Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Dry Wall Dumped In Pond

How long does it take sheet-rock to break down? I dumped about 700-800 pounds of drywall into my pond. This is scrap left over from construction on my house. Thanks in advance......

Ditto that question. I am considering doing the same thing.

As I recall, this has come up before. Sooner or later the rock will dissipate. However, the paper and glues won't. I seem to remember something about the glue being undesirable in a pond.

Well if it's made in Mexico like most drywall/plaster/mud/tape it has asbestos in it. America is the only country that has outlawed asbestos it can still be mined and imported from all over the world however. Asbestos is deadly and never breaks down, fortunately asbestos is only deadly when inhaled so the best way to keep it from being inhaled is to keep in wet so your in luck..

Okie...I think you'll be Okay...but can't help but wonder why you asked after it is in?

Various people in my area had recommended that I toss the scrap in the pond. I did the water jar tests with alum and gypsum. Both tests cleared the water. The scrap was piled up in the yard. We were expecting severe T-storms and the wife wanted the stuff removed from the yard so I piled the scrap into the front-end loader of my tractor and headed to the pond. I plan on using the alum and hydrated lime to complete the clearing. Just thought this would help get the process started. I didn't want to just throw all that gypsum away. However I couldn't think of a good and quick way to separate the paper from the gypsum.

As others have said, it is the actual composition of the sheet rock that can pose a problem, the gypsum will ba a benefit in the water column though.

Agreed..if the wife says it, do it and ask how bad it may be later...lol Potential dead fish are far better than a potential dead Okie...

Well, if I screwed up, I can surely fix it. There's a drilling company that's wanting to purchase more water from the pond. If they drain it dry it will give me a golden opportunity to improve the aesthetics around the pond and the pond itself. I'll find out if it's really as deep as I was told. Guess I need to get another boat, too. I plan on adding on to the pond and building a bridge going across the east cove. I also plan on building a small dock. I will also be adding some cedar trees for structure along with rip-rap along the dam. I'm also considering a rocky bottom with some bigger boulders positioned around the bottom of the pond. This would add some structure for the fish. I think pea gravel would be too small so I'd go with something a bit bigger and possibly flatter.

Here you go.

Here is an aggregate list of links on the wallboard subject just for all you link lovers.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post211554

Gypsum can be purchased in the form of sheetrock wall board. Most all home improvement stores have it. Do not use the pink colored type and try to be sure there are no added fibers as binders. It can be broken up and ground to small pieces and put in. The way to find out how much is to take a water sample in a jar --say a quart --measure out small amount of ground up gyp. measure it and add to see when it clears. Then do the calculations to see how much for the vol of the pond. Read those in the thread above esp the last one. Good luck.

You're gonna need more than sheetrock for that clay.

So you looked at the pics? Yeah, I've got my hands full. My thinking was that maybe with the introduction of the dry-wall scrap, I'd be able to save a little on hydrated lime and alum. The high iron content around central Oklahoma makes most of the ponds look like watered down tomato soup. However the east side of the pond has a lot of grayish-white sand above it. This is where the spring is that feeds the pond. The spring only oozes water into the pond. Maybe a couple gallons a day, depending on how much rain we've had. About 2 foot below the sand is where the red clay lies. If the pond doesn't work out, I can always grow tomatoes, cantaloupe, and watermelons. LOL! But all kidding aside, I'd like to get this pond cleared so my kids and grandchildren will have a place to relax, have fun, and fish. Thanks.......

Yeah, that's why it's called the Red River. For some reason, fish can live in it. If you get real thirsty you can seine it through your socks.