I am pretty certain that the pond in the front of our home has not been cleaned in over a decade or two. Just a sneaking suspicion, but it has definitely not been cleaned in the last five years since we moved into the farmhouse. So, cleaning this lovely (not) body of water have been on my to-do list for quite some time.
Years worth of eutrophication has taken a toll on the ability of the pond to capture the needed amount of rainwater during the spring and summer months when hurricane season is in full swing. With a solid layer of plant material on the top of the water, it is like walking on a water bed - the mat of weeds is so thick - more like a bog than a pond.
After draining the water out - which took two days, we went about trying to remove the tangled mess of water plants that had grown several feet in places. First, an attempt to remove the weed bed was made with the tractor, which was no match for the silt and mud at the bottom of the pond. Then, the tractor got stuck in the mud three times and had to be pulled out of the quicksand-like sediment with our pick-up truck.
No worries, the tractor is fine now - just a little bit muddy.
Barring no significant rainfall in the next few days, the pond should be cleaned out, dried up and the bottom re-surfaced to level it out. Keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck ...
Will post a follow-up in a few days.
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