I should have added some more to my post. Sorry, I was stressed out from the rain and ground water sump coming loose and spraying several inches of water all over the basement in the middle of the night. The brushes I mentioned direct the debris into a net for easier removal. While you can use just a net it isn't all that efficient. If you have aquariums you have used Activated Charcoal, Activated Carbon or AC. It works the same way for the pond. It collects odor and tannins from rotting debris. That water needs to circulate so look into pumps soon. You can put a sock or muslin bag of the AC in the basket of the skimmer to start. Run the skimmer for the circulation until you decide on a waterfall pump. You might want to use some Zeolite too. That helps neutralize organic material, nitrates and nitrites in the water. I understand about the manure odor. I think it has become nasty smelling because of the feed the animals get instead of grazing on grass and hay. There may be something dead in the water making the smell worse and hazardous to work with. I wouldn't stand in the pond until it was a lot cleaner and it is likely very, very slick. If there are no fish you may want to drain the pond. It would certainly make the cleanup easier. Starting the waterfall would help since that tub you mention is probably the biological filter. It may have filter material in it already but if it has been turned off all winter I hate to think of the condition of the filter material. Take a look at it and tell us what you find. Poly quilt batting is a good and inexpensive replacement material. You probably need to clean it up before you start pumping water through it. If there is water in it there will be anaerobic bacteria which will smell to high heaven. A handful of Bicarbonate of soda can raise the PH. I like to use a slug made from Plaster of Paris since it keeps the PH steady and only works when the PH is acidic. Once the PH reaches 8. or thereabouts, it stops reacting. Since there are important details about POP, you can do a search to learn about it. You will find plenty of info. If you are going to add fish or you have plants you would hate to kill, you really need to buy a good quality test kit. It will run around $25. Don't waste your money on dip stick tests. they are rarely accurate. The advice from the other posters is good. You will find lots of help here.

I had a wonderful time looking through Ron's Pond Scum site. Then I went outside to work on the pond, readying it for winter. There were two rocks that had fallen in the pond and I wanted to get them out to make scooping up leaves easier. Of course this meant sticking my BARE ARM into the pond. LOL All I could think of were all those nasty creatures that live in the leaf debris. I removed the rocks then went in and cleaned my hands and arms with soap and water followed by sanitizer. LOL I laughed at myself, but wanted to be sure I got rid of all the unwanted creatures with sucking mouths and harpoons!! Anne

My husband moved to Grove a few months before I did, and I was just kind of going back and forth. During the hottest part of that summer, a skunk was under the house, and tore his way into the vent pipes that carry the air conditioned air. It was that heavy foil type stuff so he could make a hole in it. He did. He couldn't get back out and died there. My DH worked for the Boy Schouts and his office was at home, so he not only lived here, he worked here. He opened all the windows and I think turned on 6 ceiling fans until someone could come get the skunk out. He said it was horrible. Needless to say, after we bought the house, I was quick to put a door on the crawl space and make sure that another animal could not get under the house. Then we had the heating and air folks come and replace all that vent system with something durable. That summer, a neighbor who is now deceased, trapped 28 skunks. He trapped them, threw a blanket over the trap and with the trap on his trailer, backed it into the water. He said none of them could swim, especially with that cage on their back. I know there are still a few around because I occasionally smell them. About a half mile from my house, I watched one come out of a culvert pipe and cross the road in daylight. Those scare me. My tolerance level is low for skunks, possums, amardillos, Japanese Beetles, and Squash bugs. (And especially humans who steal) LOL

After getting irritated that your neighbor did not tell you about the dye before hand, you boast that you did not tell him about dye you ordered? Wouldn't want to be the neighbor of either of you! You may want to ask your lawyer how your planned action differs from your neighbor's.