Steve,

I guess it depends on what kind of snake you have.

According to what I have read, garden variety snakes, like garter and ribbon snakes have only two teeth set way back in their mouths, so it would be unlikely they could bite you even if they were so inclined.

I'm sure there might be others that could give a nasty bite. Most snakes are non-poisonous and growing up we never had problems with any water snakes we came across in the swamps where I lived.

Anne

Steve, northern water snakes are common on Long Island. My guess is that's what they are.
They are not your garden variety snake though. Non-poisonous. They are considered very aggressive and territorial....they are the snake the gets blamed for "a water moccasin attacked our boat and tried to bite me!"

good luck!

Sorry. I should have mentioned that the pond I'll be working on is in NC. Ooops.

Well, NC is a "different bag of snakes"!! First step might be to identify what you have.

According to:

North Carolina's Coop Extension
(http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/watersnakes.htm)

Of the 37 species of snakes throughout North Carolina, only six are venomous:
Copperhead (found throughout NC)
Canebrake Rattlesnake (found throughout NC)
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (found in southeastern NC)
Pigmy Rattlesnake (found in southeastern NC)
Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin (found in wetland areas in the eastern half of NC)
Coral Snake (the rarest, found in the south and southeastern areas of NC)

Hopefully you are splashing around in the northwestern part of NC - fewer poisonous snakes!

The site below, Snakes of North Carolina, has good pictures of the snakes you will find there.

Good luck and stay safe!
Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: Snakes of North Carolina

Still most likely Northern or Midland Water Snakes even in NC though of course there are other possibilities as noted above. Water Snakes are less likely to bite in water than on land and they aren't all that likely to bite on land either, but they can technically bite in water. Generally if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone.

I'm in central Indiana and have water snakes in my little water gardens. I leave them alone and they leave me alone. They startle me sometimes, and they might bite if I accidentally stepped on one........but so far, so good.
Snakes serve a purpose like everything else. I vote for Live and Let Live.