Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Natural Spring maintenance

New to Pond ownership (moved in October 2020). We have a 30+ year old 1 acre pond fed by a natural spring which has about a 6 foot opening. The spring is completely surrounded by 3-10 year old forest. The leaf fall covers the spring and then settles down. As far as we know, there has been no active management of the spring or pond. Certainly none in the past 10 years. Is the buildup of deadfall and muck detrimental to the spring? Can it build up so much as to restrict the flow of water up from the spring? Any direction on reading materials or advise will be greatly appreciated. Noticed the pond dropped several inches during a recent dry period, so worried about the spring flow. Although this is our first summer there, so the drop could be normal.

My biggest concern is the comment about being completely surrounded by 3 to 10 year old forest. So trees sap water and as they grow ... the spring outflow will diminish. You should keep the charging area of your spring free of trees. You can kill a tree in 3 years by girdling or much faster with herbicide. It is your choice but there is risk of losing the spring entirely as the trees grow. I have seen it before. Get rid of the trees ... and there goes your leaf problem too.

Impossible to answer without more information of how or where your "spring" water originates. Your state department of natural resources may have information on the aquifer that feeds your spring, if it is fed by an aquifer? Contact your county's Land and Water Management office.

I wouldn't worry about the trees depriving your spring of water. Tree roots rarely grow more than 10 feet, 20 at the absolute most. Unless you plan on cutting every tree above that aquifer, they aren't causing an issue, they are symbiotic to your spring.

Its doubtful the detritus from organic materials will limit the flow. However, the tannins could discolor the water, depending on what type of water quality you are trying to achieve, take action or inaction relative to that.

Not every spring has a deep underground reservoir for a source. Many do not flow large quantities of water but kind of trickle instead. My sense of the OPs spring is that it is unable to keep up with evaporation/filtration during the late summer. So this tells me its one of the trickle type. These often are supported by limited charging areas and are very shallow reservoirs particularly near the discharge of the spring. A large tree can sap 200 gallons per day so enough of them at sufficient size and water demand can impact the spring. I am speaking from experience. Not my own spring (as if that even matters) but from my Father in-law's spring which can no longer support the house's needs let alone the livestock and 3 acre garden it once supported even while much of the water was not even used in the past (spilling the well constructed at the discharge).

And, there are varying degrees re springs. I know a rancher who has a seasonal spring that is generally good for about 7 months. Obviously shallow.

Trees affect the way water moves into and through the soil in a number of ways. As tree roots grow they make large channels for water to move through. Tree branches and leaves stop raindrops from hitting the ground too fast so the soil has more time to absorb the rain water. Less water will run off the surface and that will reduce soil erosion. Trees provide shade so that less water evaporates from the soil.

As more rain falls, water moves deeper into the soil. Eventually, the flow of water may be stopped by a hard layer of soil or rock. At this point the water will flow along the easiest path, generally flowing to a lower place. Often, this water will end up in a spring, flowing out the side of a hill or gathering in a pond at the bottom of a slope.