Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss sand pit question

I am looking into selling sand on from some property I own. I was checking into building a pond in a draw on the back side of our property. The site could have possible supported a 10 acre or more lake. When the guy came out from the local Ag department and did some tests to see if we had clay, he found a lot of sand and said the site was not good for a pond. We do have clay in some places. There is a company mining sand just down from us closer to the river. I contacted them and asked if they would be interested in buying sand from my property. They came out and poked a couple of holes and found sand. I asked them about what the site may look like after they are done. They said they reclaim the site and put the topsoil back down. I asked about digging a pit and making a lake. They said it could be done and would be specified in the contract if there is sand they are interested in buying. I have read a few things on here and am curious about any experiences any of you may have. The site where they dig could be as much as 30 or more acres. Being close to where they are already digging, I might be able to get them to put more clay down if needed when they are done. The idea of getting paid to have a lake built on my property is quite appealing. I have also read on here about the pit maybe hitting the water table. I think we may have a high water table here. An old timer I had do some work on our driveway mentioned something about people used to irrigate crops using shallow wells in the area. Any info would be appreciated.

Hey Ron...good to have you on board.
Dwight, one of our fairly prolific posters, has personal experience with your type of project. Hang tight; he'll check in soon.

If you live in an area where there are a lot of sand/gravel aggregates and little clay, a gravel pit type excavated pond might be not only the least expensive choice, but also the only choice.

I would be trying to find out the depth of the water table where you are at and how deep the sand company will likely excavate to (they may not know this until they actually take your sand out, but perhaps you could learn the maximum depth there equipment is capable of going), to guess at how deep your pond could be.

Perhaps a contract with the sand company should include an end condition that is either a gravel pit pond or a reclaimed hole (topsoil spread back over it) - your call, depending on how deep they end up going wrt the water table depth.

I believe that I would dig a couple(or more) of test holes to find out just how much sand I had and where the water table is.

If you don't have a place where they can remove all of the sand, you just might have a big unsightly hole.

Their idea of reclaiming might be a lot different than yours.

Hi Ron,welcome aboard.If it works out,and I hope it does,Im gonna be jealous.

Ron Bajorek, Welcome aboard!

I have a gravel pit type pond and have been through the process from start to finish. You absolutely need to know three things before you start making any plans.

1. How deep is the topsoil and clay layer that is above the gravel/sand.
2. What is the depth of the water table. You should have a test well bored on your property in the area where the work will be done. You don't want to end up with a 40 foot deep hole with no water in it.
3. What is the surface area of the property that you have available for excavation.

With this information you can calculate a lot of what you will need to know going forward. The most important one being what will the surface area of the pond be. Minnesota requires a 6 to 1 back slope on the reclaimed land around the pond. That takes up a lot of space. For instance my pond is on 12 acres and the pond is 5 acres.

The deal I struck with the gravel company here basically swapped gravel above and below the water table for water below the water table. This results in a project cost to you as the land owner at zero dollars. But that is getting a head of the program.

If you get the first three items locked down, you know what you have to work with.

I am happy to assist in any way. Keep us informed!

Thanks Dwight. Thanks everyone else that replied. I've been reading the forums here for years. Now I finally may be embarking on that BIG project that I read about so often.

I've been wondering about the exact 3 items you mentioned. They drilled 2 holes so far, but the drill rig got stuck after the second one. They got it out the next day. It was a bit wet there. We have sandy loam on top of a shallow clay layer. The sand they want is below that clay. They were going to drill at least 4 - 5 test holes. I guess that is on hold now. I know there is some clay, but I do not know how much or what there is down deep below the sand layer.

The one fear I have is that I wind up with a big dry pit. I guess I could open a motocross track if that happens, but I would much prefer a few acres of water. I don't even have a dirt bike.

We are looking at 30+ acres that can be dug, maybe as much as 40. That will take a while. I am still waiting to see what they find in their test holes. I would love to end up with 10 - 20 acres of water surface with a few small islands and points scattered about. I don't know if there are any laws here on reclaiming the site.

I have one thing to point out and it might not even be a concern in a new sand pit pond. I have a 30ac natural pond and it takes alot of $$$ to manage one. I can't afford to change anything as far as water quality or aeration goes. If you have to correct something it costs thousands but it might not be an issue. You might want to look at getting 2 or 3 ponds built so if something was wrong you could easily manage a 10 ac pond. Welcome and good luck.

Another problem with big water is the work needed to manage it if the fish get out of balance. Having to catch and cull hundreds or more bass per year turns into work. It sounds like a good job to have but you have to go fishing whether you want to or not. If the fish aren't biting that day you have a real problem in the future. On the + side, they seldom get hook shy.

Good points Blair and Dave on the large pond. I had to treat 3 acres for Elodea with a Reward/Cutrine mix and it cost quite a few bucks. I sure wouldn't want to treat 30 acres. When at Lusk Lodge I really realized that multiple smaller ponds made a lot more sense than one large one. The idea that you can have a completely different mix of fish in different ponds is very appealing to me.

Managing a pit type pond in the ground water table is a lot different then managing a hill type pond.