i can’t help, but i’d think that’d be a pretty penny at least!
CantaloupeCamper
More of a stream of thought than an answer:
This seems like one of those jobs that is going to be continuous maintenance right? I wonder if you’re not doing it yourself, costs are going to add up to being not worth it. Trees and debris aren’t going to stop š
The other thing is I wonder if you’ll find professionals who even do this / will tell you “yeah it’s safe to swim here”, or if at best you’ll get amateurs who haphazardly move some stuff for you.
ohnaurrrrr5
Natural swimming pools are their specialty. Reach out. They’ll make it where you don’t have to retouch it as often if ever.
It looks like a giant puddle based on all the growth on the surface. Is it even an actual pond, does it have continuous water flow?
A guy with a long reach excavator is what you want. It’d be a couple days of whatever he charges for his hourly rate. Probably a few grand if you just want everything piled near by. A fair amount more if you what everything trucked away.
If it’s on a creek and it’s all just clogged up with debris. What you’re thinking is a great idea (depending on your water way laws)
But if it’s just a hole in the forest filled with water and muck, fill that mosquito pit in..
Syl702
Probably needs a more holistic look to make it a viable swimming hole or it will end up like this again in not too long.
cavern-of-the-fayth
OP gonna become moss man if he swims in that
omgmypony
Iād try going in there myself with water shoes on to assess things
also to start pulling logs out
dunnylogs
A lot of wuss comments here, yall should be ashamed!
Just hire a dirt work guy. Open up the end and let it drain/dry for a month. Dig it all out and place the logs and dirt elsewhere*. Shape er up and swim until you get bit by a snake!
*Lay logs down and bury with the pond soil to like 5-7 feet high. In a year or two you will have the makings of a sweet privacy hedge.Plant whatever.
mb-driver
Thousands is all I can say.
SuccessfulAd4606
Oh god no.
pussmykissy
I mean. It just will not do much.
The creek and ecosystem are a whole thing. Removing some stumps just is not going to do much.
There is a lot of algae. Where is it coming from? Is agricultural waste put loose in this body of water? It does not appear to be flowing much.
You donāt want to swim in standing water.
All in all, waste of time buddy.
Revolutionary-Use136
I’m thinking you start with some water treatment/cleaning to get it cleared up then worry about the logs, but I’m no swimming hole rocketsurgeon. Also, a windmill aerator would probably be pretty helpful if there’s no flowing water. [https://www.google.com/search?q=windmill+aerator+for+pond](https://www.google.com/search?q=windmill+aerator+for+pond)
Adrywellofknowledge
Yeah. We have a pool. Thereās also a pond. The pond would be good for you.Ā
Actual_Astronomer_80
About 3.50.
prophetofbelial
About $3.50
MyOtherAcoountIsGone
Brain eating ameaba says what?
monochromeak
If it has flowing water. Start by hand cleaning those access points if possible. Then let nature do some of the work.
Pull sticks logs out as the move to accesible areas.
If itās not moving water. Always going to be like this.
RemarkableDistrict88
50k
Ok_Caramel2788
Are you using fertilizers?
paddles123
Not sure where you live but where I am environment agencyās would be all over you if you did anything to a natural pond/water source ā¦ so just that would be a big bucks. If there isnāt a good flow of water in and out you will need aeration (typically pump with fountain ) ā¦ good luck
Yanks4lyf
Once you do buy yourself some barley balls and toss them in will help with algae growth
Trini1113
I think the “again” part needs more information. What did this used to be like? What are you trying to get back to? And how do you feel about leaches?
nilesandstuff
There’s a lot of comments here ignoring one VERY pertinent fact.
You may be committing a federal crime if you modify this pond. And you’ll definitely be committing atleast one state or local law.
Depending on the proximity to other bodies of water or its role in the local water table, it may be protected by the Clean Water Act.
If it supports a wetland ecosystem (which it obviously does), then its protected by the CWA and definitely some state or local laws.
So, dredging or modifying this would be a violation of federal, state, and likely local laws.
Fines for such crimes can be extraordinary… Not just a few hundred bucks, but thousands or 10’s of thousands including the cost to restore it and as penalty for damages.
Contact an environmental engineer. You’ll need permits aplenty.
Few_Profit826
That was never a clean swimming holeĀ š¤£Ā
Nulmora
Donāt get a brain amoeba. Get a swim spa instead.
This will give you an idea of what you could pull together yourself with the right connections to equipment and creativity.
oldfarmjoy
Yikes! That does not look like it was ever a clean swimming hole. It looks like a stagnant pool of nastiness for humans to submerge themselves in.
Regarding price, you get what you pay for. It completely depends on what you’re asking them to do. The price could be $500 to pull out some stuff, or $50,000 to try to create a human-safe dunking puddle.
It might be helpful to add an edit to the post with more details. How deep is this? Was it actually a swimming hole in the past? It looks really stagnant. If it’s not, where is the water coming in, and exiting? How much water flow in/out is there? Is it getting runoff from ag or lawns, causing this algae bloom? Are there fish? What’s in there now?
