Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Building a new pond - Need Help...lots of help

This site is great. Everybody here knows alot about ponds. I tried to search some to answer my questions but most answers are already over my head. I'm very new to ponds and land owning.

I recently bouth 6 acres in Walker, Louisiana which is just East of Baton Rouge, LA and about 60miles NW of New Orleans, LA.

I plan to build a pond 50' wide by 550'-650' long. It will be long narrow. I do not know what depth to dig it at or what I should make the shoreline look like. Should it be straight or have a wavy shoreline?

I also have questions about aeration. Will I need it? Whats the best way? I don't really want a fountain spraying water in the middle, maybe something like a water pump sucking in water and spitting it back out.

My original plan was to put a bridge across the middle of the pond. On that bridge I would put two water pumps both spitting water in oppisite directions on opposite sides of the bridge. Maybe this would get some flow going.

The dirt is clay after about 3" - 12" of topsoil so I'd assume that that would have no problem retaining water.

I don't know what types of fish I'd like. I would suppose I would be limited to a certain type due to the size and shape.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi lbianc1-
Congratulations on your new property and welcolme to Pond Boss!

There are two conditions that are necessary for a healthy lake; 1.Sufficient oxygen and 2.adequate mixing of the water to reduce stratification so that the oxygen is uniformly distributed throughout the water column. Dissolved oxygen is not only used by fish, vegetation, and other organisms, but it is also essential in the oxidation and bacterial digestion of suspended organic material and bottom sediments.

Under ideal conditions, natural forces can keep a lake healthy and aesthetically attractive, but unfortunately our lakes do not exist under ideal conditions. Water mixing and movement is restricted. In the summer months, hot, hazy and cloudy days worsen the situation because of lack of photosynthesis and the fact that warm water holds less oxygen. Rain and irrigation water runoff carries organic debris, nutrients and other chemicals that consume oxygen.

An effective aeration system brings oxygen into the water, eliminates stratification and increases circulation. This makes the water at all levels able to support animal and plant life, control algae growth by limiting its food source, and aid decomposition of suspended organic material and muck on the bottom of the lake.
The most efficient way to aerate is not with a fountain, but rather with a 'bottom aeration' system. Fountains are beautiful, but they will have little or no affect on the bottom of your pond.
Since you are building your pond long and narrow, make sure you consult with a profesional to design a system that takes the constraint into consideration.

Ok so I definitely need aeration then. Would something work like I mentioned above? With the two pumps going in opposite directions or do I need somehting that makes bubbles?

How bout the shape of it, does that make a difference in aeration? I am sure the depth will effect the temperature of the pond; it seems the cooler it is the better for oxegen so therefore does this mean the deeper, the better it is for oxegen?

It sounds like what you are describing is horizontal aeration and it will help by keeping the water moving. The most efficient way to aerate, though is with a diffuser type which actually 'moves' the water from the bottom to the top. As the bubbles rise they expand outward, influencing more water. The deeper, the more water is moved. With this type of aeration, the temperature and oxygen level should be pretty consistant from top to bottom.
The area influenced is generally about 100 feet in diameter, so a pond that is only 50 feet wide may need more diffuser placements.

so if its 100' diameter and I have a 550' pond, would that mean that I'd need one every 200'? Which would be 3?

What do these things cost?

Whats the surface look like? Is it a bunch of bubbles coming up out of the water everywhere?

Is there an ideal depth that the pond must be?

One thing I wanted to do was leave one end of the pond around 3' - 4' deep for young kids to swim in. Will this shallow area just attract unwanted vegetation?

lbianc1,

Your new pond is going to be about 3/4 acre. Pond depths in our area are primarly chosen for drought protection. We don't have to worry about freezing.

If you could describe the watershed for the pond, i.e. the numbers of acres that drain into the pond, it might help on depth selection. In general, you would want a good bit of at least 8 foot water for that drought protection....myself, seeing the results of the last couple of years in Texas, I tend toward more depth now than I used to...droughts will do that to you.

Do you plan this as a DIY project or are you hiring a contractor? Lots of info on here on both approaches. Whatever the approach, you first need a well thought out plan...one that will meet your specific objectives for the pond.

