Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, trying to plan a small pond, and have a basic question. Once a pond is filled up, is having a source of water for the purpose of replacing the water in the pond that is lost to evaporation and leakage, or is it necessary for ponds to have a continuous flow in and out? I was thinking of putting aerators on the bottom of the pond to keep a good level of dissolved oxygen and redirecting a nearby stream only as needed to maintain the pond's water level. It will be only about 1/10 acre and mostly shaded so I'm hoping evaporation won't be too bad. The soil is mostly clay so I'm also hoping that it will not leak a lot. Thanks.

Generally you don't need a constant supply of water. Although at 1/10 acre, it doesn't give much reserve.

If you've got a stream nearby, here are two options to think about. One would be to use a 4-6 inch pipe. You'll just have to be alert to the very real possibility of getting some unwanted and unexpected fish in your pond. A 2-inch gasoline semi-trash pump is quite affordable and move one heck of a lot of water in a short time.

I would not recommend an open canal/ditch from the stream to your pond. It could easily be declared "navigable waters" which allows people to walk from the stream to your pond, and not be considered trespassers.

Oh, and welcome to Pond Boss. Please feel free to ask lots of questions. We are here to help.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. I want to put the pond alongside the stream rather than damming the whole stream because for one thing it is a wooded area except for a bit of a clearing where I plan to put the pond, and for another thing the stream gets very full, fast, and turbid when it rains. I am thinking of trying to use a hydraulic ram pump to supply water to the pond, filtered through a rough filter and maybe even a slow sand filter. The stream is at the lowest point between gently sloping terrain on either side and it has cut into the ground about three feet also. So the pond either has to be higher than the stream or has to be deep with high banks so that it can be lower than the stream and I could gravity feed water from the stream, through a pipe as you said, to the pond. The alternative is to not make the pond so deep and pump water up to it from the stream. I'm a little concerned about having a "low" pond with high banks for fear that an animal could fall in and not be able to get out. Thanks for the tip about the "navigable waters".

Welcome to the forum. Typically you want the banks to be no steeper than 3:1. Even at that slope, it's a little tricky getting up from the water level if the banks are slippery. A more gentle slope makes walking and mowing (if necessary) easier. Below the water level, IIRC good clay can withstand 2:1 or steeper, but forget about trying to walk out.

Try to plan the pond so the stream, even at 100 year flood event levels won't overflow into the pond. Even tho the pond is relatively small, if it gets a bunch of unwanted fish or critters it's still a heartbreak if you have to kill it and start over.

Thanks, esshup. I'll put some thought into the slopes of the banks. It may be that this is what pushes me toward the pond being higher in elevation than the stream and using a pump but having not so deep or steep banks, rather than a pond that has the surface of the water 4 feet below ground level to make it lower in elevation than the stream. I appreciate all the advice.