The analysis can be done for a small fee by the University of Maryland Soil Testing laboratory. Soil sample packets are available at your local county extension office. Before a Pond Is Filled You will want to make a composite sample by collecting a minimum of 10 or 12 soil samples from different areas of a 1 to 5 acre pond. Smaller ponds should have at least 10 samples combined to make up the final composite sample. Mix all of the samples thoroughly in a clean container.
Air dry the soil by spreading in a thin layer over a clean surface.
After drying, pulverize the soil and place a representative sample in a soil sample bag. Be sure to write Fishpond on the soil sample information sheet. Send the sample with appropriate fee, to the Soil Testing Laboratory, H.J. Patterson Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742. After a Pond Is Filled You will usually need a boat and a tool for scooping mud from the pond bottom. Such a tool can be made by attaching a tin can at a right angle to a wooden pole that is as long as the deepest part of the pond.