Pond Work Completed

Aqua Mog working in Georges Lake

I stretched out a long series in our course reports last year describing the history, function and issues we have with the two ponds on our property. This explanation culminated in the first ever aquatic vegetation removal from primarily around our pump station intake area in George’s lake or the lake adjacent to holes #1 & #9.

As with any new procedure there were learning curves to work out. The first on was that the contractor showed up with this massive piece of equipment called an “Aqua Mog” which was on a large trailer moved by a large diesel truck. Communication prior to the equipment’s arrival could have been better as we had to lay down protection along the cart path on #9 to maneuver the piece of equipment into the pond.

The “Aqua Mog” was like a large floating excavator that removed rotting vegetation at the ponds bottom around the pump station intake along with some shoreline vegetation that had crept into some shelves along the 9th fairway side of the pond. We had budgeted only two days of work with the “Mog” and probably could have used its services for another day but budgets are what they are.

The combination of the selective spraying and the “Mog” work has created a different environment in George’s Lake this year. The Azolla or floating red vegetation is not present but its absence as I suspected creates an environment for filamentous algae. So far we have been able to keep the algae in check but we still have some summer left.

Bottom line is our ponds are just one other part of the course that need to be maintained and prior to the work that we did this year nothing has been done. We made progress this year but need to keep up on aquatic vegetation much like we need to keep up on thatch removal in the turf.