Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Leaking Pond Need To Line

My wife and I just had a very small pond dug for our dogs to swim in. Size is about 35' x 25' (oval) x 6' deep at the deepest (Sloped sides). We have noticed that it has a leak somewhere as it does not hold water but for a week or so. We are planning on buying about 42, 50# bags of bentonite clay to till into the existing soil (black clay / gumbo as one person put it). Is this the right approach? I have heard this is the answer to seal the pond, and I have heard to the contrary. To me, this seems most cost effective vs a vinyl liner, esp. with the dogs swimming in it (tearing the liner). Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Did not work on my pond.

What did work, if anything?

Welcome to the forum. I'm guessing that whoever dug the pond didn't compact the soil before the water started filling the pond? Even in clay soils, the pond basin needs to be compacted with a multi-tired pan scraper or something like that that has a lot of weight to it, or a sheepsfoot roller. Just driving over it with a tracked piece of equipment won't do it.

Usually the ony 2 options for a permanent fix (read that as one that lasts more than a year or two) is to install a liner, or dig it out a bit deeper, and line it with 18"-24" of clay that's compacted in 6" lifts.

The guy that dug it out did not compact the soil prior to it filling. Given the small size, I am thinking of tilling in the clay and then compacting with a hand held compactor. Not sure if that will work.

I had a very old pond the size of a lg swimming pool in west Texas that didn't have but a foot of water. I was told by the old farmer next door his sister almost drowned in it. I paid a company to dig it out deeper , and work on the catch. They made it about 1/8-1/4 Ac & it had a clay base . I'm told it will take about 2 years to properly silt in. They used a very lg bulldozer & dug it about 12 ft deep with high walls & a great catch. With our best rain I've never got more than 4 ft of water in it. It drys up pretty fast with minium rain in our dry summers. Do I still need to pack it down more or still wait for it to silt in ?

Silt won't seal it.........

What are you referring to when you say "work on the catch"?

It's got a clay base. I'm assuming that you mean that the bottom of the pond is clay. What about the sides?

The catch is valley or grade set on one side to collect rainfall which fills it. The base and sides are all clay. Slick West Texas red dirt, if it drizzles a little bit my 2 wheel drive truck can't get up the driveway.

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To add a pic you have to first post it to an on-line host. I use Photobucket.

does any of that dammed up part have a key way? looks like red clay. isnt that bad to use?

There's gotta be a seam of permiable dirt in there beneath the high water level. It might be a vein of sand, etc.

If you do a bucket test with the dirt from the pond bottom, and it holds water, that will mean that there's at least one area that has different dirt, and that's probably where it's leaking.