Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Weekly Observations

How does it compare to last year ? Was the plant density more this year ?

OK, my statement was a little dramatic. It isn't that I am worried, but rather that it is something new and different.


I estimate that the plant density this year was up 300-400 percent. This being the visible ones.

I sensed no drama. Just your usual statement of fact.

Of course, if you were feeding/overfeeding your fish, then this might be a darn tight squeeze?????

If you get too worried then start up the circulator.

Ewest, you're prompted me a little. I got two northern pond "volunteers" after that last Pond Boss magazine article. However, neither was ideal in that both were already feeding. So, Dwight and I put our heads together and I think we are coming up with a modified plan. We're thinking we should compare the dissolved oxygen over the winter in those two ponds that do have feeding to Dwight's pond (no feeding). Dwight's Pond, with its long history of DO measures, can be our "control" or comparison pond. I think we could learn a lot. I haven't checked with our two "volunteers" yet on this plan, but based on preliminary contacts, I think they might be interested. One of them is a forum regular, so that will be fun.

The more info and data to compare the better. I do think Dwight's is one of a kind and we just aren't smart enough to know all the why's and how's even though the same concepts and principals apply.

It appears that the pond has "absorbed" the dead plant matter and is returning to a more normal state.

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Just moving the nutrients around. Question is what will use them next.

Not much change this week. The convergence and crossover are several weeks away, but obviously close at hand.
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Ground water test well parts



Well Point



Test assembly

Hmm. What's the chance that the small drop in bottom DO was from increased groundwater flow? Did that lead to the thoughts on ground water testing?

Yes, I wish it would have been installed prior to this flood event. Then I could have said with authority that that was the cause. Always a day late and a dollar short!

Or maybe you could instead look it as if you are learning new information for all of us!!

WRT new knowledge we are all always behind the curve. That is why it is new info. It’s the desire to learn that puts us ahead.

The 62 degree water is a little cold on the feet, but the Barge is only about 20 feet from dry land. The water remains about 40 inches above "normal". These conditions are infinitesimally better than doing D.O. observations when it is 20 below zero, the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour and a 20" hole needs to bored to get the probe to wet water.

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That fact that you are out there in any weather condition says a lot.

I was working the Corona Reef today. Since the water looked to be clearing I took the Secchi disk along. The clarity reading was 41 inches last Saturday. It was 84 inches today!!!!!

Normal weekly readings tomorrow.

The pond started clearing on Thursday. Yesterday clarity was 84 inches and today 114 inches!

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Isn't that amazing?

Nature intervenes and we contemplate.......

What in your opinion is going on with those changes the last 2 weeks? DO down , clarity out the roof , and temps down a little.

I think the flood has had a huge affect. It cut the water clarity to yearly lows by introducing large amounts of suspended material from along the shoreline. The rising water groundwater lifted bottom sediment and forced it into suspension as well. The stained water also caused heat to be retained at higher then normal levels.

Now that the pond has dropped to about 33 inches on the depth tube (down from a high of 56 inches) most of the suspended matter has returned to the bottom or filtered out of the pond through ground water flow-through.

It is possible that the zoo-plankton may have been adversely affected by all the foreign suspended material causing further clearing. Dying plant and zoo-plankton have caused the D.O. to drop.

Since the water temperatures are higher than normal for this time of the year, I expect that the D.O will rise prior to ice-up and the water will stain up some because of zoo-plankton activity and plant life recovering because of the extreme amount of sun penetration.

After the ice forms I expect the pond will become very clear just like every winter with typical (for here) winter D.O levels.

What do you think?

I think your explanation based on actual observations is about as good as possible. From looking only at the spread sheet over the duration of the thread I could tell that an anomaly was occurring (even though I knew the river and lake were up from the text). I have not seen the clarity jump to that extent at the same time the temps were static and DOs down a little. A very unusual combination absent some large out of the normal event. Just for clarity (of terms and understanding) do you think with the river up you were seeing groundwater influence (water in the underground supply) or river water due to hydrostatic pressure. The 2 could be vastly different in parameters.

How long before you expect the winter plankton to start ?

I am not sure I understand the first question.

As the river rises, there is increased hydrostatic pressure down on to the ground water table. The pond is isolated from the river and is the only nearby opening into the ground water table. The increased hydrostatic pressure from the high river water searches for relief and finds it by pushing the ground water up into the pond.

Predicting Plankton activity is a guessing game for me. There are just too many variations in their make-up and in their behavior based on widely ranging pond conditions. The flood added more variables.

A few weeks before or after Halloween should cover it!