Hi all, a year ago a purchased a piece of property in western end of NY state that has a pond on it about 1.5 acres in size. It doesn't appear to be real deep, I'm guessing maybe 8-10 feet in the middle. It is fed from a small stream that originates at a natural spring a couple hundred yards away. The issue is that there is some kind of grass looking plant growing IN the water from the shoreline about 30 feet out into the pond the entire way around. By the end of the summer there was only a small patch of open water left in the middle. I've attached pics. Does anyone recognize this stuff? How do I make it go away without harming fish and other aquatic life?

BoatGuy, welcome to the forum.

A closer pic would sure help, but it kinda looks like sage or rush. A pic of the flower on top would help also.

Rush

It sounds like the pond may now be a lot shallower than 8-10 feet over the majority of its area.

Have you physically checked the depth? An accurate depth profile might let you know what uses would be possible for it.

I can't get better pics since it's not really growing yet... And no, I haven't actually checked the depth yet either.
I need to come up with some kind of master plan as far as maintenance and repair go for this thing, but I seriously have no idea where to start.

I don't want to sound flippant, but I'd start with an excavator or track hoe.