Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Water table

I'm looking into building a pond on fairly a level site with the water table at 5', I would like to excavate 6'- 8'. Can anyone tell me if I introduce a stream of water to the water table if the water level will rise (provided slopes are sealed) to the out let?

Welcome to Pond Boss Robert!

I'm sure one of the experts will be along shortly with an answer for ya so stay tuned.

Robert
Welcome!
Not an expert and my pond is a water table pond as well. I picture my pond like an indention in the sand left by a bowl. If I take a plastic bowl and press it into the sand up to the rim, it stays empty. When I remove the bowl the indention fills with water. Thats my pond. If you seal the bottom and sides, with the stream being the sole source of water, you could get your water level above that of the water table.

If I drill a hole in the bottom of the bowl and allowed the water table to fill the bowl, my guess would be that it would only fill the bowl up to the same level as the water table outside of the bowl, equalizing pressure. Adding water into this bowl from an outside source will create greater pressure inside the bowl thus forcing water out of the bowl through the bottom hole.

My head hurts, where's a hydrologist when we need one?

Look at it this way. With the water table at a constant 5', you have a water bearing seam. Thus, when you pour water into the top of it, the pressure will force the water out into the seam/aquifer. So, if the water table always stays at 5', that will be the constant depth of the pond. Water tables, aquifers, seams and springs take as well as give.

Robert,
I have a water table pond, and what comes in goes out. As the seasons change and the water table rises and falls so goes the pond.
Mine was created when we broke into a water seam while excating the pond site.

I've been trying all kinds of ways to seal it off, to no avail.
A liner may be my solution but costly, plus always a possibility of pushing the liner up with the water pressure under the liner creating a bulge in the middle of the pond.

Good luck on your project you may have to enjoy a seasonal pond as I do.

Most of the ponds will only stay full to the water table. But once in a while they will fill to the top.

Otto

I can understand this if the excavated pond is on flat ground, but What if the pond is in a gully or other low area?

That's the case with my pond site. I'm hoping that even though the water table is around four or five feet, runoff from the surrounding area will run in, and gravity will keep the water from pushing up and out and escaping through seams in the soil.

VA

VA,
Funny you should mention your site is in a hollow and have a high water table. Mine pond site was also in a location where it was wet during the spring with about a foot of standing water. During excavation we hit the water seam and believed I had a spring feed pond. Turns out that it is seasonal and can enjoy it only during these wet times now.

scruff fish
Does the pond stay full in the wet season, and then go down a little or does it go completely dry?

otto

Full in the wet season, but drops like mad from June until Oct.
Have you heard of gilastion (spelling?) for pond sealing?

This is the first time that GILASTION has been mentioned.
Where did you hear about it?

Tell us what you know and maybe we can all learn about it?

Otto

I thought it was one of the 3 Musketeers

Otto,
Been doing a lot of web searching trying to find a solution to my leaking pond. Came across the term gilastion; which is the use of green manure hay and organic material. The mixture is worked into the soil and becomes like concrete, thus sealing the pond. The old timers used this method some time with animals.
Makes sence to me as the early settlers made homes out of mud. manure and straw, ie: adobe houses.

I haven't looked it up yet but it sounds like it makes clay from BS and organic stuff. I'm going to look into this. Sounds interesting. However, adobe has to dry in the sun. I wonder.......

You are in a tuff area proceed with caution spend time and perk the site up at Ricketts Glen as fast as they build em quite a few drain out We built a 6 acre lake in Laporte and went down 22 foot to silence a spring As you go up to Laporte big blue clay[pressure crushed sedimentry blue stone] the best for a pond.
Do not rush it wait a year hire some one to dig 10 yd test holes and see what the soil is and the you can die an upper hole and see if you get bleed off to a lower hole etc. Jhon Edwards is in Ricketts he might be able to guide you he is an older gentleman of 78 and a pain in the ass but well versed on a pond explore. Tell him Scott says hello
best of luck

Scott,
What do you mean by, "Silence a spring?"

Is deeper always better when you are dealing with a water table pond?

I have blue clay as well, but I've only gone down about ten feet so far. It's filled with about two feet of water so far. No rain, just from seepage.

VA

Feeding cattle in the bottom has been a wive's tale forever but maybe it is not a wive's tale after all. If you have cattle and a leaking pond feeding them in the pond will be my first recommendation from now on.
OTTO