Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions New Pond for First timer

I had a .6 acre pond dug on my acreage last summer and after filling it twice and watching it dry up we lined it with about 3lbs/sq. ft of bentonite and lightly incorporated it into the soil. We were unable to compact it with a sheepsfoot as it starting raining just as we had the bentonite spread. At that time we choose to fill the pond. We are still loosing about 3-4 inches of water per day.

The soil we dug in is yellow clay and we are about 10-12 feet deep. It was originally dug with a self propelled scraper. Before we spread the bentonite we used a track loader to remove several feet of silt we had from a fast rain that came when the pond was empty. The operator was confident he found virgin soil as it dug hard.

I've had several conversations with others in the area who have ponds. One says it will be fine and that this is the worst summer to try and fill a new pond.

With the pond dropping that fast, there's still a leak in there somewhere. I have a couple of stock tanks sunk in the ground at the house in use as ornamental ponds and the evaporation rate is about 3/4" per week.

Does a leaky spot look different than a spot that doesn't leak? Is there anyway to put dye in to water to help find a leak?

It depends on where the leak is, and how big it is. If it's a pond that has a dam, and the backside of the dam is wet, there's a good possibility that the leak is somewhere close. If it's a dugout pond, then there's almost no way to tell. You can let the pond keep dropping and at some point it will stop. If it completely drains, then most likely the bottom of the pond is where it's leaking. If there is an area that you suspect that is leaking, and see water leaking out of the pond, pouring concentrated pond dye at that suspected leak point might show it as it moves thru the soil and to the surface where you see the leak.

There was a good article in the Pond Boss Magazine about a year ago about pond leaks. IIRC Mike Otto wrote it. PB sells back issues.