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Hello all! I just signed a contract to purchase 10 acres with a 2.5 acre pond today! I have a million questions and much anxiety because I know so little about purchasing and maintaining ponds.
How do I find a qualified inspector who can inspect for proper drainage systems, water quality, and ecosystem quality? Would a Civil Engineer with PE stamp be needed for the dam inspection?
The pond is believed to be a natural body fed from watershed runoff. It is in an agricultural rea and two sides are packed in with large trees.
The owner says he has stocked the pond with bass, catfish, and bream.
Owner says lake is 6-8 feet deep. On Google Maps it seems more shallow than the other farm ponds in the area.
Owner said there was a "heavy rain" and a local road got damaged by overflow from lake. He said he made repairs but that obviously needs to be inspected.
Can anyone offer any advice for inspections and, specifically, reputable pond inspector(s) in the Georgia area?
Thanks in advance! If I survive this pond purchase I will be a new subscriber to the magazine! Thanks for providing this service to a very small but grateful niche!

Tom

Welcome to the forum!

Try calling these guys. I don't know how close you are to them.

https://lakework.com/

Hi Tom. Welcome to Pond Boss.

Do you think the pond is completely created by nature? That would mean no dam on the downstream side. (If you can't tell, look for the lowest point on your property outside of the pond.)

Alternatively, some ponds can just be excavated and the spoils (dirt) used to build a berm around the pond, or moved to a remote location. It might be more difficult for you to determine if you have that type of pond.

I personally think the most important thing for you to determine now is - how does water exit from your pond?

Can you go out a few hours after the next big rain and observe the results? Even better, can you take some pictures and post them on the forum?

Experts on the internet are no match for a local expert that can actually view the project. However, if you post more information on the forum, then maybe we can help suggest exactly what type of local expert you may need. Further, we might be able to help you ask him the correct questions.

You definitely DO NOT want overflow water from your pond damaging a neighbors property or a county road.

Congratulations on your new property and pond!

P.S. Just in case you are a city person, moving to the country - do you know how to recognize poison ivy and poison oak? If you are walking around a pond in Georgia with some heavy tree cover, then I suspect you will encounter one of those nasty little plant species!

Thanks!
I have contacted these folks and hope to talk with them shortly.
Tom

Thanks for the reply, FishinRod!
I grew up in Georgia and are very familiar with both! I worry more about snakes and gators...
The property is grown up and I can't even see the entire lake at this point. May be stupid to buy something you can't entirely see but I assume the inspection process will protect me if there are surprises. Owner is supposed to clear more of the pond perimeter so I can see the entire lake.
Because of the overgrowth I can't tell if this is a natural pond or man made. If man made, it is obviously an older pond. I, too, am curious as to where the pond is overflowing and how much rain it takes to create issues.
This property is almost 10 acres, has a 2.5 acre lake, and cost about what you would pay for a new truck. It is priced lower because there is/was a used car graveyard adjacent to the property. On Google Maps it looks awful...I almost decided not to pursue the deal after seeing the satellite pictures. I decided to at least go look. Most of the old cars are now gone and the other surrounding properties are well kept.
It took me months to find a property I could afford without raiding the 401K or selling my current property. Every time I found something interesting it was sold for cash or was under contract... or it was a mud hole. I quickly learned the nice properties are 4 - 5 time what I paid and I may soon re-learn the lesson, "you get what you pay for."
The property needs work but, I *think* has potential. My big worry is the lack of proper overflow systems...the owner admitted the lake overflowed after a recent heavy rain and damaged a dirt road behind the dam. He said he has fixed the issue but that will obviously have to be verified by a civil engineer with a Georgia PE stamp.
I'm 3.5 hours away from the property so I can't spend as much quality time down there as I would like pre-sale.
My plan is to put a metal building with living quarters out there, clear some area for gardening and solar panels, and develop this as an escape property. Sell it...do it again.

retiredtom,

Sounds like a good deal on the property and a fun project!

Do you know how to read topographic maps? That might give you some valuable information - without going to the property yourself.

Yes...I can read a topo map. That's a good idea since I need to get familiar with the watershed for the pond.

Google Maps gives you a great satellite view although it is from a couple of years ago.

Update: These guys are very reasonable and appear to offer the services I need regarding the dam and overflow inspection. I'm waiting for go ahead from current owner.

What services would you purchase at this point in the process? I would really like to know the depth/average depth. What else do I really need/want to know before purchase?

