The build up of silt in ponds and lakes is most commonly caused by the decay of organic material on the lakebed, old weed, leaf matter from trees and fish waste. Over time the build up of these products can create deep silt deposits which not only release an unpleasant odour but can also be harmful to the chemical makeup of the water and can drastically reduce the depth of the lake over time.
We can take care of the removal of silt from your pond/lake.
For larger ponds and lakes, we would advise using excavators and dumpers in order to obtain the most effective results but this does involve fully draining the water from the source first.  In situations where this may not be desirable, we can use silt pumping machinery or long reach excavators as an alternative. A site inspection will help us to advise you on the best method to use.
We can also help manage the build up of silt by applying micro-chalk to the water which helps to break down the organic matter and reduce harmful gasses within the silt layers. Micro-chalk is a highly porous calcium carbonate that counteracts the acidity of the water and adds a source of calcium which increases the biodiversity and productivity within the water. It is environmentally friendly and is harmless to fish, plants and all other aquatic inhabitants. Whilst micro-chalk can be used as a one off application it works best as part of an annual maintenance plan and we would be happy to work with you to implement this.
For smaller pond cleans, we pump the water out and house the fish in a holding vat next to the pond, if there are any pond plants in baskets they are also put into the vat to avoid damage. We then get in the pond to manually remove the silt/sediment build up at the bottom of the pond and we use a pressure washer to clean the liner/plastic pond. We can also patch repair any holes we locate in the liner once it is clear which should prevent you needing to top up the pond with water. Once the pond is cleaned we will refill it and use a dechlorinator to remove harmful chlorine from the tap water. Once ready, we will put any plants and fish back in the pond.