Question about the Use of Hexadeconal and/or Cetyl Alcohol in my Farm's Pond

ShantiFarm

New member
Jun 6, 2024
1
Occidental, CA
Greetings! I have a six-acre farm with a pond that is approximately 80 feet by 30 feet and 14 feet deep at its center.
My goats, sheep, and llama drink out of this pond. I also use it for my crops.
We are expecting a very hot summer here in Northern California, and I would like to prevent excess evaporation of my pond.
Does anybody have any direct experience with using hexadeconal or cetyl alcohol as a thin layer of pond surface film to prevent evaporation?
Does it render the pond unfit for livestock?
Does it feel greasy if you swim in the pond?
Is it impossible to remove once you've spread it on the pond surface?
Does it work to prevent evaporation? How many percent?
Where is the best place to buy it? Which one is cheaper: Hexadeconal or Cetyl Alcohol?
Which one works better for a large pond like mine? How does one prepare the liquid and how is it spread?
Do you know of any websites or YouTube videos that answer all these questions?
Thank you so much for your help!
 
Welcome to TFP.

TFP's expansion continues and now up - farm ponds...

Let's challenge @JoyfulNoise on this.
 
The short answer to all of your questions is this -

Don’t do it, it will not work the way you think it will.

Many CA jurisdictions have played games with these surface layer coatings before on reservoirs and they generally cause more problems and headaches then they are worth. The LA water district tried using opaque, black 4” plastic spheres as anti evaporation measures and it worked great … except for the fact that the loss of sunlight and stagnant surface water created huge blooms of algae and bacteria that then fouled their water pumps and equipment.

A pond that large is going to have ripples in the water even with the slightest breeze and so the immiscible “oil” layer (cetyl alcohols are just fatty alcohols) will not work to control evaporation.

Sorry, you’re just going to have to suck it up and hope it rains more than expected.
 
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