I have been hesitant to post much about my leak and the use of soilfloc, i guess because i was too skeptical. My pond was complete about a year ago. I almost immediately noticed a damp spot on the back of dam on one end. we had a dry summer and it took a while for it to fill. we actually pumped the last 4ft of water in. the other end of the dam started leaking really bad after the last 4 ft of water. I believe it was due to pressure more so than finding a place to escape. It created a swampy mess on that end of the dam. it is so bad that aquatic type vegetation started growing there (cat tails) because of all the standing water. The dam is huge and has a huge core. They did hit a few rocky veins along the way and my soil may not have been 100% clay even thought it is very red. It was built using scrapers, dumptrucks, off road dumptrucks, etc. But it LEAKED! I talked to Teejah and Ms. Sandra and decided to bite the bullet and order some soilfloc. we applied the material last friday and by monday evening i could tell a huge difference in the standing water. today all of the water is gone!! i dont know if it is 100% stopped or not, i'm sure it will take a while for the ground to dry out. i'm losing about a half an inch a day. i can't tell yet how much better that part is. i hope all the wetness on the back of dam was my problem.
I know lots of us have been waiting on something like this. i am a believer now. feel free to ask me questions if you have them.
Teejah has been out of pocket for a few days, i hope he sees this.

Woot! Again encouraging. The constant rain has finally stopped here over the past few weeks, and I am just now getting a gauge again on how much seepage I have. I seem to have quite a bit less than I used to, but it still leaks significantly. Earlier this year I had more coming in than loosing, so it is hard to tell.

I have a nice field of cattails on the back of my dam also, and would love to cut off their water supply and be able to mow it for all of the mud.

I just have to price out my 1/2 acre pond and then sell it to my wife.

i have been reading up on water absorbing polymers. they are used for lots of things: diapers, landscaping/planting, cool neck bands, etc. it is pricey, but maybe the cost will come down since they are finding more and more uses for it.

I only bought enough to treat about 15,000 sq ft. i guessed at my trouble area and looks like we got lucky. The area my cat tails are growing had a few large trees piled there from construction. we cut firewood out of there during the winter, then it turned to a swamp. i hope it dries enough soon so we can clean that area up.

Looks like I may need to do this, I cannot maintain the backside of the dam, and it is a hill-side swamp. Some of it may be an existing spring that was missed when the pond was dug, but the majority must be seepage.

Much of the pond bottom has chara in it (probably 30% coverage on the very bottom, 60% shallower), and there is a little FA around the rim now along with some cattails and my lilies. What, if anything do I need to do for application preparation? I would like to keep the lilies, the other stuff I am not too worried about.

I am sure it isn't as pricey as bringing in bennoite after draining a pond, or re-coring a dam. I hope.

Scott69 that is great!

Such a product, if proven to be a long term solution, would be such a significant benefit for owners of leaky ponds.

Glad to hear it is working for you.

like Scott69 I have had great success with soilfloc. only have had it in the pond for 1 month now but it sealed 4 leaks in my dam. within 48 hours it had stopped 95% of the leaking and in 4 days it was completely stopped 100% this product is amazing.

Love it, Scott - I am so glad to be a part of a successful project! Tell your friends - I'm here to help anytime!

teehjaeh57,
I have been following the soilfloc threads and discussions and I haven't seen the following discussed:
If your pond's water level is way low and you suspect poor soil compaction or porous soil, do you broadcast the soilfloc compounds on the dry surfaces as well as in the water? If yes, do you till it into the dry soil?
Thanks

Treat area available underwater - wait for rain event, treat remaining area. Without supplemental irrigation source it poses a challenge. Product must be hydrated to activate and hydraulic pressure helps form seal, too.

Yes, can be used like bentonite and incorporated into soils 4" down, then should plate clay in 6" lifts. One could incorporate into exposed banks 4" depth and wait for rains. It would activate when hydrated. I haven't performed this project yet, but imagine it would work. Might be the only solution for some folks dependent on infrequent precipitation and a half full pond.

Feel free to reach out anytime for a chat. So much to relate, so slow typing! I am here to help anyone regardless of the issue or solution!

This is my situation now...so glad you asked dg84s. Went from the fullest I have ever seen my pond in May to pretty low now.

TJ, I know I need to call you, but....if full pool surface area is over 5300 sq ft, current surface area is 3000 sq ft, do you treat with one unit now, then use another when it fills? Would incremental treatments be bad? That is, use a unit now, but if it rains and goes up three ft, treat a little more, then if it goes up more, treat again, etc?

Sean

TJ,
Thanks for the reply and answers. I thought of calling you, but felt I had a question of interest to other Texans. It rains too much, then it rains too little! Pond fills up, pond dries up. We need to stop any loss other than evaporation.
When you talk to one pond owner, you help one guy. When you post on PB, there's no telling how many shy lurkers like me you help.
Thanks

If you don't have supplemental irrigation, you treat what you can now which is the pond area underwater. Save the remaining polymer in a dry place - when it rains and levels increase perform another application to treat the remaining area. That's likely your best plan of attack. Feel free to ping me anytime...I am here to help. Every situation is unique - love learning about all your strategies and goals for your fisheries. That's what I'm here for.