ArJay if you're wealthy enough to chemically maintain a 3 acre pond like a swimming pool then I suggest you pick up stakes and move to the Texas Hill country were the water you are desiring is a natural occurrence. Is this what your looking for? Some of the most clear blue turquoise water north of the Caribbean.
http://www.briangreenstone.com/austin/nueces/index.htmlBy the way plenty of fish and plants grow in these oasis in the desert.
With a lime stone bottom your on the right track already. I believe by simply preventing runoff water from entering your pond you will be 99% of where you want to be plants or not. I pm'd you never replied. Again what do your neighbors cliché pit ponds look like in your area? Murky or clear? How are they filled, runoff or ? I believe your water source is the secret to having what you desire not man induced chemicals. Look at the photo below.
The pond in the upper left corner is a 3 acre frac pond built by the O&G folks exploring natural gas in our area. The 2 ponds in lower right corner are mine. Notice any color differences same soils? My 2 ponds are fed by runoff and shallow wet land springs. In these photo's the ponds are down from drought conditions. The pond in front of my house normally has visibility down to about 8 feet below the surface. Extremely clear. I believe because of the spring and water table that feed it. Note the color of the pond in the upper left. It is filled 100% with deep spring well water. The trinity aquifer I think. That is what clear blue deep water looks like from the sky. Light green. Just my 2 cents but I highly dought you can get what you want by just adding chemicals. If your water source is clear so will your pond be.
