Hello from Wisconsin: I hope to turn my giant hole in the yard into a pond.

[sissy]

seems to be bogging it down ,making it run slow .

 

[Waterbug]

I looked into natural swimming pools years ago when I converted a swimming pool into a pond. As I remember there really wasn't much to it, I mean there wasn't anything special they did. All the sites I read were really just defending the idea that humans could swim in a natural pool and live. But of course there certainly are issues. Even a chlorinated pool is not always bacteria or virus free.

How natural are you thinking? Fish? Treat for string algae?

I was wondering if you contacted any government agency for help? Farm ponds was where I first got started with ponds and at that time the ag department would send out an agent to give advice and do testing for free. Under the right conditions they'd even provide grant money. LBJ was in the white house so things may be different now.

 

[sissy]

sure is different these days they don't test free for anything even here you have to pay threm to come do the perk test on your property before you can build and then when you do your well you have to pay for testing of the water and your septic tank has to be tested and approved and you have to pay for that .If you have a farm pond you have to have the water tested once a year to make sure no chemicals are going into it from runoff .You pay and they come out and take samples from 4 areas of the pond and soil samples from around the pond .You can't take the samples yourself .I guess it has something to do with the Chesapeak bay by what I read farm feces and fertilizers are causing problems with the bay .