Where I live it is flat. Well at least it looks flat. After we dug the pond we realized there was a foot difference in ground level from one end to the other. The liner was placed up to the ground level.

The pond slopes steeply. My problem is when water is about to run out of the pond on the low side I have liner showing on the other. It is so steep I can't cover it with anything I can think of it just slides in.

On the low side it looks great the water is right up to the ground/grass but on the other I have bare liner sticking out and it looks bad.

Any ideas what I may be able to do to cover this up? The top of the liner is buried 4' deep in a trench they dug around the pond. Not an easy proposition to get it out and lower it.

I believe I would call "they" and get their butts back out there.

I'm with Dave on this, It should have been a simple mater of using a transit and properly marking the "Shoreline", BUT if getting "them" to redo it right is not an option...the only thing that comes to mind is to drive anchors into the ground above the shoreline and run cables down into the water that would be attached to plastic/wood composite boards that would create a shelf so that rocks could be piled up out of the water and over the exposed liner without sliding to the bottom.

This sounds expensive and labor intensive, but that's all I got for you unless some sort of vegetation could be talked into growing above the exposed liner and gracefully drape down to the water.

Agreed, call them back out and have them do the job right. A liner that is exposed to the sun will deteriorate faster and be more prone to puncture.

See this current issue of Pond Boss Magazine for an article by Mike Otto on doing a pond with a liner.

I would at least temporarily cover that liner with something to protect it from sun, until a decision is made on what to do for the permanent solution. Might be best in the long run to make a small dam on the low side and raise it a foot.

I will see what they say. The problem was the pond was dug with steep sides. They had a ride on trencher they were using to install the liner and it could not operate on the steep bank slope so their only option was to dig the trench on the flat ground outside of where the excavation took place.

I guess what should have been done was that side graded down before the liner people go there. Everything went so fast we didn't really properly prepare.

The bulk of the digging was done in two days, a couple days later the liner people showed up and then in two days we were filling it.

This liner material is pretty resilient to the sun. It is not the normal liner. It is about like the plastic that a 3 ring rider is made out of. They use in the oil fields for frac ponds and it stays exposed on them all the time. There is a big frac pond I have been driving by at work for about 5 years and I stop and look at the liner from time to time and it looks the same as it did 5 years ago.

I had an oilfield company install it. They do them all the time and did a good job I think but they are not normally concerned with the cosmetic aspect of it.

Regardless I plan on getting it fixed or covered somehow within the next couple weeks.

Google "erosion sock" and study that concept. You can adapt that concept to 'create' a shoreline. You'll need to be creative to properly anchor it.

Here's an example of one way to go
http://celltek.blogspot.com/2012/11/erosion-control-and-slope-protection.html

That stuff looks amazing and like the perfect solution.

I was wanting to put some gravel in the water along the shore line but couldn't figure out how to do it and keep it from sliding down. With this product I could fill the bottom cells with gravel in the water and the top with dirt and kill two birds with one stone.

With the steep slopes, where will the fish make their spawning beds? Or are you planning on not having reproduction in the pond?

With steep slopes and a slippery liner, any concern that if someone or a critter falls in that they won't be able to get out?

If you ever build another one, you might consider digging a 4 or 5' deep shelf 10-15 foot wide around the inside of the pond. Then you could back fill over the liner on the shelf.

For what you have, I would agree the erosion mats would be best

Yes, steep lined ponds without liner cover can be far more dangerous than a swimming pool. If it was mine, I would fence it off very securely. When algae gets on the liner, it will become as slick as ice.

Thanks.

The liner is slippery but myself, wife, kids, and dogs have had no problems getting out.

I did tie a ski rope to the fence and throw it in the pond just in case.

We are adding a big dock in the middle with a swim ladder so that is an easy way for people to get out.

When you cover that exposed liner, you might consider building a shelf of sorts along that side, anchored to the bank, making a positive way to exit. If your liner gets covered with algae, it will become as slippery as wet teflon.

I agree with John. You might be able to get out now with the new liner but once it gets covered with algae or sediment....Just be careful!

Who did your liner for you? About what was cost per sq ft for the liner? I'm going to have to have a liner for my pond near San Angelo, and looking for a cost effective liner vendor. How are you keeping your pond full of water? How large is the watershed?

Ready Drill did mine. I think they are headquartered in Odessa or Monahans. If I recall it was around 40 cents square foot installed. They did a good job and were a heck of a lot cheaper than another quote I received on the exact same liner material.

I fill my pond with a well. It catches virtually no runoff. I filled it up in April. I have only had to turn on the well four times since then to top it off due to evaporation and when I did that I just turned it on in the morning and turned it off at night. I don't think it leaks a drop.

Thanks for your reply. I was told by one high dollar pond guy that I should expect to pay ~$1.00 sq ft just for the liner. Your cost sounds much more reasonable, and I will definitely contact them. Do you know what material they used? Were the seams welded with a fuser as they installed it?

I would like to do a 2 acre pond, and do have some watershed, but will probably need to drill a well to supplement the available watershed.

I used 40 mil HDPE. 60 mil was an option at almost double the cost. 40 is thick and I don't see it wearing out anytime soon. Lots of the oilfield frac ponds are built with 20 or 30 mil. The best way I can describe this liner material is it is like the plastic that a quart of oil container is made out of our the material 3 ring binders are made of. It isn't rubbery or flexible it is pretty stiff and durable.

Yes they use a skid steer with a big attachment to lay the material out it comes in rolls maybe 20' wide and then they have a fuser machine that welds the pieces together.

I didn't have any rocks to worry about but if you do they can lay a geotextile fabric under the liner to protect it at an added cost.

My pond is between 1/3 and 1/2 acre (measured by survey grade GPS) and they installed mine in a day and a half.

The guy's contact information is Cale Sanders 806-470-8098. Tell him you got his number from Brandon in Lubbock and he will treat you right. The other bid I got was from Big D and they have a very good reputation in the liner business (I work in the oilfield) but they were nearly double the cost. Cale did my pond and one for my neighbor that was heart shaped and around 2 acres I think.