Coldwater Pond Cleanup

[OzarksGuy]

OzarksGuy submitted a new Showcase Item:

Coldwater Pond Cleanup

This pond had filled with debris to the point that it reverted to a wandering stream in dry weather. With enough rain it was a pond about a foot deep. Early spring and summer pictures I'm including here show what it looked like, and what it looked like after a lot of work this fall. It was all done by hand.

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[OzarksGuy]

OzarksGuy updated Coldwater Pond Cleanup

This pond had filled with debris to the point that it reverted to a wandering stream in dry weather. With enough rain it was a pond about a foot deep. Early spring and summer pictures I'm including here show what it looked like, and what it looked like after a lot of work this fall. It was all done by hand. Sorry the pictures didn't show up in the right order. The one with the bridge we built is the way it looked this fall. We built the bridge to our own design. Let me know if you'd like more info on it - cost only $125 for materials.

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[JBtheExplorer]

Love your pond in the woods!!

 

[Nepen]

The pond looks like part of the woods!! Great job. I love the bridge. Just beautiful.

 

[OzarksGuy]

Thanks, JB and Nepen. We enjoy the place and have picnics there - maybe a cabin someday. Some local kids fish there for the chubs. The wood ducks in the thumbnail were investigating the pond when I took their picture. Lots of wildlife.

 

[Big Lou]

How deep? Any natural fish?

 

[OzarksGuy]

How deep? Any natural fish?

Big Lou,
We've dug the pool center to about three foot depth now, and bubbles from decayed matter have stopped coming up when stones below that are dug moved. To me, that indicates it may be the original bottom, although there seems to be a limestone layer three feet below that (the limestone crops out about 100 feet downstream of the pool and makes a little falls there). At the spring above, water comes from a couple limestone outcrop layers - maybe indicates leakage from the upper one. We're concerned that digging deeper may allow water to escape to a lower level at the pool, too. Any thoughts?

Yes, there are fish: chubs of a couple sorts from fry up to about nine inches long (one is a horned dace), and darters (up to about five inches) that have a chevron design to blend in exceptionally well with the small stones at the natural stream inlet. Also plenty of snails and crayfish. Neighbors say there used to be trout, but while digging, we found bobbers and fish line that indicate neighbor kids have fished it well. There are no trout now, anyway. I haven't seen any significant fly hatches, either. The cold water, maybe, or the chubs?

 

[Big Lou]

I agree with your decision not to dig further down. Quite possible you could displace the limestone. Small natural streams and pools have to overcome many obstacles to survive. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[DrCase]

Good looking pond .