Farm pond renovation

Rest of the pics:

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I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
The Cloud
Percy Bysshe Shelley

One of the big reasons in this area for fencing a pond was thin ice where animals would walk on it and fall threw. My buddy keeps his ice broke for holes for drinking out of .If two cows can destroy a pond that size there wouldn't be a pond in the country .

We use to swim with cows in the pond . But we were country folks too .

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Check it Out O added another Plank With O care
http://www.libertyzone.com/Communist...to-Planks.html

Here's a free online book about pond construction, design and management:
http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/pdf%20files/PONDS.PDF

and a neat website: Farm Pond Management

The only advice I could give comes from a course on small lake ecology I took a few years back. The three keys to small lake/pond health, according to the instructor, were to keep at least part of the perimeter of the pond unmowed (preferably the part which intercepts the most run-off), limit benthic fish (bottom feeders like carp) which stir up sediment and prevent aquatic plant growth and encourage aquatic plants like pondweed and Chara. The aquatic plants provide a place for the young fish to hide as they grow and also generate oxygen via photosynthesis and help purify the water. Unmowed perimeters intercept nitrogen run-off and limit sediment entry into the pond which keeps it from filling up. They also shade the water's edge on hot days. Tall prairie grasses like big bluestem and Indian grass are good at this because they are the tallest in the late summer when it is the hottest and margins can over heat. Anyway, this is what I gleaned from the class. I have never managed a pond though so I do not have practical experience to offer, just what I learned in the class. I do hope to manage a small lake one day so in the meantime I am always trying to learn about it.

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Jessica

Homestead / Nature Journal ~ A path is made by walking it ~

Livestock walking beside the pond leads to erosion/runoff into the pond from their paths. A good vegetation layer around the pond for several feet will help trap sediment and keep it out of your pond. A lot of folks will fence around the pond and extend the fence several feet into the pond on one end/side forming a kind of "notch" that is hardened with gravel/rock. This notch provides livestock with access for watering but drastically reduces their impact. Certainly an option in your case. Work so far looks nice, that pond should be in good shape for years to come. If you have thought of a dock, there is no better time than now to set your posts......

This, consider if you add to your stock in the future and the dock is really nic for fishing.

Here's a nice little FREE image resizer that will keep your photos on the screen.

Mihov Image Resizer - Just one program of Miha's utilities - Mihov Freeware

To keep your vegetation down I would stock some triploid grass carp. Check to be sure but I think they are legal in PA.

You could always put your stock tank lower than your pond elevation and siphon into it.

You can also put a siphon drain on it but you'd have to empty it during freezing weather. I've siphoned 10's of millions of gallons with 4" thin wall pvc pipe.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

My ponds are fed from the bottom, but I have bass, bluegill (we call em bream) and catfish in them. I have always let my cows drink from them. Been 22 years. Shrug. That's what they were put there for, waterholes. The lunker fish are just frosting on the cake, same as the geese and blue herons.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

If you have a 2 acre pond that gets a lot of runoff, you have no need for aeration. Also, if you look at the wind aerators and how much they actually do, you would need several for a pond that size to make any difference.

Since a pond that size doesn't need an aerator and if you install one, you won't know if the aerator has served a purpose or not.

As far as livestock, there's no reason to fence off the pond unless you want to. Our ponds have had livestock in them for a long time. The larger pond (2-1/2 acres) was built in the 1970's and has always had a lot of cattle on it and in it. It has not hurt the pond at all and has not contributed to silt. The only problem you'll have is they will ruin a dam over the years. The dam is the only part that you should be fenced if none of the rest is fenced.

Thank you so much for all the input and links.

I think we are going to skip an aerator as the general census is that it is not needed. Yeah, saves us a lot of money.

Fencing off the dam makes sense but leaving at least one side not fenced is the way I think we will go. Pumping water to troughs everyday if not needed is not what I want to do. In winter we do use heated troughs as the pond will freeze most winters.

Okay one more question? I think I want to plant weeping willow trees on the back side of this pond. I know they can be messy but will be planted far enough way but I have read they they make good browse for goats so aesthetic wise and food wise may be a good option. They would be fenced off for a few years to keep the goats out. Any one see a problem with willows?

Will post pictures when pond is done.

Willows can get out of hand if near a pond. Just be sure not to let any trees of any type take root on your dam.

As far as watering.... In this part of the country where the ice on ponds can be up to 18 inches thick all winter, the ponds will often have a pipe placed in the pond dam with a valve below ground. It is referred to as a "gravity flow hydrant."

Our ponds have them. It keeps the livestock out of and off of the pond and dam. The line coming out of the dam is about 3 feet below ground with a valve, in a tube. It never freezes. The valve is in a tube and we have a "key" that is long enough to reach in and turn to open the valve. Not only can we water from it, but I also water my garden from one of these valves. It is much easier and cheaper than pumping water.

The more you try to kill them darn willows the better they grow
I wish someone had mine

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Do you have goats? We have over 5o head so I think the goats will clean up any mess just fine. Or lets hope so

If you have willows growing near or at the water edge of the pond you will have muskrats and possibly beaver.

Also any tree allowed to grow on or close to the dam is a threat because the roots will seek water and create a channel for the water to leak. That can lead to total dam failure.

You'll definitely want to keep your animals off the ice for their safety. Even if they don't break through they run the risk of broken legs from falling.

__________________
"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

I have over 40 goats. Believe me when I say that they won't keep the willows under control.

There's a web page called Pond Boss Magazine: Welcome that can answer all your questions. I visit it often, lots of help.

You DON'T want dirt getting in your pond - that's what you're paying mucho dinero to fix right now.
If you let animals have free access to the pond, they will break down the edges, putting them in the water, and leaving raw dirt for water to run through getting into the pond. To protect the pond, keep animals away (fence), then surround the pond with fenced-in grassed waterways (slow water flow, create small eddies) so that eroded dirt is stopped and dropped before it enters the pond. Keep the waterways close to the pond animal-free. If you think the grassed waterways are getting too long, bush-hog, or cut for hay.
Keep carp out of the pond. The carp and any similar bottom-feeding fish sucks up settled dirt, sieves it for food (including other fish breed's eggs), and spits out fine suspended silt and clay. Makes the water filthy quickly, and also puts the water in a condition which can smother other fish.

Two is one and one is none. If you have a direct drain into the pond, make sure you have at least TWO cut-offs in series, or some day one will break and all your water will be gone. Best way is arguably to have a solar-powered pump putting water into a tank, then drain water from the tank to gardens, drinking troughs, whatever.

Pumping from the pond, suspend the inlet from a float, so it's free of bottom and sediment.

Warnings you've had about trees on pond banks are good. Same for burrowing animals. Same with crawfish. Natural waterways are one thing, but built ponds with perhaps only 6" or 1' of compressed earth to seal them are different.

One other thing to consider if you haven't already and that is to make the slope of the bank pretty steep down to 3' to keep weeds from growing over most of the pond edge.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

If they have a trackhoe, I'd have em dig it as deep as they possibly can, out in the middle. I'd dig until I hit sand. Deeper it is, less chance of it 'turning over' and losing all your fish. I'd also advise to build some 'structure'... smooth terraced ponds look pretty when new, but when they fill with water, the pretty is covered up... and fish have nowhere to find. Trenches, holes, etc.... I'd even sink some old tree tops in the middle... the fish will appreciate it.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Yes and it's easier to work with machinery than trying to position trees from a boat. If you've got access to rocks a rock pile is a good fish attractor.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

Last time I took Big Rockpile fishing we didn't catch many fish

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