Pond and Lake Management Presented by: Susan Boser Water Quality Educator Penn State Cooperative Extension Beaver County

Pond / Lake Classifications • Backyard or Ornamental Pond – Measured in gallons – Less than 1/8th acre • Ponds – Less than 5 acres (natural or man-made) • Lakes – Greater than 5 acres and natural • Reservoirs – Greater than 5 acres and man-made

Popular Uses for Ponds in PA Survey of 792 pond and lake owners

Percent

(Arrows indicate 10-year trend)

Defining Pond Objectives!

Boating Swimming Fishing

Aesthetics

Ponds Problems 60 52

40

77% of respondents indicated at least one problem

Percent

34 26

20 9

8

Water Quality

Fish Kills

0 Plants/Algae

Nuisance Wildlife

Leaks

Annual Inspection • Erosion along banks • Look for early signs of leaks • Remove small trees along dam • Check outlet pipe • Maintain dry hydrant

• Fences

Understand the Pond Watershed What Happens Here Can Cause Nuisance Plant Growth

“Watershed” = area contributing water to pond Surface runoff, spring, or stream-fed Important area for pond water quality

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Pond Water Quality •

E. coli bacteria should be tested for swimming ponds

•

Temperature – Match fish to pond temperature regime

•

pH – Optimum = 6.5 to 8.5, causes stunted fish growth

•

Nutrients – Cause plant and algae growth

•

Hardness – Influences effectiveness of herbicides

•

Dissolved Oxygen – Normal = 10-15 mg/L, fish require 3 to 5 mg/L – low DO - fish gulp at surface, snails/crayfish leave water

Testing Pond Water • Typical parameters – Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, E. coli bacteria, alkalinity, hardness • Kits from pet or pool stores or: • Penn State accredited lab offers a pond kit – pH, bacteria, total dissolved solids, nitrate, phosphorous, hardness, sulfate, iron, manganese, aluminum, alkalinity ($42-$70)

Pond Leaks • Seepage, evaporation, leakage • Avoid with proper construction! • Very difficult and $$ to fix • Usually must drain pond

• Options – Compact existing clay – Make-up water? – Sealing products • Bentonite • Plastic ($$) • More clay (refill quickly)

Important Pond Measurements • Careful estimates of pond area and volume are critical measurements for management of aquatic plants and algae.

107’ 87’ 130’ 159’ 135’ 148’

• Area – Transects – GPS units – Google Earth

272’ 257’ 186’ 165’

• Residence time – = 226 * Pond Volume (ac-ft) / Overflow Rate (gpm)

• Volume – Area X depth = acre feet

To Permit or Not to Permit! Common Permits • Construction – depends on size, presence of wetlands, erosion/sedimentation • Stream encroachment • Dredging • Drawdown • Applying aquatic herbicide • Stocking grass carp No Permit (at least not yet!) • Stocking fish (other than grass carp) • Aeration • Physical control (other than dredging, drawdown) • Barley straw applications • Bacteria/enzyme applications

Pond Ecology Zones of a Typical Pond Littoral Zone

Limnetic Zone (open water)

Emergent Plants

Submerged Plants

Floating Plants

Photic Zone (Phytoplankton Growth)

Benthic Zone (Deposited Sediment)

Aphotic Zone

Desirable Aquatic Plant Communities • Vegetation dominated by native species • A diverse mix of species present • Plants with moderate density that allows access to invertebrates, forage fish 14

Why do They Grow? Water + Sunlight + Nutrients + (Transport?)

