Pond management and ownership can be stressful at times throughout the year. Each season brings its own set of challenges for management. The key is not to wait to help your pond! Below is some information about common pond problems. 

Fish Kills

Common causes of fish kills include:
  • Winterkill: loss of oxygen due to ice formation on pond or ice that is blanketed by snowfall
  • Summerkill: most common in shallow ponds with heavy vegetation. Typically occurs due to 1) cloudy, hot and still days in the heat of summer, 2) large-scale die-offs of tiny microscopic plants or phytoplankton, 3) sudden thermal turnover or inversions caused by dramatic weather changes or 4) chemical treatment of algae or aquatic vegetation that result in excessive decay.
  • Disease outbreak
  • Poisoning

Wildlife Issues

  • Muskrats: They primarily feed on cattail, bullrush, smartweed, water lily, and young willows. Muskrats become a nuisance when they burrow into the banks or the dam of ponds. 
  • Burrowing crayfish: They become a nuisance when they burrow around ponds and lakes and can undermine the structural integrity of dams.
  • Other Wildlife- Other wildlife can cause damage to a pond structure or eat a large amount of fish. Common pond nuisances are muskrats, birds, turtles, beavers and crayfish. For certain animals you need contact the Darke County Wildlife Officer for proper methods and permits. Click here to find the current wildlife officer for Darke County.
  • Additional resource: Pond Nuisances- from Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Other Issues

  • Muddy Water
  • Leaking Pond 
  • Low or High water
    1. Drought/Minimal Rainfall
    2. Leaking Dam or Levee
    3. Failing Spillway
    4. Spillway blockage
Penn State Extension: Fixing a Leaky Pond
File Size: 259 kb
File Type: pdf
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Aquatic Vegetation

  • Excess aquatic vegetation is the most common pond problem in Ohio.
  • Methods for controlling aquatic vegetation:
    1. Reduce sources of excess fertilizer runoff (i.e. livestock, lawn/garden fertilizer). Excess nitrogen causes algae and weed grown.
    2. Make sure the pond has an average depth of at least 6 feet to discourage weed growth.
    3. In small areas, where possible, pull out rooted plants.
    4. Use sterilized triploid grass carp to eat submersed weeds. These are banned in some states. 
    5. For severe problems, consider chemical control. Chemical control will only treat the symptoms. Identify the root cause of the algae and weeds. 
    6. For ponds larger than 1 acre and equipped with a drainpipe, consider a winter drawdown. Drain the pond by one-third to one-half from November to March to expose submerged plants to freezing temperatures.
The Ohio State University Extension provides the following fact sheets that may address additional questions.
Cattail Management
File Size: 31 kb
File Type: pdf
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Chemical Control of Aquatic Plants
File Size: 270 kb
File Type: pdf
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Controlling Filamentous Algae in Ponds
File Size: 196 kb
File Type: pdf
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Duckweed and Watermeal: Prevention and Control
File Size: 528 kb
File Type: pdf
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Using Grass Carp to Control Aquatic Plants
File Size: 222 kb
File Type: pdf
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Muddy Water in Ponds
File Size: 51 kb
File Type: pdf
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Additional resource: Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources Troubleshooting Common Pond Problems