just providing some brain fodder.)


http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000265;p=1

I realize my situation is not exactly the same as you describe. I have a 2.5 to 3 surface acre pond that is the only water supply for the 30 cow/calf pairs(7.5 acres/pair) that occupy the pasture. The pond is about 14' deep when at spillway level. The pond has never been dry since it was built. I have an excellent fish population mix of LMB, channel cats, and bluegill. The cattle are in the pasture May 1 - Nov. 1 each year. The pond is very clear for a Kansas farm pond. It has produced an 8# LMB that is on my wall. I caught and released a 6+ LMB in July. The largest channel cat caught weighed 14.5# (15 yrs. ago), & there are 10+# in it now. The area fish and game fish biologist has sampled the fish population, and said they are doing well. I realize you are in another state, but I would not be overly conerned in Kansas of cattle being grazed in an area that drained into my pond.

I'll go get a water sample from the creek. What should I collect the sample in? Where should I take for testing ? and what should I ask them to test it for?
Thanks

Chet, take a water sample in a new baby bottle. Check with the USDA on where to send it. In Texas, we send it to Texas A & M.

I'm not sure what you would look for; bacteria I guess. However, since this isn't drinking water, I'm not sure what amounts you would consider as being a problem. I'm not really convinced that cows are a problem. However, if it were a feed lot or maybe some kind of chicken grower, I would pass.