Best Pond Vacuum?

[Tara H]

We've recently bought a property that came with a spring-fed pond that had been neglected for years. I think the previous owners put in a clay bottom in a boggy area to make the pond, so it doesn't have a liner. It was obvious that there had been a pump, but we never could find a waterfall, so we just ignored that. A year ago, we had someone drain the pond and shovel out the majority of the muck (though it's impossible to get it all). In June, we cleared the overgrown area around the pond, and low and behold, found the DIY waterfall. We bought a pump, plugged it in and the waterfall works great.

Unfortunately, it churns up the sediment in the pond and makes the water cloudy. Because the pond is fed from several natural springs, new sediment will always be an issue. Before the waterfall, the water was always clear in spite of that. The waterfall is a decent way from the pond, so by the time the water gets there, it is just flowing in rather than falling straight in with a bunch of force. We don't live there full-time, so we don't leave the waterfall on when we are gone. When we cut on the waterfall, a ton of sediment comes into the pond, but never settles. There is no filter other than the DIY grate that the previous owners put in which only keeps out bigger items.

I've tried Rapid Clear, but it's just not working. So I'm looking into getting a pond vacuum. We need one that can get out the new sediment that comes in on a regular basis and some leaves and twigs. The pond is surrounded by trees, so something is always getting in there. Any vacuum advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!
Tara

 

[Mmathis]

I’m not sure how a pond vac would work on a natural bottom pond. What are you planning to do with all of the washed-in sediment when you vacuum the pond? Maybe someone else has suggestions.

Would love to see pics! It sounds lovely! Where do you live?

 

[j.w]

Wonder if a nice large bog could work to filter it all out before it gets to the pond? Pictures needed if you can

 

[WaterGardener]

I, too doubt that a vacuum would work in that situation. They definitely won't pull out sticks. They will pull out muck, but it seems to me that they will also pull up the clay on the bottom.

If you search the web for mud ponds you might find more information.

 

[Tara H]

I'm attaching pictures.

The first one is the pond shortly after we bought the place. The far side of the pond is a rock wall that has a few natural spring heads flowing into the pond. The waterfall is hidden behind the bush on the right side. The pond also has a water source (from up-mountain neighbor and rain) coming from the lower left hand side of the picture. There is an overflow pipe that connects to another pond lower on our property. The water is cloudy in the picture because of rain, but usually the water is clear unless there is an algae issue.

The 2nd picture, which is not great because my husband had to climb under the net to get it, shows where the pump is (pink), where the newly discovered waterfall starts and ends (light blue), and where the spring heads are (dark blue).

The pond was a real eye-sore when we first bought the property, and we've worked really hard to make it a more pleasing area. We thought the waterfall would help with our occasional algae issues, but the cloudy water seems worse.

Any suggestions?

 

[Mgessert]

If your pump is on the bottom, I would raise it up a few inches. Adding some pond plants would help too. I wouldn’t bother with a vacuum or chemicals, but find a way to balance it naturally. Do you need to redirect rainwater from dumping directly into pond? You‘ve made it a lovely spot now. Well done!

 

[GBBUDD]

In my eyes the best will be the strongest if you have oak leaves to deal with even more so