I am going to build a small pond. It will be in the middle of what was once a cotton field. Flat as a pancake and no drainage to catch. I am in the Texas Panhandle near Lubbock.

We have a hole / pit on the place that is maybe 7 feet deep and 30' in diameter . We had a huge rain and it filled all the way up to where you could not see it. Within 3 days it was dry. Thus I think I will need a liner or haul in clay or bentonite.

This hole/pit I think was where they got fill dirt from when they built our house before we bought the property as the house is raised up and that is the only logical explanation I can see for it being there as it has not been used as a trash pit or anything like that.

I plan on incorporating this pit into the pond and making it larger.

I own a medium sized backhoe,dump trailer, and a compact track loader. It won't be as fast as a dozer or excavator but I think I can get it done with time using what I own.

We are having a well drilled later this month and based on surrounding wells I expect 50-70 GPM. I plan to fill it up with the well which might take several weeks and then maintain the level with the well.

The purpose of this pond is fishing. Nothing extreme just want to be able to go out there and relax with the kids and fish.

Now for my questions.

How big does this need to be? Everyone wants a large pond but since I am relying 100% on pumped water I really don't want to go any larger than I need to in order to maintain a decent fish population.I was thinking maybe around 1/2 acre but not sure. I own 20+ acres but can't afford to pump / line something huge.

How deep? My backhoe digs to 12'. I assume I want some depth variation? It does freeze here but not bad. Sometimes I see ice on ponds in the parks or whatever but it never gets thick. I used to duck hunt around here on the playa lakes when they had water and I never encountered ice I couldn't bust with my foot.

Should I go with a liner or clay/bentonite? If liner do they custom make them to your size or do I need to make my pond a certain size to have a liner fit it?

Thanks

Welcome bdog. I'm originally from Muleshoe.

I PERSONALLY would make it about an acre and 10-12 ft in that area. An acre is about the size of a football field and one inch of water over that acre is 27,000 gallons. So, that acre is a lot to keep filled.

I've never done any good with bentonite but others have. I know that liners are danged expensive.

Look for captwho on here. He purchased a polymer spray to line his pond around Heber Arizona which is also sandy soil.

Welcome aboard bdog

Dave is right deeper is better, you will loose a lot of water to evaporation around Lubbock. Even with a well it will be hard to keep the pond full. Not sure how much homework you have done but A liner will need to be covered for it to last very long.
bentonite is a good product but it must be installed properly od it will not work. There will be some liner companies around Lubbock and the will make what ever you need, There will also be some bentonite companies close by check prices.

Thanks for the replies. I am strongly leaning toward a liner. I figure it is similar to what the use for all those Frac ponds out by midland?

The volume of water is what really matters right? It seems the smaller in area the pond is but the deeper it is the less I would lose to evaporation. 1/2 acre ten foot deep is the same amount of water as 1 acre five foot deep.