why does "water get murky/dirty after rain?

sissy

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Could be a factor of where you live city verses country or suburbs .Rain can pick up pollution in the air that is why after rain the air smells so fresh and clean .In the spring the pollen is a big factor
 
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The rain itself isn't full of dirt (unless it's raining on a dust storm or something. It's when the runoff from the lawn runs into the pond. I have the edge of my pond raised slightly to avoid this.
 

sissy

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Even when you get a really have rain splashing of water hitting the ground can cause it .My pond gets cloudy water from the splashing .It is a foot from the ground on 1 side and over 2 ft from the ground on all the other sides ,
 

j.w

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Rain, Lightning and snow all contain nitrogen. Ever heard of "Poor Man's Fertilizer"? I suppose it could cause more problems in our ponds if too much nitrogen builds up in there perhaps causing a reaction. I think mostly tho the dirty look is from the soil around the pond leaking or bouncing in from hard rains.
 

slakker

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If it's that noticeable that immediately, then it's likely due to run off or "splashing" of dirt and debris into the water. Raising the edges and keeping the edge clear of material that can splash up from rain drops may help. Mine is raided an surrounded by creeping jenny, and seems to prevent this.
 

crsublette

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Yeah, I think it is due to runoff. Also, typically, in my area at least, there is always significant wind at some point during the storm, which brings in quite a bit of silt into the pond.
 
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I have never seen it in my pond. Are these ponds built incorrectly so they get a lot of runoff? Is the rain water dirty? What?
A lot of people seem to choose the lowest spot in their yards to build a pond, or sometimes they even pick a pre-existing hole or depression on their property to build the pond, thinking that because there's already a hole it would be an ideal place to build a pond. Of course the lowest spot is going to be the place where all the rain water run off flows to.
For what it's worth, my pond doesn't get murky/dirty after it rains either. ;)
 

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