Ahh, yes, lake life. The sandy beaches, clean air, nice breeze...it all feels great. However, once you step into the lake and the muck oozes between your toes, that great feeling goes away and your neck hair stands up a bit. So, what can be done about that? Well, here’s how to get rid of muck in a lake area.

What is Lake Muck?

Muck is the sediment or sludge that accumulates at the bottom of lakes or ponds. When various organic and inorganic sediment materials enter the water, they sink to the bottom.

Causes of Lake Area Muck

Muck occurs when water runoff carries such things as animal and human waste, fertilizers, leaves, and grass clippings. It’s caused by dead or decaying plants and animals.

YUCK!

Why is Lake Area Muck a Problem?

Lake or pond muck robs the water of nutrients that are vital for water flora and fauna. 

When organic and inorganic materials like dead aquatic weeds, algae, fish, and waterfowl feces sink to the bottom of the lake or pond, muck collects. 

The water becomes toxic to animal and plant life.

Lake area muck interferes with your enjoyment of your pond or lake. It is not refreshing or appealing when you step into a lake or pond on a hot summer day, and slimy goo squishes up between your toes.

The water also becomes an eyesore to those who live near it. 

Entering the water becomes unpleasant because of the muck. There is frequently an unappealing aroma.

Over time, pond muck or lake sludge may become several inches thick. This material is an ideal environment for leeches.

Lake or pond muck will continue accumulating and killing off lake or pond life.

Aeration

An effective pond or lake aerator is crucial to pond or lake muck removal. 

The aerator infuses the water with oxygen, keeping both animal and plant life healthy. 

Oxygen supports the growth of beneficial bacteria in the pond or lake.

Bacteria Boost

There are already billions of beneficial bacteria in your pond or lake. 

They toil to break down that nasty pond sludge. 

However, as the sludge builds up, these helpful bacteria get overwhelmed. 

They cannot keep up.

By boosting bacteria numbers with regular infusions of a special blend of aerobic beneficial bacteria, you can give that helpful bacteria a chance to digest the muck. 

Water will be clearer. Those nasty odors will abate.

Manual Muck Removal

If your pond or lake is not too large, you can remove some of the lake or pond sludge by hand. This requires such tools as a bucket, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow. 

It is even more effective if you use a product to cause the muck to clump and rake the debris out of the lake or pond. 

The process is labor-intensive but it gives your lake or pond a head start before you add aerobic beneficial bacteria. 

These bacteria can then target the fine debris you can’t easily remove manually.

Mechanical Muck Removal

Where the lake or pond is too large to attempt manual removal, another alternative is to use special dredgers or siphons. 

These often require renting equipment or hiring companies that specialize in pond or lake muck removal.

Pond dredgers restore life to your pond or lake’s biosphere by removing muck from the bottom. Here’s how it works:

First, remove flora, fauna, and water from the pond. Ideally, the pond base is left to dry, 

Then, heavy dredging equipment digs out layers of sludge and muck.

Excavator pumps with dredge attachments suction muck and silt and pump them out of the pond area.

Where the area is too tight or narrow for large muck removal equipment, precision hand dredging equipment may be the solution to removing muck.

Subsurface aeration equipment may provide a solution to muck. 

The aerator works from the bottom of the lake or pond. A compressor pumps air down to the bottom through a diffuser. This produces bubbles that rise to the surface. Known as aeration or aerification, this equipment circulates air with or is dissolved in the water. Aeration equipment helps keep the lake or pond clean and maintains healthy water.

The result is an increase in oxygen that also enhances natural oxidation. 

As a result, the pond or lake is more resilient to algae blooms. 

This oxidation combats algae directly and aids in the reduction of those nutrients that nurture nuisance blooms.

Why Choose Goodbye to Muck Mats?

Muck mats are another way to keep that slimy pond or lake muck from squishing between your toes. 

Lake mats and/or Muck mats are made of a gas-permeable fabric. 

They are placed on the lake or pond bottom to prevent lake weeds like algae, seaweed, or other aquatic weeds from getting sunlight. 

They are most effective in controlling weeds if the lake or pond bottom is fairly firm on the bottom and there are only a few inches of muck.

Goodbye to Muck products is an excellent long-term solution to lake or pond muck. 

There are many good reasons why Goodbye to Muck Lake Mats is the best option when you are deciding how to get rid of muck in a lake area.

• Purchasing a Goodbye to Muck lake mat costs less than a one-year supply of chemicals and lasts for years.

• Goodbye to Muck lake mats is more effective than labor-intensive solutions like raking and mechanical muck removal.

•  Goodbye to Muck Lake Mats, and Muck Mats control lake weeds wherever they are placed. They are easy and fast to install. You can use a Goodbye to Muck Lake Mat in one area for a month and then move it to another area. These mats work on all types of lake weeds—even lily pads.

• Because Goodbye to Muck lake mats does not use chemicals, electricity, or sharp equipment, they are safe for the fish that live in your lake or pond. Because lake mats maintain the water’s oxygen, they are ideal for pond life health.

• Goodbye to Muck is so sure that you will be delighted with the results of your lake mat that we offer a three-year guarantee on their product. If it doesn’t kill the aquatic weeds in your lake or pond, return it for a full refund.