In the middle of my search for a pond site in upstate New York, I came across an existing pond for sale. I'm a little skeptical because it seems like quite a bargain. I hope to see it next week.

Obviously, dead fish, unwholesome smells and massive algae blooms are bad... while swarms of small fish in the shallows are probably good.

Can you suggest some signs of a pond's health?

Love this website - what a treasure trove!

Thanks,
Ken

The things that are important when you buy an exsisting pond are as follows.1 find out the max. depth.If it is under 10 ft. then you will have trouble substaining a healthy fish population.2probe the bottom to find the hard pan.This will tell you how much build up is in the bottom of the pond.Find out how old the pond is and divide the yrs. by the ft. of sludge.this will give you a good idea of how long this pond is going to last before it needs rebuilt or dredged.3make sure that the spillway or pipe is working without leaks,this can be costly repairs.4check the dam for leaks or is constructed properly.make sure theres not alot of growth on the back side this will also cause problems .5 Catch some fish look to see if the fish are healthy.alot of info on this site can tell you what to look for but I hope this gives you a few ideas that you can use.Good luck DOC

I would recommend an inspection of any pond by a qualified pond builder. Just like a house inspection a pond inspection is very critical. A friend of mine almost bought a piece of land with pond on it in the Catskills near the Delaware river. Even though I looked it over for him we missed some very serious issues about how the spillway and embankment were built that could cause the whole embankment to give way.
We had the guy who built my pond do an inspection and needless to say we both got quite an eductaion and my friend saved himself from a potentially expensive and disasterous situation.

Where in Upstate New York are you? If you are near the Catskills I would give Catskill Pond a call. Check out his web site here: http://www.frontiernet.net/~catpond/

The money you spend on a professional pond inspection is well worth it.

Hey Tuzz, where was that pond near the Delaware? I looked at a few before buying just on the other side of the Delaware in PA.

Well
This is a good topic. We have the money grabbing land craze going on here. A pond inspection involves thirty two point inspection. We are not worried about the fish or the algae or vegetation. That can be improved upon in the future. The spillway,drainoff on neighboring property,proper ditching of watershed [we are in the mountains and had 8 inch rain falls in a two hour period last couple of months and do not go by the weather reports]. Proper damm constuction: yes people are building damm's on mountain slopes. To put it simply, not keyed in properly and out of the 6 we inspected not one built properly in the last two week's. Do I need a inspection why waste the money? It look's good. Tuzz's friend he was going to spend 180,000 on a piece on the delaware. The 2 acre pond looked pristene but It was a 50,000 dollar nightmare waiting to happen. Had no permit ( over an acre) or slope stability results during constuction. General rule of thumb. Damm's without weep control should be no steeper than 18 Inches vertical and 50 inches horizontal. If you use a homogenous packed damm (no rocks) , just plastic soil as Otto says "pack it".
Subsurface exploration is a must on evaluation of spillways and damms. Even on a low hazzard damm.
We have seen a lot of N.Y damms and embankments fail over the last few years due to tree blow downs and improper vegetation management.
Ice load: Have to figure that in also, sliding,and other items of concern. So talk to an experinced builder. The list can go on. Get expert advise and this will lead to more free time and enjoyment of your getaway.
Good luck
Scott
P.S Im sure all will add to this, but you have to start somewhere

Thanks Doc, Tuzz and Scott!

First, theres no way I'd sink major $$$ into a pond without a good pro inspection. But I'm talking about first looks here...

Second, thanks for all the info. I'm making quite a beginners' checklist.

Depth and sediment sounds critical - particularly since much of the watershed is farmland. Guess I'll have to bring my portabote and fishing tackle (what a chore!)

It will be interesting to check the angle of the damn.... hadn't thought of that, either.

Why would pond weeds and algae NOT be a big issue? Might they not indicate run-off with fertilizer? Most of this watershed wouldn't be on my property

Scott - is that 1-acre limit a Catskills thing? Or is it a NY State requirement? I'm looking in Chenango and Otsego counties (for now).... couldn't find much in my price range in Deleware county.

Thanks again!
Ken

1 Acre without a permit state wide . Vegetaion is always fixable and always talk to a neighbor when buying to get the total scoop. If you are going to dredge and restore an ole hole figure 8000.00 per acre. And never hire anyone unless he has reff. from the last 5 year's ask to visit previous job sites within the last year and few years back. Good Luck