Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Thinking about renovating a pond next spring.....

Hey guys,

I bought a farm this past spring and it has 5 ponds on it. One of which is totally dried up but the others appear to hold water pretty well. All of the ponds are fairly shallow and are having alot of weed growth with a weed that has been called "watershed"......it covers approx 1/2 the water surface and makes fishing it very difficult. I believe these ponds were built for the cattle that use to live on this farm. Needless to say that they are silted in and very shallow around the perimeter and I am fairly certain in the middle as well. I have one pond that is a little larger than the others and it is close to an acre by my guesstimates. I am considering next spring taking a trash pump down there and pumping it down and either taking the fish out and putting them in other ponds or just cleaning them and putting them in the freezer. All of the other ponds are fish free so it wouldn't hurt to put a couple of fish in them. I am guessing that this pond has a shallow bottom all the way across because of the debris that I get on fish hooks when they have alot of algae and debris on them. The fish in this pond have the brim pretty large and the bass are stunted. For these two reasons I am considering going on ahead and taking the pond down and redoing it. I do have a few questions though:

1. How long would you guess it would take for the ground to dry out enough for me to get the equipment in there? I have a cat e70 trackhoe, cat 4wd backhoe, d4 dozer, and a kubota tractor with a loader(plus disk/boxblade). Also assuming that I need to move approx. 3' of dirt all the way around this pond how much time do you anticipate it to take?

2. I have one pond that is totally dried out and I am thinking that I am going to carry the spoils up there and fill that area in.(plus it's only probably 100 yards away from the edge of this pond(up a small incline).

3. I am assuming that I need to probably take the edges down 2-3' and probably need to do about the same for the middle of the pond. If I have enough help operating the equipment then approx. how much time should this project take?

4. The levee appears to still be in good shape except that it has some trees and growth on it. Would it be adviseable to take the trackhoe/dozer and clean the levee up so that is doesn't have any tree growth on it? I really don't want to disturb the levee anymore than it is necessary but think it may be a good idea to grade off the trees/misc. vegetation and start off with a fresh clean levee(plus it would make the pond easier to fish).

Is there any other things that I am missing? I am an experienced backhoe/trackhoe/tractor operator and have a couple hundred hours running a dozer so the equipment usage isn't a problem it's just that I have never done a project like this. Here is a pic of the pond in question:

Lee here is a recent tread on this subject

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=003069;p=2

with the equipemt you mentioned it can be done in a few days most likely. You can do it wet but the mud will have to be piled for several months to dry out before you will be able to spread it around and smooth it out. Or you can cut the dam now and let it dry out until next year and clean and smooth up the site all at once your choice.

Rocky.....I'm not planning on breaking the dam out. I'ld prefer to pump it out and leave the levee in tact.

You can pump it out but you will be at GODS mercy as to if he is going to let it dry out or not. That is unless you live near me the rain doesn't seem to be a factor around here anymore.

Lee,

I really agree w/Rocky....around here at least, in normal times, one could never complete a pond renovation by just pumping it out and removing muck with a dozer. All it takes is a light shower and the muck moisture content is right back where you started.

Even with digging a trench or breaking out the dam (I've done both on different ponds) it takes a long drying spell to be able to effectively get a dozer in there to work it. When you do start working it, you usually have to take very small muck bites at a time in order to maintain your traction on good dry soil...at least that's been my experience.

Regarding your question on cleaning up the levee, yes I would do that for sure, myself. You have the equipment and the skills and experience. Repack any areas that get disturbed, but take this opportunity to really do it right, is my advice. Also look carefully for any previous animal damage, e.g. beavers, muskrats, nutria if you have them.

Your question on how long it will take...I can only say I'm a very poor judge of that...it takes longer than I thought. I got caught by fall rains on one renovation project because I completely underestimated the time required...but it is worth taking the time to do it right, because it takes longer to do it over than right the first time.

Wish I was there to participate in the fun. Love these kinds of projects.

ML, your not that far from me and I need you to come do your patch the dam on the back side technique. I'm moving all that muck I dug out a while back and spreading it out on the back and top side of the Dam. It's taking for ever with the kubota bucket having to transport it about 600 ft or so. This is an open invitation so watch what you wish for.

Invite me and I will come...as schedules permit.

Is your watershed large enough you could just add on to the pond? If so, you could dig beside the exsisting pond and use the soil removed to raise dam height. It would be much easier and quicker than removal of bottom muck.