New Pond owner with questions - 10/27/09 02:43 AM
Hello Everyone,
I am a new owner of a freshly dug pond in Michigan and need some help and opinions. Beeen reading the forum and making my first post on my new pond.
History of the pond. The pond is located on a 20 acre parcel that has 4-7 feet of sand on most of the property and then nice clay very deep. A one acre pond that held 2-4 feet of water was on the property that was made from the county taking sand many years ago to build local roads (they took the sand to the clay and then stopped leaving a shallow pond).
When I bought the property a year ago I knew I was on a sand pit and hoped that I could find someone that would take sand in exchange for making me a bigger and deeper pond. This fall the county was scheduled to prepare a local road right around the corner for paving. I asked them if they needed sand and they said yes. Anyway, they took about 10,000 yards of sand for the road project and paid someone the money for the sand to dig me my pond.
Here is what they did. They drained the old pond. The stripped all the sand off of a few acres next to the existing pond to the clay. They then dug the clay and packed the clay at least 10 feet around that area leaving a pond with clay all the way to the top. It is 20 feet deep in one area.
The picture is where the project is right now. I contractor is finishing up all the sides over the next 2 weeks and making them look nice and then I will plant some rye around most the pond except a large beach area where I will have all sand. This is Phase 1.
My plans for the pond is #1 a swimming hole for the kids and second I would like to have a nice fishing hole. My Plan it to have it fill naturally that I hear will take a year or two. If I have issues I would tap a spring but will try the natural way first.
Next year they will be doing another mile of road and will need more sand. I of course will allow them to take more sand in exchange for an even larger pond. When they take that sand the pond will be about 3 ½ acres in size. Lets call that Phase 2.
Questions:
Can I put some fish in the pond and will they live if I do not have any objects in the water? I plan to have Bluegill, bass and catfish and maybe perch. Until they finish Phase 2 of the pond I do not want to buy fish. The family cottage is right around the corner of a large lake and we can catch many bluegill and perch off the dock (50 in a few hours). Is it OK to put these in the pond to get things started? Will they live without anything in the water or grass on the edge?
I am having the excavator guy put sand on top of the clay 6-12 inches deep around the pond as I have plenty of sand so that it will not be mucky. Is this OK? Want to be able to walk out of other parts of the pond it not be mucky. Is all this sand going to just wash to the bottom?
The Phase one portion I want for it to not have many objects in the water. The Phase 2 I will add an Island and objects for the fish to live and breed. Is there anything that you see the pond could use or things in the design or shape that should be changed?