Winter is a wonderful time to make some improvements to your lake or pond that will pay huge dividends next spring. It is the perfect time to sit down and evaluate the problems from the previous year, and devise a plan to mitigate those problems for the coming year. Most aquatic problems can be dealt with most effectively when they are addressed early in the spring, before they have a chance to get out of control.
The first thing one might wish to consider during the winter months is to perform a thorough evaluation of the physical characteristics of the pond. Identify erosion problems, areas where leaves or other organic matter seem to be loading the pond, inspect outflow structures for damage, locate areas of significant sedimentation, identify any areas that might have been damaged by muskrats, nutria, beavers, or other nuisance critters, etc. Inexpensive pond surveys can be performed using GPS technology and pictures to provide lake and pond owners with all of this information in a very simple and easy to use format.
Additionally, winter is the ideal time to perform bathymetric surveys, where the surface area of the pond is mapped and the bottom depths are sampled and plotted on this map. This type of survey will tell us the overall volume of the pond, and when compared to previous surveys or as built drawings of the pond, will allow us to determine the sedimentation rate over time. Once we calculate this rate, we can then forecast when a lake or pond might need dredging.
Once armed with all of this information, a plan can be formulated, costs identified and prioritized, budgets adjusted, and reserve funding established as needed to deal with the problems before they get worse. Careful inspection and planning will often times prevent or mitigate the need for costly repairs at a later date.
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