HawaiianHank
a healthy marriage.
ShipisSinking
All those leaves will fall into the bottom every fall and decompose. Every year you will have to clean tons of nasty dead leaves. I would leave it as a natural watering hole. Maybe add an aeration machine to provide more oxygen and just clean it up a bit. Maybe a trail around it with a bench?
ConJob2-Point-O
Looks like it’s an oxbow lake formed off of a creek, most likely never was a swimming hole and definitely shouldn’t be turned into one
Jazzlike-Coyote9580
Was this ever a swimming hole to begin with? It looks like an ephemeral pool or a part of a floodplain from here.Ā
Old-Plastic7710
Look- first of season- apply Wipeout, 1 quart if itās as small as it looks. Get a pond rake and pull out weeds as far as you can. Apply pond blue to dilute the sun. Right now throw in beneficial bacteria to eat debris. After first 2 months apply algae killer for the green that grows on top of water. Mow around pond- chainsaw trees you donāt want. Also, remove the snapping turtles I know lives there. Watch a few episodes to turtle man for expertise. Voila, swimming pond.
Ninjalikestoast
Thousands of it were even possible. Which I doubt, without breaking multiple state and federal regulations.
hobokobo1028
It would cost thousands or even millions of swampland critters their lives
oldjackhammer99
Put in an inground pool or as Jed says – a cement pond
localpotato_232
Was it manmade to begin with? That does affect things.
OzarksExplorer
Doesn’t look like much fresh water entering or stagnant water leaving, so no swimming for me thanks. Enjoy your brain amoeba
173slaps
This is an irrigation ditch that was probably dug a long time ago for a farm there. I used to frequent a county park where they bought old farm land and turned it into a hiking trail. There were several of these that were strategically built in semi-marshy land and they would hold water until summer for watering crops. It was a mosquito haven.
tsn39
I have no idea where you can get it, but farmers used to throw a bail of barley straw in their ponds, algae doesn’t like it at all. Clean up the algae then see what you got.
RiverRoadHighRoad
This is black swamp, bet thatās not even 4ft deep.
MVHood
No clue as to location and the myriad of mitigating factors you may have. If This was me. I would be going to my local resources to look at restoring a wetlands. This is not something I would make a swimming hole because this is nature. If you want to swim in nature, then fine but donāt make this a āclean swimming holeā at the very least for the love of all thatās holy, please add some mosquito fish asap
Which-Discount-604
Don’t forget to get your wetland permits.
Might be cost prohibitive.
The_Poster_Nutbag
OP this is not a swimming hole. This is a wooded wetland and is critical habitat to many animals.
Dredging this would likely be a wetland violation depending where you live and cause significant damage to local wildlife.
It is not advised and you’ll never have a “clean” swimming hole here.
43 Comments
i can’t help, but i’d think that’d be a pretty penny at least!
More of a stream of thought than an answer:
This seems like one of those jobs that is going to be continuous maintenance right? I wonder if you’re not doing it yourself, costs are going to add up to being not worth it. Trees and debris aren’t going to stop š
The other thing is I wonder if you’ll find professionals who even do this / will tell you “yeah it’s safe to swim here”, or if at best you’ll get amateurs who haphazardly move some stuff for you.
Natural swimming pools are their specialty. Reach out. They’ll make it where you don’t have to retouch it as often if ever.
https://www.elementalecosystems.com/projects
It looks like a giant puddle based on all the growth on the surface. Is it even an actual pond, does it have continuous water flow?
A guy with a long reach excavator is what you want. It’d be a couple days of whatever he charges for his hourly rate. Probably a few grand if you just want everything piled near by. A fair amount more if you what everything trucked away.
If it’s on a creek and it’s all just clogged up with debris. What you’re thinking is a great idea (depending on your water way laws)
But if it’s just a hole in the forest filled with water and muck, fill that mosquito pit in..
Probably needs a more holistic look to make it a viable swimming hole or it will end up like this again in not too long.
OP gonna become moss man if he swims in that
Iād try going in there myself with water shoes on to assess things
also to start pulling logs out
A lot of wuss comments here, yall should be ashamed!
Just hire a dirt work guy. Open up the end and let it drain/dry for a month. Dig it all out and place the logs and dirt elsewhere*. Shape er up and swim until you get bit by a snake!
*Lay logs down and bury with the pond soil to like 5-7 feet high. In a year or two you will have the makings of a sweet privacy hedge.Plant whatever.
Thousands is all I can say.
Oh god no.
I mean. It just will not do much.
The creek and ecosystem are a whole thing. Removing some stumps just is not going to do much.
There is a lot of algae. Where is it coming from? Is agricultural waste put loose in this body of water? It does not appear to be flowing much.
You donāt want to swim in standing water.
All in all, waste of time buddy.
I’m thinking you start with some water treatment/cleaning to get it cleared up then worry about the logs, but I’m no swimming hole rocketsurgeon. Also, a windmill aerator would probably be pretty helpful if there’s no flowing water. [https://www.google.com/search?q=windmill+aerator+for+pond](https://www.google.com/search?q=windmill+aerator+for+pond)
Yeah. We have a pool. Thereās also a pond. The pond would be good for you.Ā
About 3.50.
