Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Chasing a dream

Well, it's just about one year since I stumbled upon Pond Boss. My timing for this fateful fall was very good as it occurred right at the beginning of the development of a dream; a project we call Liberty Nature Preserve.
I sit here poised with keyboard at hand and a big mug of coffee for mental stimulation, preparing my 1000th post on the Pond Boss forum. Strangely, I am excited, relieved, and kinda nervous to be at this point. Excited because it passes right when we have completed construction of our pond. Relieved because I have arrived here with a super product with no regret. And finally, nervous because there is an unwritten opportunity within the PB community to use one's 1000th post to offer words of whimsical wisdom. Witness Bob Lusk's "Wettie" post , pursuant to Bruce Condello's "Ray" post . I am unable to offer a post that is worthy of this company...but...to manifest my nervous journalistic effort, I will bring to the table the one thing that may qualify.
I will use this thread to document my passage to becoming a Pondmeister. I have had private e-mails from within this forum community and on our website, encouraging us toward our endeavor. Many of these came with thanks for opening our "book of dreams" and sharing the details of the numerous facets that have gone into cobbling together our natural nirvana. Words like "inspirational" and "the same dream we hope to someday bring to reality" are the spark for the decision to create this thread, this anthology. Many thanks to all. Many thanks to God.
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I have been thinking about this thread for awhile; how to best deliver and disseminate the information. Like Liberty Nature Preserve, it will be a "work in progress". I have chosen the "Selecting a Site" category because, well, this is where it all usually starts.
With the valuable guidance and assistance of my PB comrades, I have managed to create (and participate in) some enlightening threads (I have also created plenty of goof-ball posts; please join me as I try to overlook these masterpieces). Anyway, the "slightly higher caliber" posts and threads will be the chapters of this new book. Because it will be easier to peruse these "chapters", they will be edited and contained within this specific post. If I happen upon a pertinent facet of our development journey that has not been addressed, it will likely be documented as a new thread "after the fact" and linked here as a new chapter (discretion for interest will be exercised, but no guarantees).
This is gonna take awhile and require some searching and documentation, so bear with me as I try to create a presentation worthy of the Pond Boss community. A litany of never-ending thanks to all who have supported and assisted Donna-ski and I as we chase our dream. I will do my best to return the favor, for if only one dreamer finds value in this effort, it will have served a good purpose.
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ps; please feel free to post or PM your thoughts and ideas. This is not about me. This is about ponds, nature, and God-granted opportunity.
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The beginning...
Both Donna-ski and I are nature lovers. Our highest level of interest is birds. Although we are basically city-folk, we both spent numerous years in the northwoods of Wisconsin. She in the Minocqua area and I in the Eagle River zone. I believe it was these formative years of exposure that spurred us on to escape the city and get back to nature. Like many, we need the city to generate the income required to escape it. This has been our goal.
We started searching for our "nature escape" in 2001. We wound up on a 1 acre parcel on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana in 2003. It was fully developed and exceeded all our dreams for birding. It lacked one all-important facet, though...no elbow room. Like the city, we could toss a rock in either direction and hit our neighbor's porch. One year later, I'm knee-deep in searching for the Tippecanoe replacement while we tune the place up for sale.
My older brother lives in the U.P. of Michigan on a 3 acre pond he built in 17 ac of woods. He fully understands our desires and fuels the new goal; pond-able property. My search method is outlined on Nacogdoches Boy's From the Beginning thread , the second post.
On our fourth year since we began our search, in 2005, we find our jewel! We also sold the Tippecanoe property 5 months later...the profit was rolled into the new jewel, the Liberty project. This new project consists of 44 ac of totally undeveloped timber with a near perfect potential pondsite. My guesstimates target a pondsite in the 3 - 5 acre range. We are pumped! Shortly after selling and closing on the Tippecanoe property, we "dig in" at the new Liberty project and cut a driveway from the county road to the pondsite, some 2000 ft long. (for details, see the LNP website Driveway page ). We then methodically cleared the pondsite. It was right about this time that I found Pond Boss. My first post picks up the story: Construction Costs thread
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** EDITED 7/28/09 **
Another facet of the project will be a sand beach. The Sand Beach thread leads to sourcing information for Geotextile Fabrics . The final application and construction of the beach is documented, hidden within the Principal Spillway Logic thread; page 3.
...and there will be planning for pier construction; refer to The Big Ragu's Building a Pier thread , including some related considerations about Using Footers or Sinking Posts thread , and stainless steel hardware finds on The Stainless Steel Hardware thread . These plans come to fruition on the Boat Launch and Dock Construction thread .
We reached out to our NRCS agent to discuss government programs for land development. This lead us to the W.H.I.P. program posts within the "Construction Costs thread".
Land development moved us to discuss buying trees on the , Mail Order Trees threadincluding peripheral discussion on the Thuja Green Giant thread . Wanna talk "Walnut Trees and potential toxicity"? See the Walnut Danger...? thread .
The building site was developed with the septic field located in very close proximity of the pond. This prompted spirited discussion within the Septic System Close to the Pond thread . .
Like so many ponds, we are located nowhere near a fire hydrant. The fire protection answer lies within the Dry Hydrants in Ponds thread . The Liberty progress is documented on page 3, but the support posts are valuable research info.
One of the many engineering considerations for the actual pond construction was installing a drain and valve. We kicked this one around on the Drain Valve thread . We also exchanged thoughts on drainage to the pondsite within the 2 ft of depth or 6 Ac of run-off thread . .
There were preparations for bottomscaping and fish structure. Bottomscaping is top priority; you only get one chance before the water backs up. Check out the "Bottomscaping Question" thread and twist your dozer operator's arm to "do it YOUR way". Like icing on the cake, the next step is enhancing the bottomscaping with structure. We shared ideas about using tires on the "What Size Tires?" thread . We also prepared for long-term PVC tree structure along with their final placement with the tires within the pond basin on the "PVC Trees; More fun than Christmas?" thread . Small fish and fingerling cribs were built and installed on the "Yo! Check out my new Crib" thread . There was consideration for wooden pallets, as discussed on the Wooden Pallets thread ; the jury is still out on pallets, except perhaps to kick-start the forage base by providing a place to stick the eggs. Past that, tho, we are leaning toward "long term" structure selections. Better hurry up and mark the location of all this underwater stuff; follow the scramble to install Floating Location Markers .
When we finally got prepared to start digging the pond, I had one major concern for the dam construction. This thread is excellent discussion on CORING A DAM or CUTTING A KEYWAY FOR A DAM. This was addressed on the Healer, Heal Thyself thread .
During excavation of a couple of very deep holes, we took on seepage that generated concern for watertight integrity. The details can be found on the "Groundwater; Signpost to Disaster?" thread .
Another "chock full" thread discussion related to pond construction manifested in the Principal Spillway Logic thread and follows the actual pond construction with plenty of action pics. An important little detail to dam construction is at the principal spillway pipe. It is documented within the Hooded Inlet thread. .
The excavation is now complete as we shift to the various peripheral details that require attention. The long wait that is controlled by precipitation will be followed on the Pond Growth Pictorial Scrapbook thread . I gotta try to stay ahead of the pond-curve, so stocking committment preparations are underway in the Help Me Adopt My Fish Family thread. . 2007 is gonna be another busy year as we get back to developing the bare areas surrounding the pond with eco-friendly vegetation. We have elected to join forces with our NRCS office and use funding provided by the government. The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program progress will be followed within the W.H.I.P. Development thread . Share dreams and accomplishments as the PB forum members volunteer pics of human habitat; everything from piers to palaces on the Human Habitat; Dreaming Out Loud thread.
Well, it's been a little over a year since pond excavation was completed and I have decided that I am unhappy with the lack of vegetation protection and the subsequent erosion at the dam. We are doing some touch-up on the Pay Me Now...or Pay Me Later thread.
Having put a little over 4 years behind us on our dream development, we finally embark on construction of a pond home.
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...OK, time for a break; my fingers are tired. As noted, this will take awhile...see ya sooner than later.
Brettski

