Question
IN NEW PALTZ N.Y MY SISTER HAS A POND THAT IS ALWAYS CLOUDED. I TRIED WATER PLANTS AND ALGAE CLEAR BUT HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. IT HAS AN UNDERGROUND SPRING AND RUN OFF. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Answer
Is the cloudiness due to algae or something else?  What color is it?  White, brown, yellow, green?  If it's algae, see http://www.fishpondinfo.com/algae2.htm for some ideas to try.  My main algae preventatives include lots of plants, good filtration, barley straw, and the addition of good bacteria.  Is the pond lined or just in dirt?  How big is it?  For larger ponds, see the companies I list at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/farm.htm that sell aeration systems, good bacteria, and algae chemicals (although I personally would never use a nasty chemical in my ponds) for big ponds.  There are some things you can add to help get dirt cloudiness to settle.  AccuClear by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals works short term for small ponds.  Does the pond have a filtration system?  If not, that would certainly help.  The pond is fed by a spring and run off or did you mean it ran off?  Spring water shouldn't cause a problem but run off may be high in nitrate and/or phosphate if fertilizers are used nearby.  I suggest checking the pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate levels of the pond if you can.  I hope things improve!

Robyn
fishpondinfo.com