Good morning,
our pond has a leak & right now it it very low.
While it is so low I want to get rid of the cat tails that are in it. I would appreciate any advice on how to acommplish this. Thank you
ky_ibleed blue

Typha latifolia is the botanical name for the common cattail. These are the ubiquitous plants that can be seen along expressways growing in drainage ditches, around ponds and in swampy areas.

The leaves of the cattail are about an inch wide, they are swordlike and can reach 4-8 feet tall. The more rich and mucky the soil is, the bigger they will be.

The flowers may be the most interesting part of the plant. Botanically, the flowers would be described as “imperfect” that simply means that there are distinct male and female flowers. The male flowers are carried on the erect flower stalk above the masses of tiny, brown female flowers that form the characteristic club shaped 6-8 inch long cattail. When the seeds are ripe they are carried on these flower remnants to self seed around the planting.

Cattails can tend to be aggressive, so it is best to contain them in small garden areas. They can be easily propagated by dividing the root system in spring or summer.
If you want to control cattails, you will need to disrupt the root system through cutting, hand-pulling, dredging, flooding, freezing, or chemical herbicides, or a combination of all of the former methods. One treatment is seldom sufficient. However, if your timing is good, you can successfully control cattails without chemicals with only a few work sessions every few years.
Hand-pulling cattails is a good preventative measure for controlling cattails. It is much easier to pull cattails out of the pond when they are young, rather than at full height. Grasp a cattail at the base of the plant, trying to wrap your fingers around the roots. Slowly pull the plant and the white root out of the soil and proceed onto the next plant until you have cleared out the area as completely as you wish. The murky water will settle in a few days. Keep an eye on the area you cleared for new cattail growth. The pulled cattails will compost very easily if mixed with wood chips and other brown composting materials.
Timing is everything if you decide to mow or cut your cattails. Cutting them in May stimulates growth, so wait until late summer if you are only going to cut once. If you cut the cattails below the water line two or three times in a season, very few cattails will grow back the following year. Your cutting will have deprived the roots of their important food source and reduced the amount for storage. Winter cutting will have very little effect on the food in the roots of the plant.
You should cut or mow your cattails with shears, a gas-powered weed trimmer, or another safe, sharp cutting tool. Do not use electrical tools near ponds. Cut the cattails as close to, or under, the water line, removing as much of the leaf blade as possible. Rake or pile the leaves away from the pond or add them to your compost pile.
Some pond owners seek quick remedies for pond plant problems through the use of aquatic herbicides (Rodeo, AquaPro, Reward, for example). Only “aquatic” herbicides can be used in ponds. It is illegal to use a chemical for pond plant control unless it is specifically labeled for that purpose. In the case of cattails, the label should include the word “cattail” or the botanical name “Typha spp.” If you are in doubt, ask a qualified advisor or contact the manufacturer. Fish, swimmers, and other pond users can be seriously harmed if herbicides are used improperly. In many cases, aquatic herbicides contain restrictions regarding swimming, fishing, and watering livestock. They can be much more expensive than the other control options. Always follow label directions carefully.

Simply put: you are going to have to get in the pond and pull them out. Which may be better for you, Advertise that you have some to sell for people who may want to start a container garden. Maybe 2 for a dollar, is a good idea.
A few years ago I went and bought a few water lily`s for my small pond. Well at the begining of this year my pond was almost covered with the lily`s. My horses put a halt on that and also the drought we are having really put them away. My pond is now a dry hole in the ground.