Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Building a Swimming Pond

If you are looking for clear water, I think the only way you will achieve that is to either have a filter system, or underwater plants in the pond. Without something in the pond to utilize the nutrients in the pond (in the form of leaves, pollen, etc., etc.) you will end up with at the best a phytoplankton bloom, and at the worst FA.

I would talk to Bill Cody about steps that you can take to minimize phytoplankton and forms of algae in your pond.

Hi esshup:

I considered some form of biological filter system. Like sucking the water through a section of rough rocks (lots of surface area) and back into the center of the pond. But decided it was too complicated and would have to be pretty big to have an appreciable effect on a pond this size. I like the idea of using desirable plants to take up the nutrients and deprive the undesirable plants.

I will send Bill a PM. Thank you for the recommendation. If our private discussion is productive, I will post it to help others.

Thanks again, and have a great Labor Day.

Backstroke

Keep us informed Backstroke. Seriously, I can't wait to see your "rock dock". Yabba Dabba Dooooo!!!!

Will do!

Just got some great pointers from Bill Cody.

I will post more pics soon that show some of the stone work.

Backstroke

A Rock dock would be pretty awesome IMHO. Especially if you can get some nice flat rocks for the surface, like slate. If you are planning on having fish, you could incorporate cavities and dwellings for fish that would be really cool to take an underwater camera and explore.

One of the coolest things of swimming in a nice clear pond is being able to snorkel around in a natural aquarium and see a whole new world. My fish are finally getting large enough to be bold, and things have really come alive and interesting.

Bill recommends my adding some SMB for insect control, so it looks like I will be joining the ranks around here! Somehow I knew it wouldn't take too long...

I have kept aquariums since I was a kid, until a few years ago. It is something I got from my father. And the snorkeling idea is really cool. Thanks liquid!

Backstroke

Backstroke, Bill is one of the best... To bad "rock lobsters" wouldn't live in your pond..... But then you're in New Hampshire (what a great seafood state)& I love East coast seafood!!!

Backstroke I have a snorkeling mask and breather at my pond but I use this homemade viewer when I wade. What they do is break the glare of the water and can be bought online as viewers for hunting gold in streams. The bottom picture was taken through the viewer. What's interesting is I can stand in the water and the minnows just come up and look at me.

You've got that right, HL. His knowledge is impressive. But the extent to which he shares it by the generosity of his time is what is most remarkable. I have not been a member here for very long (YET!), but I can already image where this forum would be without Bill.



Maybe I can get them to at least visit:




Backstroke

That is super cool, John! I never imagined that such a device existed. It's a nice alternative for seeing what is going on "down there" when you don't feel like diving in all the way. Thank you.

Backstroke

Hi Guys:

Here are some more pics from this morning. The shape of the pond is pretty much done. Now it's a matter of cleaning up the back of the berm and getting things seeded.





The "rock dock":





One more of the "rock dock":



It is filling pretty fast, and we have had almost no rain since they started digging, so it's all ground water. In the section beyond the ledge, it is about 3 feet deep and rising.

Me and the Mrs. are going to putter around in it this weekend. There is sediment and lots of small rocks that are trapped between big pieces of ledge:



We will pick out as much as we can by hand. Then we will try to wash off as much sediment as we can from the exposed rock formations with a pump and fire hose. Can't wait to get dirty!

Backstroke

You sure have a pretty setting and scenario. Your rock dock looks cool.

I am noticing in the one picture your rock dock and the equipment sitting on the other side of the pond. If the rock dock is out of the water at full pool, it looks like there is a lot of elevation from that full pool level to that flat plateau the equipment is sitting on. Is that an optical illusion? If not, will you be able to mow or maintain that steeper bank the way you want to? Better to address the issue(if there is one) before the equipment leaves and you plant grass.

Jim

PS.. how big of rock is that!!! 6'?

Good get, Jim!

