Another Pond Sealing Situation - 04/11/18 07:06 PM
OK pond-miesters, I have a pond sealing issue I'd appreciate your thoughts on. To start with, I'm a new member here, but have read other posts on the subject and know about hiring the right person to locate, dig and compact on the front end. I had my NRCS office conduct a sight survey and got a good report back on the location. Finding an outfit to dig AND compact was another story. 99% of the pond builders in my area of NW Arkansas only use a dozer. And the large excavation companies with the equipment to compact it don't have time for a little half acre farm pond, and want $2,500 a day - well above my budget. So I went with an experienced earth mover who has built a number of ponds successfully in my immediate area and knows the soil and lives 15 minutes away.
So here's the scenario - we dug the pond in December under near drought conditions during the fall. We hit good clay to work with about 3-4 ft down and the builder felt very confident in the soil composition and compaction. The finished project looked solid and I added creek gravel to the bottom, habitat and aerator. We did not get any measurable rainfall for two months. During that time, we had severe freeze and thaw cycles on the dry pond bed and dam. By the time it did rain (5" in two days), the clay on top was definitely fluffy for 3-4 inches from the freeze and thaw cycles.
The pond filled completely up and was flowing out of the spillway with force. Everything worked perfectly. Over the ensuing 30 days no rain, and the pond dropped 9-10 feet. We had the second rain event March 27th and 28th with 5" and the pond filled again to within 12 of max pool on the gauge (picture attached). Over the past 14 days, it has dropped 54". Talk about disappointment.
My builder is saying try to be patient - we dug in dry conditions and the dam and surrounding soil are probably sucking these first two fillings out. But the clay should swell and seal. I'm sure many of you have been in this situation, so looking for thoughts on my unique circumstances. Trying to add an image next
So here's the scenario - we dug the pond in December under near drought conditions during the fall. We hit good clay to work with about 3-4 ft down and the builder felt very confident in the soil composition and compaction. The finished project looked solid and I added creek gravel to the bottom, habitat and aerator. We did not get any measurable rainfall for two months. During that time, we had severe freeze and thaw cycles on the dry pond bed and dam. By the time it did rain (5" in two days), the clay on top was definitely fluffy for 3-4 inches from the freeze and thaw cycles.
The pond filled completely up and was flowing out of the spillway with force. Everything worked perfectly. Over the ensuing 30 days no rain, and the pond dropped 9-10 feet. We had the second rain event March 27th and 28th with 5" and the pond filled again to within 12 of max pool on the gauge (picture attached). Over the past 14 days, it has dropped 54". Talk about disappointment.
My builder is saying try to be patient - we dug in dry conditions and the dam and surrounding soil are probably sucking these first two fillings out. But the clay should swell and seal. I'm sure many of you have been in this situation, so looking for thoughts on my unique circumstances. Trying to add an image next