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Pond Management and Water Quality
| Name | Jody Martin | | Situation | There are thousands of acres of ponds and small lakes in Florence County. Many are surrounded by private homes. Many people enjoy living on or near water. The lakes and ponds are used for fishing by many people both for recreation and a source of food. The beauty and quality of these waters are a top priority for all involved. We found a few years ago that a large number of our calls involved questions about water quality, aquatic weed control and general pond management.
| | Response | With the encouragement of our county advisory group, we began to gather resources and contacts to develop a plan to address this need. The Clemson Extension agent is assisting land and home owners to improve the water quality of their ponds and small lakes around the entire county of Florence with support from Jack Whetstone, Clemson’s Pond Specialist, Dan Crochet with DNR, Mac Watson with DNR, NRCS, FSA and others. We have made many visits to ponds and small lakes to assist with fertility, weed ID and control and other water quality issues. Many pond owners have brought samples to the office. The agent has used the Pond Management guide from DNR as a resource. We have used every opportunity to assist these individuals with the problem and educate them on the solution so they will know what to do in the future. We have assisted in the improvement of over 100 ponds and small lakes around Florence County. These areas include hundreds of homes, residences and people who enjoy fishing for pleasure, relaxation and food.
Over the past year in Florence County we have worked with over 125 individuals on fertility management, weed control, and general pond management. (soil testing, water testing, etc). We have worked very closely with many residential developments that are surrounded by water such as: Forrest Lake, Richmond Hills, Hampton Point, Mudrows Mill, and many others. Our efforts have been to help them improve the weed management and over all water quality of their lake. We strive to educate people about the use of natural, cultural, and chemical control and management of weeds, in that same order of priority. We have had several youth involved in learning and have assisted their parents.
| | Impact | In the follow-up process, I have found over 80% are adopting the recommended practices. Our efforts have been promoted primarily by agriculture dealers, word of mouth from neighbors and others who have experienced good results. We are also planning a continued program in the area of pond management, including a multi-county pond management workshop to meet the many needs in Florence County.
The local County Extension Agent has continued networking with available experts and has used other available resources such to develop a program of assisting others and improve their quality of life both aesthetically, recreationally, and economically.
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Last update5/23/2008
This website is maintained by Tomika Orgbon.
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