You need to first download your pictures to your computer. Then join something like photobucket.com It is free and allows you to download pictures to an album. Just follow the instructions for downloading to your album. When your pictures are downloaded and you look them up in your album there will be 4 lines underneath the pictures. Just highlight and right click to copy the Html Code line the third line, starting with the >a. Go back here to the Post a Follow-Up. In the message area right click and paste and you will see several lines of gobbledegook. When you preview you will see your picture. Then you can go to the correction area and add your text and them submit when you are ready. You can go back and forth to add more pictures with your back arrow. It really is not hard to learn. If I could do it anyone can. If you have further questions, just ask.Glenda

Hi
You'll definitely want to clean it out. Certainly no rush you'd want to wait until warmer weather anyway.
After that, you'll want to fill it and check for leaks.
Check the pump out probably replace it. Also might want to check out the electrical lines and put in a breaker if it doesn't have one.
Of course before anything you'll have to find out what's underneath lol. Whatever it is I'm sure you won't want it in your pool lol gary

After you uncover the pond disconnect everything. Check all your electrical lines. Leave disconnected. Power wash the entire pond. Pump out all that scanky water. Let it dry out then check for tears or holes. Patch them if needed.Make sure the perimeter of pond is secure add dirt if needed. Now fill the pond and see if the level drops . If not your good to start getting a filter going. Now you can add bacteria like microlift and let it run for a couple of weeks. Water still cold there in Chicago. So wait till the water gets to 55 or better before adding fish. A couple @ a time. Good Luck. It takes alot of patience@ first so take the time in the beginning to enjoy it later on. Remember you need to filter the water at least twice an hr. So if your pond is 3000 gallons you need a pump. 6000gph.and so on. of course if your putting koi or comets etc. in there.

If I was rehabing this pond I would wait until I knew what plants I had before ripping everything up. You are likely to have some treasures. Maybe the old gardener could give you some info if he is still around. I would leave the actual cleaning of the pond to your DH since you are so close to delivery. Even if the gardener was very good there was likely to be some rain water that got into the pond and it would be full of anerobic bacteria that will get cleared out eventually by running the pump and filters but there is no sense in taking chances. Sunlight and aeration can work wonders. There really is no hurry. Sandy

Thank you all for your kind and helpful information. My husband spent the weekend cleaning out the beds surrounding the pond, and your advice is helping us greatly.

When you move into a house with rambling gardens that you didn't plant, it's sort of Christmas morning each day when we stroll through the garden trying to decipher what's coming up.

I agree with Sandy, find out whats coming up before you drain it and powerwash it. There may even be fish in there (knowing from experience how hard it is to remove them all) and frog and snails, etc. Even if it's skanky it probably won't smell til it warms up, tee hee! A partial water change would help that.
Let us know what you uncover, I for one love a good mystery and we all love to help restore a forgotten pond!
Sarah

Redesq, you say you live in the Chicago suburbs. I have a pond business in the suburbs and I would be more than happy to come out and give you my opinion on your pond for free of course that may be what it is worth. If you want you can email me or call me at my store (630)406-9330 or on my cell (630)768-0142. And yes those are my real phone numbers and anyone on this forum is welcome to call them if they need help.
Mike