Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam New pond "seasoning"

Hello all! I'm writing from N.E. Oklahoma where my two year old 1/2 acre pond still seeps from the backside of the dam. Here is my question. Will this seepage begin to slow over the life of the pond? Someone had used the term "seasoning" in referring to the settling of the dam and reduction of seepage. Any comments about "seasoning"? Thanks.

i agree,it should have settled in a few months with water in the pond.i would think you have a problem that would not fix itself.

If, after 2.5 years, you still have seepage, don't look for it to go away by itself. Next, I would try to measure your seepage, to decide what to do. Put a measuring stick in the water, then monitor how much your pond level drops over time. Write it down. For example, if your pond drops an inch a day, that tells you something. If it drops an inch every week, you make a different decision.
I have seen ponds seep badly, where they drop a foot a day. But, I have also seen seeping ponds that stay full, because there's as much water seeping in as there is seeping out.

Thanks for the replies guys. Here is some more specific information regarding my pond. It was dug two years ago this Oct. I worked with the local soil conservation office and a reputable local contractor (I thought). I even went to look at ponds he had built and talked to the owners regarding their ponds. My father-in-law had a pond constructed by this contractor with no problems. My pond dam is constructed with a soil mix of clay/red shale. Everyone involved said that we shouldn't have a problem with leakage once it fills. Year number one was a very dry year with below average rainfall. The pond filled to about 8'. This 8' included 7' underground and 1' onto the dam. Year two has been an average year for rain at our house. The pond filled an additional 4'. We had about 5' of water on the dam with seepage/evaporation losing around 1" a day. We are now back to only about 2' of water on the dam and 7' underground for a total of 9'. The pond spills at 16'-17'. I have noticed a change in the contour of the dam in places. I believe it is still settling here and there. The seepage occurs in the thickest and tallest part of the dam and leaves a swampy area of about 90 sq/ft on the backside. This seems to indicate to me that this portion of the dam may not have been sufficiently compacted. I have called the contractor to ask his advice and he seems uninterested. I would like to fix the problem but...you guessed it, I hate to lose my fish by draining the pond for repair and of course cost is always a factor. My wife wants me to "embrace" the swamp as a wetland which I am not opposed to but I still would like more water in the pond. Thanks to all.

Patrick , were you there when the dam was constructed? he should of removed all topsoil to clay , dug a trough couple feet deep and 6-8' wide , then build the dam and compact it as it rises. sounds like he just built it on the existing soil. just my thoughts

Hello Ken. To answer your question, I was not there during the appropriate time to see if the dam was "keyed in". The contractor had a very big dozer and a trackhoe on site but of course that doesn't mean he actually used the trackhoe for the purpose you discribed. At this point I am considering dumping granular bentonite through the water column. I have heard mixed reviews (mostly negative) regarding this application technique but it looks like the only option other than draining the pond. Any thoughts?