Authorities on soil, ponds address SWCD banquet

Staff report

CANFIELD

Soil characteristics can be critical to whether a pond succeeds or fails to hold water, according to a state soil scientist who provides free on-site soil analysis for landowners contemplating pond construction.

A soil analysis can help a landowner avoid wasting thousands of dollars trying to create and maintain a pond in an unsuitable location, said Stephen T. Prebonick, a Cortland-based Ohio Department of Natural Resources soil scientist.

Prebonick spoke to about 75 people earlier this week at the election banquet and pond clinic of the Mahoning Soil & Water Conservation District at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

Ponds can serve a variety of purposes, including aesthetics, recreation, and water supply for homes, livestock, irrigation or fire control, he added.

Another speaker, Steve Fender, owner of Fender’s Fish Hatchery in Baltic, Ohio, discussed stocking ponds with fish and managing pond vegetation.

Fender recommended stocking a pond with eight to 12 white amurs per surface acre to control pond vegetation.

Fender’s will deliver a variety of fish to the Mahoning SWCD’s fall fish sale from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Canfield Fairgrounds. For information about soil analysis or the fish sale, call SWCD at 330-740-7995.