At this point, the rock dock is not yet high enough to be out of the water. They will be adding more to it and cleaning it up.

As for that boulder, 6' sounds about right. But I will be crawling around down there this weekend for the first time, and then I will know for sure.

Thank you for your kind thoughts. We are so excited and happy with the way it is turning out. It changes EVERYTHING about the back field. For starters, my mowing has been cut in more than half!

Take care.

Nick

Rock on Nick!!! Great pics!!!

Backstroke. that's a lot of groundwater. I presume this was not built to be filled with groundwater filling in mind??? Do you know where it is flowing in? Is the rock dock exposed from excavation, or dug out and placed back onto compacted bottom?

Thanks hang loose.



Hi Rainman. I knew there was a lot of ground water where we dug, and I figured that much of the water for the pond would come from it. But it is also fed by about a 5 acre watershed, so I expect surface water when it rains and during Spring thaw.

It flows from many little veins. You can actually watch it. Most of it comes from where the ledge is.

The largest rock of the rock dock (at the front) was uncovered during excavation and move a bit. There was no way we could get it out. And the smaller rocks were added to make it larger and build it up.

So far so good. They did a lot of work on the berm Friday. I will try to get some pics up, BUT IT'S RAINING!!! Not a lot, but every little bit helps.

Backsroke

What do you have for overflow control?

Hi Bocomo. There is a spillway, to the right of that boulder:



I don't have an updated photo of it, but it's there. It will be lined with riprap.

Backstroke

Does your pond have a dam or is it a dug pond? Usually you want 2 overflow systems and the spillway is for emergencies. Maybe it doesn't matter since yours is so small? Maybe you can get an expert to weigh in on that.

My pond is kind of a hybrid. It is mostly dug, but the land is sloping, so there is kind of a dam in the downhill side. The location has seasonal surface and groundwater flow. One of the reasons I got started with digging it was because the field in that location was always too wet to mow. My tractor was sinking in up to its axles. I knew it was groundwater coming up to the surface because it was puddling there even when we didn't have rain for weeks. So that's where we started digging.

We were all set to have a culvert going through the dam, for overflow. Then I had a fellow from NRCS come out to look at it just after we broke ground. He turned us away from the culvert idea and onto the spillway. I do not recall him mentioning another system in addition to the spillway. I'm not even sure what I could be, or where.

Backstroke

Consider lining the spillway with large rocks or making it cement to keep it from washing out and enough to handle a 100 yr heavy rain storm flood.

Hey Bill!

As usual, thank you for keeping me on track with your suggestions. I'm on it like a hobo on a ham sandwich:



The boys gave some of the big rocks we thought were ledge a tug, and they gave way. Now the entrance to the pond is much more open:



I am really liking all of that smooth ledge that starts below the intake and heads out to the deep part of the pond. They are going to keep scraping and washing and the goal is to make it continuous until the deep water.

Then I started wondering how slippery this will be. What might grow on this smooth surface? Any suggestions on how best to deal with it? Create a natural water side?

Thank you.


Backstroke

Good looking project! If you are going to stock SMB, which I love to hear, be aware that the presense of that filter stone and other cobble may lead to SMB reproduction if you aren't stocking single sex fish. Management of SMB population may or may not fit into your goals - something to consider.

Thanks, TJ. When it comes to that, I DO NOT want to be a papa. Bill suggested just a few SMB. I think he said 15-30. I never thought through whether they would reproduce or not.

As far as the cobble goes, if you are talking about the first picture, that is what I will be using to line the spillway. So it should stay out of the pond proper. The bottom of the pond itself should be pretty free of debris. Maybe the occasional rock that has rolled down, but otherwise, just clay and smooth ledge.

Backstroke

If you don't want to manage reproduction, consider single sex SMB or BG or whatever species you're considering. Nature seems to always find a way - I have seen my SMB create beds on clay in my main pond the last couple years. Not sure if they were successful, but they sure tried.