FA200 A Beginner’s Guide to Water Management—Muck: Causes and Corrective Actions1 Mark V. Hoyer, Daniel E. Canfield, Jr. and Mark Brenner2 This publication was produced by: Florida LAKEWATCH 2017 UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation / Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville, Florida 32653-3071 Phone: 352/392-4817 FAX: 352/392-3672 E-mail:
[email protected] Website: http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu Copies are available for download from the LAKEWATCH website: http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/data.shtml Muck from pond at Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Gainesville, FL. Credits: Mark Hoyer, UF/IFAS Introduction Informational Circular 112 Muck is both the popular and the scientific term for the material found on the bottom of many depressions that Florida LAKEWATCH have held water for any length of time. It is of great impor- tance to many recreational lake users because its presence UF/IFAS Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences can ruin their enjoyment of the water body. Its dark color School of Forest Resources and Conservation and “oozy” feel lead many people to believe muck could be Gainesville, Florida an indicator of a polluted system. January 2017 Another cause for people’s distaste for muck is the stink. Bacterial decomposition of the organic matter in muck 1. This document is FA200, one of a series of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date February 2017. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. Mark V. Hoyer, director, Florida LAKEWATCH, UF/IFAS Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation; Daniel E.