Some of these pond consultants/contractors can do topographical kind of maps of your pond basin. That's definitely helpful, if not essential, to know. You could achieve the same thing with a boat, string and a weight and a few hours of time.

You could have an electroshock survey done either now or sometime in the future. Much of what could be learned from such a survey could also be learned from hours and hours of fishing and observation. Both options put together give the best 'view' of the fish life in your pond.

Water quality tests could also be done.

Welcome to Pond Boss. Good advice above. Greg Grimes with Lakework is a great guy.

I agree with the bathyspheric map and electro shocking of the pond. Before you have the pond e-shocked, talk with them and get an idea what type of fishery you want. Then during the electro shock survey, any fish that you don't want in your pond can be removed.

I would have the mapping done first because if the pond isn't deep enough to support the fishery that you want, you might not want to do the e-shock survey and punt the property before sinking more $$$ into it.

Tom, I recommend a faster, more efficient way of mapping your pond depths than string & weight: A 12 or 14 foot bamboo cane poll. Mark off the lengths every, say, 2 feet, then poke it all around & record measures. As a bonus, you can grind it in to the bottom to check on composition (mud, sand, rock, etc).

Learned this from Overton's when they came out to deploy artificial habitat. And, for those of us who remember our first fishing "rod" as a cane pole, it feels good, too.

Anthropic,, I really like home made cane poles. I have some bamboo spotted and will make a couple soon for a neighbor.

I still have my heavy duty HSB cane pole with guides.

Hello. Just joined. I was googling for some info on building a dock and found this forum. Looks like a wealth of info. We are wrapping up a 5 acre pond build so lots of adventures and questions to come. Thanks

Welcome, BG.

Hey y'all. There's a pond on my dad's property, maybe a hair shy of an acre. It used to be well kept with bluegill, shellcracker, largemouth bass, and white crappie. Eventually while I was in school it was taken over by duckweed. Apparently everything but crappie and (inexplicably present) warmouth died. These two species somehow survived and established large, stunted populations. When I finished school I had time to mess with the pond. I dealt with the duckweed, started culling out the warmouth and crappie. I added bluegill, redbreast, fliers, a few bass and my absolute favorite fish the redfin pickerel.
I have been fascinated by redfin since I was a kid hearing stories about it. What literature that exists on this woefully understudied fish states that they require running water to reproduce. I introduced 40 sexually mature redfin pickerel into the pond. I have only seen 2 of these adults since last summer when I introduced them. However I have seen multiple juvenile redfin pickerel in the shallows. They did in fact reproduce within this isolated pond.
I am here to hopefully learn about pond management and share what knowledge I have acquired from my obsession with this (again) woefully understudied fish.

Welcome to the forum!

Hi everybody my name is Robert Cardin and I live in Evergreen, Alabama. I built a pond last year that once full should cover about 5 acres and be 12-13 ft deep at the dam. Alabama red clay is sticky but apparently it still lets water through it. Had it dry but couldn’t get any heavy equipment in to pack it before the rain started up, so we did what we could with a mini excavator (which ain’t a lot). Anyway it’s filling up better now but still got a good leak (about like a water hose running). On here to learn about pond stuff in general, stocking tips, management tips, ect. Maybe one day I’ll get the leak fixed and I can stock it again.

Welcome to Pond Boss, Robert!

Do you know exactly, or roughly where the leak is?

Maybe let the pond get to full pool (if it can) and then start a new post for advice on fixing your leak.

It turned out the property I put a down payment on in upstate NY had some federal wetlands on it preventing me from building - so I passed on that property and instead in March of 22 bought 79 acres in eastern PA that already has a 1 acre pond!

Good luck on the new place. The wetlands on the other property may not be US wetlands after the recent USSCT ruling on wetlands.

Can you tell me more about the recent USSCT ruling on wetlands? I have a couple acres I'd love to dig new ponds in, but they have been considered wetlands and so I haven't dared do anything with that ground... I'm hoping you can tell me that I can dig me a baitfish pond and a good deep one that will stay full of water even in the dryest of years... Always wonder why they frown on doing things to your property that actually make better wildlife habitat... My current irrigation pond has more wildlife on it than rest of the lowland has combined... Love to see some reason come into how they deal with wetlands.. Sorry that comment just set me to dreaming.. Later J

Check this thread:

WOTUS discussion

Even if you are clear on federal laws, there are STATE laws that you must also follow!

Additionally, DO NOT take "legal advice" from internet forums. You might be able to take some valuable "guidance" from the forum and then talk to your local NRCS representative or a local attorney before breaking any ground.

Contact your local NRCS office.