Pond Design and Construction o Soils should be tested to determine if they are capable of holding water. Soils with clay, clay and loam, or sandy loam are best. Soils with limestone, shale or sand and gravel should be avoided because they will allow seepage. o The dam should be constructed with a well-built spillway to allow control of flood waters. It is desirable to install an overflow structure with a bottom drain in the pond. The ability to drain a pond provides options sometimes necessary to properly manage water and fish in a small pond. o As a general rule, the deeper the better. The pond should be no less than one acre with at least 24% of the surface area being more than 15 feet deep. This will help keep water levels stable and minimize winter-kill and evaporation during the summer. Ponds with a constant flow-through generally provide better conditions for fish survival. o There should be grassy or wooded barrier strips between the pond and cultivated areas to reduce pond siltation and possible pollution from runoff. Steeper slopes demand greater buffer strips. o Water quality is important to fish production and survival and includes many factors. Consider having your water tested to make sure it is compatible with your goals and objectives. Some factors to consider include: pH level, alkalinity, amount of dissolved gases such as oxygen, heavy metal concentration, acidity, total dissolved solids, nutrient levels and turbidity. o If the primary source of water is from a well, water should be aerated to assure adequate dissolved oxygen content and dispersal of other gases. This can be accomplished by discharging the water over a short run of rocky substrate that creates turbulence before entering the pond. However be mindful of potential soil erosion in the area from the well to the pond. o Fences should be erected to exclude livestock. Livestock tend to congregate around ponds, trampling the edges, causing the banks to erode and muddy the water, degrading water quality and limiting the diversity and health of vegetation around the impoundment. o New water impoundments should not be stocked with fish immediately after filling. It is best to wait a few months to a year before stocking to allow the water to clear, aquatic

Pond Design and Construction

• Soils should be tested to determine if they are capable of holding water. Soils with clay, clay and loam, or sandy loam are best. Soils with limestone, shale or sand and gravel should be avoided because they will allow seepage.

• The dam should be constructed with a well-built spillway to allow control of flood waters. It is desirable to install an overflow structure with a bottom drain in the pond. The ability to drain a pond provides options sometimes necessary to properly manage water and fish in a small pond.

•  As a general rule, the deeper the better. The pond should be no less than one acre with at least 24% of the surface area being more than 15 feet deep. This will help keep water levels stable and minimize winter-kill and evaporation during the summer. Ponds with a constant flow-through generally provide better conditions for fish survival.

• There should be grassy or wooded barrier strips between the pond and cultivated areas to reduce pond siltation and possible pollution from runoff. Steeper slopes demand greater buffer strips.

• Water quality is important to fish production and survival and includes many factors. Consider having your water tested to make sure it is compatible with your goals and objectives. Some factors to consider include: pH level, alkalinity, amount of dissolved gases such as oxygen, heavy metal concentration, acidity, total dissolved solids, nutrient levels and turbidity.

• If the primary source of water is from a well, water should be aerated to assure adequate dissolved oxygen content and dispersal of other gases. This can be accomplished by discharging the water over a short run of rocky substrate that creates turbulence before entering the pond. However be mindful of potential soil erosion in the area from the well to the pond.

•  Fences should be erected to exclude livestock. Livestock tend to congregate around ponds, trampling the edges, causing the banks to erode and muddy the water, degrading water quality and limiting the diversity and health of vegetation around the impoundment.

• New water impoundments should not be stocked with fish immediately after filling. It is best to wait a few months to a year before stocking to allow the water to clear, aquatic