Great post Brettski! I'm a fairly new member so I didn't see those posts that you linked when the orginally happened. I thoroughly enjoyed both your post and the links. I looked forward to ....

"Chasing a dream Part 2"

Brettski :

Thanks for starting the much anticipated compilation thread. If I can help find something let me know.

Welcome to the millennium club. And BTW well done !!

It was fun --


"Bob, grab ahold o' Shorty's melon...Quit squirmin' Mutton-head....before Debbie starts thinkin' the Condello practice is run by a stooge..."

Congrats on the millenium club, Brett(ski). Your chronicle of the sculpting and nurturing of the pond basin; the building and placement of added features is a testiment to your and Mrs. Ski's hard work and dedication to a magnificent setting. Now go get some fatheads.

Hey Brettski,

Thanks for sharing so much information. Our timing has been similar in our pond building and I've learned a great many things from you!!!

I look forward to your further posts on stocking and managing you pond.

Here's to the next thousand posts!!!!
Eddie

B-ski. This is great. Let me do the honor of archiving it when you feel the original post is completed. I'll probably cut and paste the text in the form of an archived "Building a pond from scratch and all the trimmings" post.

Thank goodness I didn't have all this information seven years ago. I'd be broke.

Either that or Nebraska would have the best, most expensive teeth per capita in the world.

P.S. More good work, Brettski.

Quite an accomplishment, congradulations on pond and prose.