Balanced ecosystem = 20 to 40% plant coverage

Problems occur when: • ponds get too much nitrogen • ponds get too much phosphorous • ponds get too much sediment 15

Proper Identification is the First Step to Control !

algae submerged emergent

floaters 16

Filamentous algae

Filamentous algae buoyed to the surface by oxygen bubbles trapped in the mat

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Common Submerged Plants Naiad

Bladderwort Elodea

Coontail Photos courtesy of Amy Smagula, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Common Floating Plants

Watershield

A Clump of Watermeal

Duckweed

Spatterdock White Water Lily

Common Emergent Plant

Cattail Bulrush

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Exotic Invasives ! Watch Out For These Hydrilla

Curly-Leaf Pondweed

Eurasian Milfoil

Photos courtesy of Amy Smagula, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

More Exotic Invasives ! Purple Loosestrife Yellow Floating Heart

Parrot Feather

Photos courtesy of Amy Smagula, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Aquatic Plant and Algae Control • Prevention – Nutrient Control • Physical/Mechanical Control • Biological Control • Chemical Control Keep in mind that removal of one plant or algae may cause another to grow !

Nutrient Reduction

Sediment ponds Buffers

Septic maintenance

Reduce fertilizer Stabilize banks

Aeration

Control animals

Controlling Aquatic Plant Growth Raking, Pulling

Dredging

Aeration

Drawdown

Harvesting

BE CAREFUL – harvesting can make some problems worse! (naiad, elodea, coontail, etc.) Dredging photo courtesy of Ed Molesky, Aqua Link, Inc. & Hydro Logic Products

Biological Control • Triploid grass carp (white amur from Russia) • Work for submerged, rooted plants and duckweed • Permit required, must be sterile • Control decreases with age

• Other fish species NOT recommended

• Barley Straw • Only for prevention of algae growth • Must be placed in pond in winter/early spring • Variable results

• Bacteria/enzyme products • No permit needed • Consume nutrients that plants need to grow • Pricey but can be very effective

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Using Aquatic Herbicides 1. Properly identify the plant – Penn State Aquatic Plant ID guide

2. Select an appropriate herbicide –

Consult handout for options

3. Calculate amount of herbicide needed –

From pond measurements

4. Obtain state permit to apply herbicide – –

Free, two-page permit to PA Fish and Boat Commission Coming in 2011 – more detailed permit application in conjunction with NPDES

5. Purchase and apply herbicide –

Wear protective clothing, calm day, start in shallow water, apply early in growing season, treat ½ or less of pond at one time

Fish Combinations • Trout – Best for put-and-take option – Need cold water - rarely survive summers – Only survive 3-4 years

• Bass/bluegill (or other sunfish) – – – –

Most common and most successful option Thrive in warmer water (77 - 86° F) 100 bass (2 yr old), 400 bluegill (1 yr) per acre of pond Or stock adult fish (6 bass over 9”, 100 bluegill over 3”)

• Other options – Bass only (lots of 9-12” bass results) – Bass/shiner or bass/fathead minnow (big bass) – Bass/channel catfish

• All require management over time

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Fish Kills in Ponds • Oxygen depletion from decay of plants and other organic material • Pesticides – runoff or drift from fields after rain – improper use of aquatic herbicide • Diseases – usually occur in spring/early summer • Injury – due to wildlife (herons, etc.) • Winter kill - shallow ponds with persistent ice/snow

Key Pond Features to Attract Wildlife • • • • • •

Buffer strips Emergent vegetation Mix of shallow and deep water Nest boxes Submerged aquatic vegetation Rocks around edges

If You Build It, They Will Come

Canada Geese • Problems – Increase plant/algae in ponds and lakes – Bacteria from waste – Aggressive

• Goal: ≤2 ducks/geese per acre • Short-term migrational stops generally not a problem • Control – – – –

Barriers (buffer strips, fence, stone, fishing line, repellents) Scarecrows don’t work for long Allow winter ice – turn off aerators Alter vegetation around pond/lake • Like bluegrass, ryegrass, red fescue • Dislike tall fescue, common periwinkle, English ivy, Japanese pachysandra

Muskrats • Build dens in banks 6-18” below surface, prefer ponds/lakes with cattails • May cause leaks, muddy water and collapse in poorly designed ponds • Rip-rapping shoreline with large gravel from one foot above to 3 feet below water surface – prevents den building • Removal (trapping)

• 12-week online pond course starts April 7 • Publications

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