Runoff-Fed Pond Will Never Clear: Convert to Water Garden

A 150-gal rubber-lined pond fed by yard runoff (no pump/filter) stays murky — because runoff carries fertilizer, soil, organics that fuel perpetual algae. Filtration can't keep up with nutrient loading.

Why It Fails

• Continuous nutrient input: Every rain = fertilizer, pesticides, grass clippings, pollen.
• No outflow = accumulation: Evaporation concentrates everything.
• No pump = stagnation: Thermal stratification, anaerobic bottom, no gas exchange.

Best Path: Water Garden, Not Fish Pond

1. Remove fish — they add waste to an already loaded system.
2. Plant heavily: Lilies (60% cover), lotus, marginals (iris, rush, pickerel).
3. Add floating plants: Hyacinth, lettuce (manage invasiveness).
4. Optional: Small solar pump for gentle circulation — not filtration.

Why Lilies & Lotus Thrive Here

• Nutrient-rich water = explosive growth, spectacular blooms.
• Roots anchor in liner sediment — no pots needed (but pots control spread).
• Shade from pads reduces algae naturally.

Acceptance

You have a wetland, not a koi pond. Embrace it: dragonflies, frogs, birds, blooms. The "murk" is life. Stop fighting the hydrology.