With our region firmly in the grips of a historic drought, there are plenty of negatives on which we could dwell. But for pond owners, the low water levels caused by the drought present a great opportunity to catch up on much-needed pond maintenance.
Repairs to the outlet system, for example, typically necessitate lowering the water level within the pond – so during a drought, you’re ahead of the game. Clearing shorelines of overhanging limbs and vegetation is much easier when you can stand on the exposed banks of the pond. Now is also a good time to tackle silt removal; small-scale dredging is simpler when the material to be removed is dry. And if you’ve considered building a dock or making repairs to your existing dock, this is the time to start the project without getting your feet wet.
For those anglers sulking because favored honey holes are dry, study what made those spots great and then make new ones or improve the old spots by adding fish structure to the exposed pond bottom. Fish habitat improvements are much easier when you can see what you’re doing.
The drought has us all concerned about our future water resources, but savvy pond owners can find a silver lining even without any rain clouds!
