Question
We have moved into a new house with a manufacture mill behind house. There is a sprinkler system installed with a pond for water, the pond has minnows and frogs in it, it is no longer used but gets road runoff and trash in it. is there anyway we can clean this up and make it a habitat? We are removing trash and feeding minnows every other day. It has a thin layer of oil on it as somebody threw a bottle of motor oil out their window I guess. Is it possible to clean it up?

Answer
The pond is on your land?  What does the mill make?  

The first order of business would be to remove the trash.  Then, (if it's on your land) add in some sort of aeration or water movement.  That would make it less of a cesspool.  How big is the pond?  Is it lined or clay bottomed?  You can use towels to mop some of the oil off the surface.  A filter and some fresh activated carbon (in a mesh bag in a filter) would help remove the oil if the pond is small enough to install a filtration system.  Larger ponds normally just have an aeration system (air bubbles or fountains).  If the pond's small enough, you could also do water changes.

I hope with your help the pond will turn into a nice oasis!
Good luck!