Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New pond in PA

I am building a pond in central pa. I have not started yet. I am doing lots of homework, and hope to start construction soon.I am wondering what my lawn fertilizer, and occasional weed killer will do to my new pond. My house and lawn are directly in the watershed of the pond about 330' feet away. I have about an acre of grass on the lawn.

Welcome to the forum Carl! Where about in central PA?

Lawn fertilizer can lead to issues with filamentous algae, rooted aquatic vegetation, duckweed and others growing out of control. It can create crashes in dissolved oxygen as well. Weed killer in larger amounts could cause fish kills.

Thank you,
I am in Huntingdon Co. near Raystown Lake.

Very nice, beautiful area. Some great fishing in Raystown Lake. It's just insanely crowded in the warm months.

How large of a pond are you considering building? What type of pond? any idea on what fish species you like to stock in it? Will in be spring fed, run off, etc?

It will be 3/4 acre. There seems to be underground springs,and also it is a natural collection area. I have done some perk holes, and the soil seems to be good quality clay. The holes filled with water instantly. We have had very little rain recently, and the tire ruts in the ground have running water. I am a little concerned that I won't have enough water. I am waiting on some info from a recent land survey to verify how much collection I will have. Everyone tells me it will be alright, but I am still a little nervous. The pond will be half dug and half dammed. I can't decide on a 6' damm and 6' excavation or a 7' damm and 5' excavation. I intend to shoot for 11' depth near the damm, and 3 to 4 feet on the othr end. Any thoughts?

I am sure you have done reading on this site about the fact that underground springs can be more of a problem than a blessing. When the water pressure on the bottom of the pond is greater than the pressure of the incoming spring it can reverse and take water from the basin.

I highly recommend that you buy the book "Perfect Pond, Want One" from Pond Boss to take all items into consideration. As far as a higher dam or a deeper hole it is generally less expensive to build up the dam than to remove material from the pond to deepen it.

Fertilizers expecially phosphorus entering the pond will cause it to age faster. Aging means more plant growth, muck accumulation, and usually more cloudy turbid water. Turbid -cloudy water can be cause by several factors. Organic material such as leaves entering also contain nutrients stimulating plant growth and muck accumulation. The more stuff you can keep out of the pond the better the water quality will be and the nicer it will look in your front yard. The thicker the clays are in the basin and the better they are compacted the better the pond will hold water. Tight well compacted thick clay pond walls. Double barrel sheepsfoot rollers are the best soil compactors. Be suspecious of any contractor that does not use one. Do your home work on pond construction. You dig a hole and build a pond. Holes leak. Make sure the dam is well keyed with a good thick core trench. Ideally you want the spring water inflow to always cause water to be seeping out an overflow pipe.