The key to any good pond, one that does not leak, is the quality of the soil and the quality of the construction. You need both to be successful. Clay is the gold standard for ponds. Since it sounds like you have lots of it, you are off to a good start.

Do your homework....read as much as you can get your hands on. Pub 590 from USDA is a great place to start. It will also show you the recommended depth for your area.

There are several folks on this forum who have either built ponds themselves or contracted out. Lots of good lessons learned.

Don't hesitate to ask questions, but always be a smart buyer...what works in one area of the country isn't always the best for your area. Good luck!

One diffuser location in the deepest most central part of the pond should be all you need. Once you decide on a layout of your pond make a 'to scale' map with depth and power location and I will be able to give you a more accurate answer with a data sheet showing the turnover rate to back up my recomendation. The cost will be around $1000-$2000 depending on what system you want to install.
On the surface there is a gentle 'boil' where the bubbles come up and the water from the bottom layers out.
The deeper the diffuser, the more gallons per minute are lifted, so as Meadowlark recomended, go deeper than 8 feet.
Shallow water will create an environment for vegitation growth because the sun can reach the bottom.

I didn't know a pond needed a "watershed".


I planned to just dig a hole in the ground and wait for it to fill with ground and rain water.

There is a creek that runs along the back of my property but it doesn't flow too much and I'm not sure the parish will allow me to cut into it.

Is it necessary to have a "watershed"?

Standard equation is: rainfall, minus evaporation and seepage will get you net gain/loss of pond water levels. If you have a spring, then this could make seepage a negative number. If this equation yields a pond filling at a rate that you find satisfactory, then you'll be happy. If not, then you'll need an alternate source for pond water. I fill a couple of my ponds with well water, so they don't need a watershed. Otherwise you would need runoff from a watershed to fill your pond.

O.K. I was thinking about using well water. If I used well water, the well would not be able to be located near the pond though, correct? B/C wouldn't that just suck the ground water from under the pond and it would really be taking the water from the pond and putting it back in?

The watershed deal, like I said, I have a creek running through the back of the property. It has a 8' levee around it and is about 15 - 20' wide. What would I need to do to connect the pond and the creek? Would I just dig a trench? I'm not sure whats dumped in that creek so I don't know if I'd want it connected to the pond any way.

I like the water well idea though. Do you have it to where it reads the level of the pond and only fills when needed?

here is my layout. The creek is in the back. The proposed pond is up top.

A watershed is the amount of area that drains into the pond when it rains. In other words, everything uphill that runs downhill into the pond.

I think you are right to be cautious about pumping from the creek. A friend of mine did it and has more green sunfish than anything else.

Hi. I'm starting construction on a pond in late June. Some folks referred me to a great video about building best pond for fish life. I sent it to someone else but forget the name at the moment. VERY educational. Also, I've been working with Dept of Nat'l. Resources (DNR) all along. No cost, call them, they'll come out and survey, figure out watershed, draw up plans for you, give you contractor list, etc. Also will help you get government support for half the cost to build.

Go to this link and see if you mean the Great Small Waters tapes.

http://www.pondboss.com/video.html

Ok I got it. In that case, 4 acres will be the water shed. It will all drain towards the pond.

I saw those videos but they seemed a bit too steep. $96 for a 45 minute video!?!?

I'll look into the "DNR" although I haven't heard anything about that around here.

3 tapes each 45 mins. Covers from a to z including how to deal with US and DNR.

Hey bud, welcome ta the best pond site there is. I don't have a pond yet, and it's killin me. I've been plannin one for bout a yr now, and have learned sooo much here. Some real wierd geniouses here. My only recomendations are, 1- Be very very patient. Research every angle over and over. I've checked every page here several times, and don't know near enough yet. Take notes, they're easier than tryin ta remember individual posts. 2- Ya might consider breakin yer long pond inta 2 or 3 smaller ones. That might give ya lots of options. Ya could have each pond be a individual fishery. Hundreds of different combinations and possabilaties. Also may be more feasable ta aereate, I think Cecil aereates 2 or 3 ponds with 1/3 hp compressor. 3- I know alot of these boys talk in high intelect terms, so if ya read somethin, and don't get it, ask away. Doubt if they all get as tired of ya as they are of me, but I just keep on postin. Good luck, read and succeed. Bob-O