Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New pond owner from Iowa

My name is Dan Gorman and my wife and I are purchasing an acreage with a small pond. I've never owned a pond before and know very little about it. The previous owner of the property passed away last year and unfortunately his wife knows very little about the property beyond the house and yard. I was directed here from another site when I asked about a possible leak in the dam because the water level looks a few feet lower than it normally would be, and I can tell I'm going to find plenty of information here. I'll probably drive everybody crazy for a while asking about algae control and the homemade aeration setup at my new place, but hopefully you won't run me out of town. The property isn't large at 16 acres and the pond is less than 1/2 acre, but being an avid outdoorsman I want to make sure the property and the water are up to par for our enjoyment as well as the benefit of the wildlife in the area.

"I'll probably drive everybody crazy for a while asking about algae control and the homemade aeration setup at my new place, but hopefully you won't run me out of town."

It's a short drive for some of us:)

Welcome to PBF!

Lot's of Midwest ponds are a few feet low right now. Has the land received a good bit of rainfall or are you just looking at a shortage for now? Any signs of leakage behind the dam (if you have one) or anywhere else?

Thanks for the replies. we have received several good rains over the last couple of months, so I don't think it should be as low as it is. after a big rain we had a couple weeks ago the water came up a couple of inches. I put a marking stick along the edge to track the level to see if it went back down to where it had been or if it stayed up. However it's rained two or three inches since that point so right now I'm holding until I have some steady dry weather. the backside of the dam is very brushy and drops into the rest of the broken ravine that the pond was built in. I'll probably cut it back this winter as it's only going to get worse. another thing that concerns me is I have pictures on a trail camera of a giant ground hog in the area. I'm worried that he has burrowed into my dam. we are actually moving to that house in about 2 weeks. Once we get moved in I will have easier access to the pond to monitor it and figure out what if anything is going wrong.

Conibear 220 trap works great on groundhogs when placed just inside the opening of the den. Stake the chain in place so the trap doesn't disappear.

Welcome DG from deep east Texas!! I've been on here a couple of years and still feel like a newby. I have so many questions pop up and I jump right in and ask. These guys and gals have tons of experience and have saved me lots of money,time,and headaches. They haven't run me off yet so ask away!! They will be glad to help. Don't forget to subscribe to the Pond Boss Magazine. Worth every penny you invest in it.

Welcome to the PBF from a fellow Iowegian! I've asked loads of questions (including some pretty silly ones, like 'bull frog volcanoes') and they haven't run me off yet. :-) The more detail you can provide, the better the advice will get. Also, use google to type in keywords you are wanting help with, and then add "site:pondboss.com" (one space after your search words, without the quotes of course). You can find A LOT of information this way, and will find many topics have been thoroughly discussed before.
all the best,
Luke
Grinnell, IA

Thanks for all the replies and welcoming me in. I plan to do some groundhog eradication employing various methods of trapping and hunting. They are so destructive I have little time or patience for them. I've been searching quite a bit and finding some great info.
I live over by Anamosa in eastern Iowa, but I make it down toward Grinnell a few times each year. My dad lives on lake ponderosa and retired from Grinnell mutual. I could never live that close to the new brownells store. I wouldn't have any money for pond stuff.

I did a little pond scouting today in the little jon boat left on the bank of our pond. I didn't fall in and the pond is actually deeper than my paddle in most places, so I've got that going for me. I might actually need to borrow a sonar unit to see what I've got. There is a wet spot on the back side of the dam where it looks like it's going to need a little work to get the water level to capacity. We've had a bunch of rain over the last couple weeks and the level is actually as high as I've seen it although it's still about three feet below the overflow tube. The back side has some brush and toward the bottom there are several smallish (maybe 20 foot tall) trees. I plan to cut all that out this winter so they don't destroy my dam.
The coolest yet worst part of the whole trip was when I came down around the corner by the pond there was a coyote walking right toward me. I just stood there and he walked within about 40 yards of me before I decided I'd better scare him off. You should have seen him jump when I barked at him. It was awesome.

Hi DGorman. Welcome to PBF.

Could your pond possibly be a groundwater pond? I am not familiar with your area so don't know if groundwater ponds are common there.

In a groundwater pond the pond level will seek the level of the local groundwater level. The pond will rise and lower not based on local runoff but the groundwater level because the pond does not actually seal on the bottom.

I do not know if that is your case though.

I don't think so. It was built by damming a ravine. There is also a 4" field tile that comes from a small hay field that empties at the head of anther draw that leads to the pond. The bottom of the ravine meets a small creek and continues off my property. The creek is probably 30 feet below the water line of my pond.