About $3.50
Brain eating ameaba says what?
If it has flowing water. Start by hand cleaning those access points if possible. Then let nature do some of the work.
Pull sticks logs out as the move to accesible areas.
If itās not moving water. Always going to be like this.
50k
Are you using fertilizers?
Not sure where you live but where I am environment agencyās would be all over you if you did anything to a natural pond/water source ā¦ so just that would be a big bucks. If there isnāt a good flow of water in and out you will need aeration (typically pump with fountain ) ā¦ good luck
Once you do buy yourself some barley balls and toss them in will help with algae growth
I think the “again” part needs more information. What did this used to be like? What are you trying to get back to? And how do you feel about leaches?
There’s a lot of comments here ignoring one VERY pertinent fact.
You may be committing a federal crime if you modify this pond. And you’ll definitely be committing atleast one state or local law.
Depending on the proximity to other bodies of water or its role in the local water table, it may be protected by the Clean Water Act.
If it supports a wetland ecosystem (which it obviously does), then its protected by the CWA and definitely some state or local laws.
So, dredging or modifying this would be a violation of federal, state, and likely local laws.
Fines for such crimes can be extraordinary… Not just a few hundred bucks, but thousands or 10’s of thousands including the cost to restore it and as penalty for damages.
Contact an environmental engineer. You’ll need permits aplenty.
That was never a clean swimming holeĀ š¤£Ā
Donāt get a brain amoeba. Get a swim spa instead.
I just watched this [homestead rescue episode](https://www.hbomax.com/shows/homestead-rescue/s9/7e4180d8-70da-4c22-bd6f-a395f18c0fef/e1-home-is-where-the-yurt-is/83c3918b-7940-467a-ad6a-30472c5db3df) where they pull the trees out of the water using log chains and add some solar powered aerators to increase oxygen to sustain life.
This will give you an idea of what you could pull together yourself with the right connections to equipment and creativity.
Yikes! That does not look like it was ever a clean swimming hole. It looks like a stagnant pool of nastiness for humans to submerge themselves in.
Regarding price, you get what you pay for. It completely depends on what you’re asking them to do. The price could be $500 to pull out some stuff, or $50,000 to try to create a human-safe dunking puddle.
It might be helpful to add an edit to the post with more details. How deep is this? Was it actually a swimming hole in the past? It looks really stagnant. If it’s not, where is the water coming in, and exiting? How much water flow in/out is there? Is it getting runoff from ag or lawns, causing this algae bloom? Are there fish? What’s in there now?
a healthy marriage.
All those leaves will fall into the bottom every fall and decompose. Every year you will have to clean tons of nasty dead leaves. I would leave it as a natural watering hole. Maybe add an aeration machine to provide more oxygen and just clean it up a bit. Maybe a trail around it with a bench?
Looks like it’s an oxbow lake formed off of a creek, most likely never was a swimming hole and definitely shouldn’t be turned into one
Was this ever a swimming hole to begin with? It looks like an ephemeral pool or a part of a floodplain from here.Ā
Look- first of season- apply Wipeout, 1 quart if itās as small as it looks. Get a pond rake and pull out weeds as far as you can. Apply pond blue to dilute the sun. Right now throw in beneficial bacteria to eat debris. After first 2 months apply algae killer for the green that grows on top of water. Mow around pond- chainsaw trees you donāt want. Also, remove the snapping turtles I know lives there. Watch a few episodes to turtle man for expertise. Voila, swimming pond.
Thousands of it were even possible. Which I doubt, without breaking multiple state and federal regulations.
It would cost thousands or even millions of swampland critters their lives
Put in an inground pool or as Jed says – a cement pond
Was it manmade to begin with? That does affect things.
Doesn’t look like much fresh water entering or stagnant water leaving, so no swimming for me thanks. Enjoy your brain amoeba
This is an irrigation ditch that was probably dug a long time ago for a farm there. I used to frequent a county park where they bought old farm land and turned it into a hiking trail. There were several of these that were strategically built in semi-marshy land and they would hold water until summer for watering crops. It was a mosquito haven.
I have no idea where you can get it, but farmers used to throw a bail of barley straw in their ponds, algae doesn’t like it at all. Clean up the algae then see what you got.
This is black swamp, bet thatās not even 4ft deep.
No clue as to location and the myriad of mitigating factors you may have. If This was me. I would be going to my local resources to look at restoring a wetlands. This is not something I would make a swimming hole because this is nature. If you want to swim in nature, then fine but donāt make this a āclean swimming holeā at the very least for the love of all thatās holy, please add some mosquito fish asap
Don’t forget to get your wetland permits.
Might be cost prohibitive.
OP this is not a swimming hole. This is a wooded wetland and is critical habitat to many animals.
Dredging this would likely be a wetland violation depending where you live and cause significant damage to local wildlife.
It is not advised and you’ll never have a “clean” swimming hole here.