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22
SILTED UP PONDS AND
DREDGING
You might need to dredge a pond if it
is full of polluted sediments which are
degrading the water quality and wildlife
potential. However, dredging is not always
appropriate, and sometimes you can
cause greater damage by disturbing the
wildlife in an old pond.
Dredging garden ponds
Small ponds or parts of pond can be
cleared by hand using a net to gently
skim off coarse material including leaves.
Remove semi-solid silt with buckets. For
larger garden ponds you can use a sludge
pump, which works like a giant vacuum
cleaner sucking up mud from the bottom.
Sludge pumps and pond vacuums come
in a variety of sizes and are available to
purchase, and sometimes hire, from your
local aquatic retailer.
Spoil disposal
Before you start, you need to think about
how to safely dispose of the spoil. In
most cases semi-liquid spoil may be
safely pumped onto your flower beds.
However, under no circumstances should
it be discharged into neighbouring water
courses. Large quantities of muddy water
will cause considerable pollution.