DOC - dissolved organic carbon

[spandit]

Dug a pond around a spring in our paddock but due to all the rotting waterlogged vegetation, it produces a huge amount of pond scum/foam

Not very sightly, is it? Before someone states "it's probably detergent", it's not, the land above it doesn't have any chemicals sprayed on it

 

[Adze]

How deep and what vegetation is rotting in it? I'd have thought without some form of mechanical aeration you'd need a fair depth and a lot of naturally oxygenating weed to keep a small pond like that healthy.

 

[British Red]

I was thinking "waders and a shovel"? No chance of clearing the sludge?

 

[dwardo]

There are several loca springs at my local play wood of various sizes and they are always crytsal clear. Only difference between those and yours are mine are all under a woodland canopy. Maybe its airborne material that's causing it?

 

[Macaroon]

I've seen this happen before with newly - dug ponds; I reckon it'll settle out in time, when the stuff that's rotting has rotted.
The other method I've used to clear ponds in the past is to dump acouple of small bales of barley straw into the pond as close as possible to the water feed and leave them there for six to eight weeks; it must be barley straw and needs to be on a rope or chain so you can pull it out. I think it's some form of Hydrogen Peroxide that it leaches into the water...........

 

[spandit]

I've drained it (got a 5" pipe installed for that purpose). Because I've dug it out & raised the sides with the spoil, it's flooding the bits I haven't dug (all being dug by hand), mainly grass and rushes. I suspect it will settle down once I get some aquatic plants installed & the overflow is fully functioning

 

[spandit]

Picture taken from same place, roughly, after draining (which takes about 10 minutes). You can see the drowned vegetation causing the foam

 

[wattsy]

chuck an onion sack full of barley straw in it