I use blue dye in my pond. The kind I use also has beneficial bacteria. You can adjust the degree of blue color- it's best to add some to a bucket of water, then add the water to the pond. You can repeat this until you get the color you like. The first time I used the dye, I didn't do this and made the water very dark. My pond is clear, and I can still see my fish. The color gradually fades within 1-3 weeks until it is no longer noticeable. The color is most noticeable in waterfalls.

LOL, chas. You are correct, the initials do stand for Dept. of Natural Resources. As can be expected there are a lot of those alphabet agencies out there that may or may not be helpful. Which one has helpful info. in your area varies in the extreme. Some are identical to other agencies that have totally different objectives. Then there are private companies that want to sell you something. Mokitty, there is no reason in the world why a holding pond, retention pond, dew pond cannot be ornamental. From what I see in the photos, someone has tried to do that in the past and has recently let it go. Recently being totally subjective. The grasses around the pond can be cut back, the old bridge removed or replaced, wild shrubs and other plants identified and volunteer saplings removed. That should keep you busy for a while. Cutting back the grasses will help control the number of migratory ducks that use the pond.I wouldn't mention the ducks to anyone but the Extention service and would be cautious even there. They might prevent you from doing anything that might change the current function of the pond including cutting the grass. The Environmental Protection Agency is well known for that. Avoid them if possible. Here are some sites that look like they can give you decent info on the purpose of your pond. http://www.gotalgae.com/retention_ponds.htm coastalwaterwatch.com/product2121.htm http://www.co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/61/Stormwater%20Management%20Basins.pdf Call the DNR and the Extension service and specifically ask "Do you have any material related to small retention ponds or dewponds and wildlife habitat?" This is one of those projects that may or may not require lots of planning and/or physical intervention. For now, look for traces of a previous pathway to the pond and improve that. Starting at the bridge may go faster. Observe what the weather does to the water level. Keep track of water levels for as long as you can, months are better than weeks and compare them with rainfall. See what happens to the pond and the surrounding area during and after a heavy/light rain. Locate and clear any over/outflow. Identify grasses and other plants. They may have been chosen for specific purposes such as erosion control, wildlife cover, food source, etc. Tall grasses may prevent debris from overwhelming the pond. Search for electric hookups. Do they even exist? Is there a bad odor like sewage that would indicate dredging for organic matter is needed and the pond is deficient in oxygen. Float something on the surface to see if there is any sort of water movement. You might find that overflow where your float ends up. Check the soil on the outside of the pond and on the inside of the pond to see if it is the same. Are there lots of rocks on the sides of the pond? How deep is the mulm/debris on the bottom? Did the former owners leave any pond equipment behind? Get the water tested or get a testing kit and do it yourself. No strips. They just don't give good readings. There are people out there who can do the hard work of cleaning out the pond for a hefty price. Before you hire them, know enough about what the pond does that it will be you in charge. Ask questions. There are enough posters here to answer most questions or who will send you where you can get the right answers. I hope this has not overwhelmed you.

I would never buy a house with a storm water management (SWM) pond right next door. Even if it was situated where I would have to look at it from my property, I still wouldn't want it. I think they are huge eyesores. They are mosquito breeding grounds, along with rodents and snakes, plus they seem to be rarely maintained in older subdivisions. Ugly weeds and scrub brush will grow all over the place, and it seems like all the neighborhood litter ends up there too. You don't have much danger of your property flooding because of the pond. Ponds are designed to contain what is known as a "100 year storm". Since this magnitude of a storm is a rarity, ponds should never come close to filling up. On the "plus side" - you could also see deer, foxes and a wide variety of birds. Plus like you said, you have no neighbors there. I have seen subdivisions where the ponds remain full of water and are kept up nicely (kind of park-like), which attracts geese and ducks. This variety of SWM pond is a whole lot more attractive, and can possibly increase your value - for the right person. I still would not like to live right next to that because of all the noise and because of the poop and feathers all over the place. I am a nature lover and it is really nice to see a flock of geese fly over and honk - but I do not want a couple hundred of them honking right next door. Just because I would never buy a house like that doesn't mean nobody else will, and it doesnt mean its less valuable. Its less valuable to me, but thats just me. Ultimately it is up to you to decide if you would enjoy living there. Good luck

What above poster said - that space is nowhere near large enough for koi, which get 2-3 feet long. They require about 4-5 feet depth + minimum 1000 gals per fish. Sarassa comets (ie type of goldfish) are better choice and can get very koi-like with long flowing fins - however Im not sure its deep enough for even comets. If not red minnows are great for small ponds. I would start by clearing out muck and decaying organic debris - if you dont have a compost pile now would be a good time to start one! First see what you have - how deep, how do the 2 parts connect, are they same level or does one meant to flow into the other? Is the liner still any good? I wonder if it was designed to be a pond or a water garden?. Identify what the established plants are - looks like there may be some iris? - and which you will want to keep. Or a bog - bottom photo looks like a bog. Perhaps water flowed through there (if it was intended to be a bog) and then flowed down to the other section? Or perhaps it was neglected so long that the plants started growing in the debris. In any event I think I would just start by seeing what exactly you have and then posting that, along with your ideas of what you would want it to be, on the pond forum. Yeah, not sure why this forum is here - no expert koi keepers posting that I can tell. I just stop by occasionally - 9 times out of ten its just letting people know their ponds are too small for koi LOL. EDITTED TO ADD - first step before cleaning out muck -identify the live established plants bc you may want to be keeping those and maybe all it needs is the leaves cleaned out (somewhat) and the pond to be refilled if its to be a more naturalistic pond.