Hi everyone, My name is jeff. I don't yet have a pond but have plans to have one "made" starting sometime late fall. Working with a well respected contractor who knows the area well. South Central Indiana is the location of the property. Expecting the pond to be approximately 2+/- acres. I am including a picture of the basin area the pond will be in. The dam will be towards the left in the tall trees and the pond will not extend beyond the fence line shown. I do not currently live in the area but will be there during construction and plan to take a lot of photos during construction. Hoping for a low maintenance pond with nice scenic and fishing possibilities. Thought of having tall grass and wildflower around much of the perimeter. The dam is to include a drain,an overflow pipe and spillway. I have visited the forum many times before joining to learn as much as I can and would welcome any comments or suggestions from others.
Welcome Jammer. Pretty spot, looks kinda' like karst topography...watch out for sinkholes and caves.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I am hoping to keep it to a week or two per year of hard/casual labor and attention. Since I wont be there all year it will be a day or two here and there. Sound possible or am I fooling myself?
@sparkplug - Yeah that is my worst nightmare, a hole opening up in the earth. I had to look up Karst topography. Yikes, lets hope that is not the case. There are a lot of ponds in the area and I have not heard of any issues so hoping we are clear on that.
My pond is very low maintenance now. After it was dug, I planted lots of desirable emergent plants and water lilies, and also added a fixed dock connected to a floating dock for access. I controlled invasives like cattail and willow, and now only the occasional invasive needs to be controlled.
If I can help with anything Jammer, let me know. I don't have many answers, but I'm happy to stand, stare, and scratch my head right along with you. And, I know who to call.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I bought emergent plants from both JFNEW and Spence restoration Nursery. I favor Spence because they did not make last minute species switches on me. Both have a quality product. I bought water lilies at Lowes but got a lot more from a friend.
@sprkplug >"If I can help with anything Jammer, let me know. I don't have many answers, but I'm happy to stand, stare, and scratch my head right along with you. And, I know who to call. " <<
I really appreciate that sprkplug. I will be the first to admit that I really don't have any experience for what I am getting into. There is a bit of anxiety and maybe second guessing as we get closer to the construction date but all in all I am really looking forward to getting this underway.
Would be curious what people think about a fixed vs floating dock?
My preference would be toward a simple fixed one at this time. I just like the way they feel for one thing. Are floating that much cheaper or have other advantages?
If pond water levels stay relatively static, then fixed is the way to go.
If water levels fluctuate, and you don't mind the dock potentially being high above the water, then a fixed is the way to go.
Other than that, floating is the route to take.
Floating/fixed, the actual walking surface and support structure (joists, etc.) should be relatively the same price. The price difference is in the posts/floats and related hardware necessary for both systems.
thanks RAH I had not really thought about "in the water" plants like water lilies and such. Is that something that you need to stay on top of to keep in control or do they respect their space? jammer
RAH Earlier in the thread you mentioned that your pond is low maintenance now Your photos are very much in line with how I would like our pond to look. With the exception of maybe a 100 foot or so clear mowed area on one shore. How long did it take to get established and did you have a knowledge source to make suggestions or just figure out as you went? Given the late fall completion schedule I am guessing I could be ready to plant in the spring if the hole fills by then or should I wait longer?
I've contacted NRCS but they seem to be displaced at the moment over the budget mess. They have offered to look into it but I would appreciate any other suggestions as well in the meantime. Thank you for all
The mowed area is across the dam and allows easy access to the dock, as well as keeping woody plants out (a must on the dam). However, burning, herbicide spot treatment, or infrequent mowing works fine also (which is how most of our dam is maintained. The mowed area is also part of a network of walking trails around our property. It took at least three years for the pond margins to look really good with heavy emergent growth around the whole pond. Of course, if you plant more and larger plants, things go faster. I have read a great deal on wildlife habitat restoration and I am trained as a biologist. My wife also has a B.S. in plant science and can germinate and grow anything. The Pond Boss site is also a great resource where you can see what other think of your plans (I have learned a lot here). Spring is probably a good time to plant, but you may want to get some annual rye on the bare ground ASAP. Any growth this fall will slow erosion. The DNR has been a great resource for me and you may be able to cost-share through the Partners program if you are willing to keep the ground in wildlife habitat for 10 years. If you are interested in this program, you need to start now to get funded. BTW - I just planted a new pond this spring and summer. I am 30 miles west of Indy. If you are up this way and want to visit, let me know.
Welcome jammer, I am a pond owner and want you to know it is a great way to enjoy your property. It looks to me from your picture you will have a great view. Good luck on the time spent with maintenance but the pond will grow on you, and just draw you in. It is worth it.
You already have some good help and I wanted to thank RAH for the picture,great place.
You did not mention if you have a well or even need one, with the good runoff potential I see from your picture.
With fewer fish and no feeder you will have less time needed to address pond issues, as an observation.
I'm going with fixed dock due to kids and us older types needing stability.
Lot's of good info in the archives, if you find the time.
I watched a guy on Youtube that had taken pictures several times a day, from the same location, over the weeks it took for his pond build. It was really neat when he spliced them together in a video. Everyone here likes pictures,me too and good luck.
thank you for the offer to visit RAH. I may take you up on it someday. Great advice for sharing a plan to get input as well. Seeing as I pretty much don't have much of a plan at the moment I will get on that and try and get some input.
General question about the forum: Would it be better for me to start a new thread regarding specific topics or just keep this one going?
MPC - I do not currently have a well planned. Runoff area is actually somewhat on the smaller side, approx 3:1 by my estimate. The builder does not seem too concerned about this. Soil here is supposed to be well suited to holding water. I think a well if doable would be great, but I would worry about cost to pump and all.
I agree that it sounds on the low side. 3:1 is my calculation. As I said I think the contractor is comfortable with the situation and I do have a lot of trust in his experience.
As I think about this I am wondering what the process is for determining runoff area.
as I was saying about calculating runoff area. I have some questions
Does the surface area of the water body count in the runoff formula? ie does a 1:1 ratio imply there is no runoff other than the surface itself or does it imply a runoff equivalent to the surface area outside of the water body? (sorry if that is not as clear as it could be)
Does the land need to be a certain slope or can a mostly flat plateau area or hilltop count also in the consideration?
My initial calc of 3:1 is based off my visual estimation of where the slope starts. After going back and using better tools it seems that maybe I could count much more that has a subtle and gradual slope.
All land that slopes toward the pond is usually counted as watershed. I have over 20:1 on my two ponds with very little leakage. My ponds drop about a foot during summer dry periods. My ponds are very very tight.
