krapgame
08-20-2010, 08:14 AM
I need some ideas and input on this one. I've got a pond that needs some help. Here's the history of it;
20 years ago it was dug new, approximately 1/4-1/3 surface area, 8' deep, and basically only held a puddle in the bottom. At the time, Dad was renting out pasture (cattle) on a field adjacent to the field where my pond is. We decided to move the cattle feeder up into my pond so the cows would have to tromp in the mud every time they ate. The more they tromped, the water level gradually increased with each rain and we'd drag the feeder a little further up the bank. In a season, this method had the pond standing brim full and stable. It stayed full for about 2 years, then developed a leak and went dry in about 10 days. It was obvious that all the water went straight out the bottom, based on a bushel basket sized depression right in the bottom after all the water was gone.
Southern Indiana is notorious for underground caves, so we assumed that there must be a fissure just below the this spot where the water found a path out. Some time later, I had a backhoe in doing some other work so I had him dig a hole in that spot down another 10' or so just to see if there was rock or whatever. All we found was good red clay, a good sign. A couple of years later, I had a dozer in to re-shape things a bit, deepening the pond (now 10' or so), re-keying the dam over the spot where the water previously drained. The dozer operator, experienced in digging ponds, said this looked as promising as any of the 100 or so that he'd dug in his career and thought it should hold. Since that time, it keeps a puddle about 4 1/2' deep year round. In a heavy rain it goes to 6-8' deep for a day or 2 then seeps down to the 4-5' level. I find no wet places outside the pond where the water is obviously leaking to, so I believe it's going out the bottom again and that the dirt somehow isn't holding up to the hydraulic pressure involved with the increased water column.
I'm considering the following attack plans to try to deal with this and would like some input.
1) a liner - not really considering this for a variety of reasons, just wanted to address that I hadn't overlooked it.
2) Bentonite - I've heard too many mixed results with this in this area. Based on the history of this pond, I'm not certain that this by itself would be the best answer.
3) Dirtcrete - Seriously considering this, mixing portland cement with the dirt in the bottom of the pond to set up a "cement pond" as it were to have a good basin to deal with the head pressures. This, in conjunction with bentonite to seal the cracks that will likely develop I think has a good chance.
4) Hogs - it's well known that hogs wallowing can seal a pond. Partly because of the compaction, partly because of how they acidfy the dirt causing it to have a tighter magnetic bond molecularly. Maybe even do this along with the addition of bentonite. My biggest concern with this method is will it have the same result that the cows did years ago.
Right now I'm leaning toward the hog solution first. If I drain the pond down (pump) to about 12-24" deep and put some hogs in there now, I can at least finish them out (I have surplus grain and pasture available for them at no additional cost to me) and have a couple to put up ourselves and sell the rest and likely recoup my purchase price for the lot. At worst, We'll have cheap pork this winter, and I might get a functioning pond out of the deal.
Does anyone have experience with any of this? For a variety of reasons, getting this pond to work is a high priority item for us and the sooner the better. FWIW, there's another pond on the neighbors property that was dug in '69 that's never leaked a drop since it was built. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
20 years ago it was dug new, approximately 1/4-1/3 surface area, 8' deep, and basically only held a puddle in the bottom. At the time, Dad was renting out pasture (cattle) on a field adjacent to the field where my pond is. We decided to move the cattle feeder up into my pond so the cows would have to tromp in the mud every time they ate. The more they tromped, the water level gradually increased with each rain and we'd drag the feeder a little further up the bank. In a season, this method had the pond standing brim full and stable. It stayed full for about 2 years, then developed a leak and went dry in about 10 days. It was obvious that all the water went straight out the bottom, based on a bushel basket sized depression right in the bottom after all the water was gone.
Southern Indiana is notorious for underground caves, so we assumed that there must be a fissure just below the this spot where the water found a path out. Some time later, I had a backhoe in doing some other work so I had him dig a hole in that spot down another 10' or so just to see if there was rock or whatever. All we found was good red clay, a good sign. A couple of years later, I had a dozer in to re-shape things a bit, deepening the pond (now 10' or so), re-keying the dam over the spot where the water previously drained. The dozer operator, experienced in digging ponds, said this looked as promising as any of the 100 or so that he'd dug in his career and thought it should hold. Since that time, it keeps a puddle about 4 1/2' deep year round. In a heavy rain it goes to 6-8' deep for a day or 2 then seeps down to the 4-5' level. I find no wet places outside the pond where the water is obviously leaking to, so I believe it's going out the bottom again and that the dirt somehow isn't holding up to the hydraulic pressure involved with the increased water column.
I'm considering the following attack plans to try to deal with this and would like some input.
1) a liner - not really considering this for a variety of reasons, just wanted to address that I hadn't overlooked it.
2) Bentonite - I've heard too many mixed results with this in this area. Based on the history of this pond, I'm not certain that this by itself would be the best answer.
3) Dirtcrete - Seriously considering this, mixing portland cement with the dirt in the bottom of the pond to set up a "cement pond" as it were to have a good basin to deal with the head pressures. This, in conjunction with bentonite to seal the cracks that will likely develop I think has a good chance.
4) Hogs - it's well known that hogs wallowing can seal a pond. Partly because of the compaction, partly because of how they acidfy the dirt causing it to have a tighter magnetic bond molecularly. Maybe even do this along with the addition of bentonite. My biggest concern with this method is will it have the same result that the cows did years ago.
Right now I'm leaning toward the hog solution first. If I drain the pond down (pump) to about 12-24" deep and put some hogs in there now, I can at least finish them out (I have surplus grain and pasture available for them at no additional cost to me) and have a couple to put up ourselves and sell the rest and likely recoup my purchase price for the lot. At worst, We'll have cheap pork this winter, and I might get a functioning pond out of the deal.
Does anyone have experience with any of this? For a variety of reasons, getting this pond to work is a high priority item for us and the sooner the better. FWIW, there's another pond on the neighbors property that was dug in '69 that's never leaked a drop since it was built. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.