Lets say we call it a pond? - 03/20/10 07:49 PM
What do you think of it?? These are the only pictures I have of it at the moment, but I thought as a gift of appreciation for this very informative forum you guys have here that I would share my truck stuck in the empty pond experience with you. I enjoy a laugh when I look at the pictures, so I thought others might as well.
As for the "pond" here, my lady friend has just recently moved on to the property that her father owns, and we figured we should try to fix this pond that hasnt held water too well for the last few years. She grew up playing in this pond and even rode her horse to and from the island as a kid, so she would love to have it in working order again. We just arent sure how to make that happen yet. I have zero experience dealing with pond problems, but I have been doing research for weeks trying to come up with a game plan or a place to start, and thats how I found this site.
As you can see, the pond doesnt maintain water through the winter here in Northern California, but the ground stays wet along the bottom.
From talking with her father he says they have used bentonite in some fashion over the last 2 years, and he says its been holding water better each time. He wants to keep trying that avenue, but Im not sure how he is utilizing it. He has a ranch hand that has been ding the application, and I know he spreads it and disks the soil where he can (around the rocks and concrete rubble that is present for some reason... You can see the rubble behind the truck around the island). Im not sure how much bentonite he has spread, and Im almost certain that he does not compact the soil after disking. The problem with trying to figure out exactly what has been done to this point is that I dont speak enough spanish to find out all the details. lol.
My biggest concern for the pond is sink holes. There are several 1-3 foot wide sink holes in the pond bed. Some are old and have signs of bentonite attempting to fill them, and others look new with nothing but fallen dirt and grass in them. Im still not sure how to address those... Im also worried that some of the concrete rubble may be covering previous sink holes, and that may make addressing those nearly impossible as it lays. Some of the rubble even looks to be covered with bentonite.
Im thinking any advice I may get on this pond will include removing the concrete, and Id like to hope thats not the case as it seems like a lot of effort. haha. It would be a cool pond to enjoy. It has a bridge from the levee to the island. The island has a nice shade tree, and its completely surrounded by the almond orchard. A nice place to hang out and watch the dogs play.
Hope you guys enjoy the pictures, and hopefully as this pond progresses I can keep you guys updated with pictures that focus more on the pond.
As for the "pond" here, my lady friend has just recently moved on to the property that her father owns, and we figured we should try to fix this pond that hasnt held water too well for the last few years. She grew up playing in this pond and even rode her horse to and from the island as a kid, so she would love to have it in working order again. We just arent sure how to make that happen yet. I have zero experience dealing with pond problems, but I have been doing research for weeks trying to come up with a game plan or a place to start, and thats how I found this site.
As you can see, the pond doesnt maintain water through the winter here in Northern California, but the ground stays wet along the bottom.
From talking with her father he says they have used bentonite in some fashion over the last 2 years, and he says its been holding water better each time. He wants to keep trying that avenue, but Im not sure how he is utilizing it. He has a ranch hand that has been ding the application, and I know he spreads it and disks the soil where he can (around the rocks and concrete rubble that is present for some reason... You can see the rubble behind the truck around the island). Im not sure how much bentonite he has spread, and Im almost certain that he does not compact the soil after disking. The problem with trying to figure out exactly what has been done to this point is that I dont speak enough spanish to find out all the details. lol.
My biggest concern for the pond is sink holes. There are several 1-3 foot wide sink holes in the pond bed. Some are old and have signs of bentonite attempting to fill them, and others look new with nothing but fallen dirt and grass in them. Im still not sure how to address those... Im also worried that some of the concrete rubble may be covering previous sink holes, and that may make addressing those nearly impossible as it lays. Some of the rubble even looks to be covered with bentonite.
Im thinking any advice I may get on this pond will include removing the concrete, and Id like to hope thats not the case as it seems like a lot of effort. haha. It would be a cool pond to enjoy. It has a bridge from the levee to the island. The island has a nice shade tree, and its completely surrounded by the almond orchard. A nice place to hang out and watch the dogs play.
Hope you guys enjoy the pictures, and hopefully as this pond progresses I can keep you guys updated with pictures that focus more on the pond.