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I know location is a big factor in what type of pond can work and how hard it will be to get it to work. The area I have picked out for mine is the lowest point on my property and is at the bottom of what I would call a compound hill, or bowl (slopes from the south and the west down to this area). The area stays wet LONG after everything else has dried up after rain. Alot of the plans are plants that you see in wetlands, but it is mostly grass. Does moisture on top of the ground indicate how successful a pond will be or is that water just on the surface?

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Originally Posted By: futuresweets10
I know location is a big factor in what type of pond can work and how hard it will be to get it to work. The area I have picked out for mine is the lowest point on my property and is at the bottom of what I would call a compound hill, or bowl (slopes from the south and the west down to this area). The area stays wet LONG after everything else has dried up after rain. Alot of the plans are plants that you see in wetlands, but it is mostly grass. Does moisture on top of the ground indicate how successful a pond will be or is that water just on the surface?


That's good that it'll be in an area that collects water.

Here, I have water standing in the woods, but the pond seems to fluctuate slightly quicker than the water in the woods. Maybe there was a surface "plug" that I broke when the pond was dug, I'm not completely sure. It definately rises slower and sinks quicker than the woods.


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I'm no dirt expert, but I would imagine, while it's great that you have one place that seems to collect all the runoff on your property, simply because it constantly gets that runoff is not an indication if the soil is what you want to hold water year round. Still need a good soil sample. If this place has been collecting runoff for years, there is a good chance it is also collected a great deal of siltation, which I'm sure you can imagine, isn't good for "holding" water, as it just soaks it up.

EDIT - siltation, not sedimentation...

Last edited by Omaha; 06/07/10 04:04 PM.
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Originally Posted By: Omaha
I'm no dirt expert, but I would imagine, while it's great that you have one place that seems to collect all the runoff on your property, simply because it constantly gets that runoff is not an indication if the soil is what you want to hold water year round. Still need a good soil sample. If this place has been collecting runoff for years, there is a good chance it is also collected a great deal of sedimentation, which I'm sure you can imagine, isn't good for "holding" water, as it just soaks it up.


Not what I wanted to hear... Should I just play with the DIY soil sample techniques or just pay someone to do a soil sample?

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Originally Posted By: futuresweets10
Originally Posted By: Omaha
I'm no dirt expert, but I would imagine, while it's great that you have one place that seems to collect all the runoff on your property, simply because it constantly gets that runoff is not an indication if the soil is what you want to hold water year round. Still need a good soil sample. If this place has been collecting runoff for years, there is a good chance it is also collected a great deal of siltation, which I'm sure you can imagine, isn't good for "holding" water, as it just soaks it up.


Not what I wanted to hear... Should I just play with the DIY soil sample techniques or just pay someone to do a soil sample?


Don't fret my friend. Play closer attention to the first 4 words of my post over the rest of it. wink

I would definitely get some expert advice here on DIY techniques before spending money on a test. I made a ball out of the clay I had, put it into a bucket of water, and waited something like 15-20 minutes. When I cracked it open, I was told the two halves breaking off evenly, staying intact, etc., was a good sign. And that the clay inside the ball was still dry was also very good. So you can certainly get some good advice on how to check on your own before hiring someone to do it.

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Your countys' NCRS should do it for free.


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most of the time when i see a spot like you are describing i believe whats happening is this. it rains and the hillsides have a lot of pervious soil in the top 2-4 ft. the hillsides soak up the dirt till the water hits the redox layer of soil.( redox = impervious or water wont travel through it) once the water hits the impervious layer of soil or rock etc. it slowly migrates downhill to this low spot you are describing but it takes the water a while to get there keeping the low spot wet for several days. if your hillside and low spot dried up quickly then there is not as much pervious soil in the top layers. usually you can see the redox layer when you go to digging its white and chalky looking and may only be 1-4 inches thick its where the water cant penetrate anymore and begins traveling to lower ground through the dirt.i learned this from a soil scientist during a recertification class for installing septic systems about 15 yrs ago. sometimes on a spot like you are describing i have to push a lot of pervious dirt behind the core before i can start building the pond i will use it in the dam but only behind the core. usually these types of sites are harder to build a pond in than usual because until you get to the impervious soil its usually muddy and hard to move unless your in a dry spell. but well worth it because the water is usually very clear from being filtered through the dirt. only thing that bothers me about a spot like this is just exactly what is that impervios layer rock,clay ,shale, etc. i'll take anything but rock. a lot of people call these spots wet weather springs. i hope this along with what the others have mentioned helps you a little. and if the silty dirt is deep extend that core up the hill until your above your desired water level of the pond or it will leak around your core. good luck

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tim:

Thanks. I learned something today. I wish I had someone with your knowledge here when I renovated my pond. Maybe it would have helped to keep it more water tight!


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thanks esshup will post a picture of a picture so it might not be to good of a pond i built 4 yrs ago that looked similiar to what he's describing above. the silt was over 10' deep in most of the pond area so we built the back half of the dam first then when we got to the clay-shale we finished the core and front of the pond. it was a miserable pond to build mainly because the silty soil wouldnt support a scraper and had to do without it the first half of the job but it turned out nice and was well worth the effort.

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That looks great!!

Not to hijack the thread, here's a link to my pond renovation

That was before I found PB. I wish I would have found PB a year earlier or at least 6 months earlier. It would have saved me a bunch of $$ and I would have had a better pond as well.


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yes thats to bad. beautiful setting you have and maybe someday you will be able to fix it. i guess there may be several options to fix it in the future.


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