Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Help for a newbie planning a small pond

I am new here and appreciate all the great information--thanks everyone. We are planning to build a 1/2 acre pond on our property in the mountains of north eastern West Virginia and I have a few questions to get us started. Background info: Our land is not flat and the pond will be located in a sloping downward hollow--we will be utilizing the valley walls to some extent to act as side walls of pond and building a dam on the low end (30' to 36' foot base, 15'18' high, and 15' wide at top of dam). A seasonal stream running down the valley will feed our pond. To reduce debris entering the pond we plan on building a catch basin above which will enter the pond as a small (4ft) waterfall.

Questions:
1. Do the experts think we should do more than just lay gravel on the bottom of the inlet stream, and rip rap to collect debris as the water flows through catch basis entry to pond?

2. How important is it to lay pipe on the bottom to drain the pond? Beyond this, what are the advantages of using the Agri-Drain systems? Would anyone recommend not using any of this and just letting the culvert pipe (on one side of dam) and rip rap with concrete spillway (on the other side) to control naturally the water levels?

Our seasonal stream runs pretty strong in the spring (right now it is running a ton of water); but it also dries up to a little trickle during August.

Any advice anyone might have for me is greatly appreciated as we are brand new to this whole world of knowledge--and plan on spending hours reading others posts and learning as much as we can before we start--one thing we have learned here is that it is better to plan for all problems before you start construction--and that is what we are now trying to do. Thanks!

-Newbie from WV

Having found this forum, Hollow, you are well on your way to a productive pond. I believe the experts are going to want to know what your goals are for this pond. Looking forward to seeing what they have to say so I'm just going to sit back and watch.

Yes Omaha, good point on the goals! We want to be able to:
-fish (would love to get some trout, but know how difficult this can be; bass is fine too)
-swim (it gets HOT in the summer! kids want to float and splash around)
-generally enjoy the beauty of the pond--eventually we will build a cabin over looking the pond on a flat area halfway up the hollow. -attract wildlife, we love to watch the deer, turkey, and birds.

Sounds like it's going to be a beautiful place. We like pictures around here so please share as your project takes off.

Glad to have you hollowpondwv. Looks to me like your choice of locations could be a beautiful spot. It also could be a nightmare if you do not get a really good dirt man. I'm no expert but my nose says you could get into a heap of trouble if your not careful in the execution stage of this project. I'm sure the "ton o' water" you are talking about can be twice that much when you least expect it to. I suggest you get many different local "expert" dirt movers opinions. Share them with otto and the like here on the forums then make a decision on which company is the right one for you.

Welcome to PB forum hollowpondwv, your pond sounds alot like mine, in the mountains, built in a gully with the ends dammed up and water supplied by a stream, except I use gravity feed pipes from the stream.
Have you checked to see what kind of fish are in the stream?
The first year you might want to put in forage fish like fatheads and golden shiners, and keep track of water temps at 5 or 6 ft.
Hang on for info from the dirt experts.

Hollowpond, looks like you and Catmandoo are not too distant neighbors... Welcome to the forum!

I suspect you would struggle to keep trout year round in your pond, however like many of us you could stock them in the fall and fish them out by May or June when the water gets too warm and they die.

Depending on what type of fishing your family enjoys, you can get some non conventional stocking ideas that would be different than just your every day LMB/BG pond. I think you may enjoy something different...

My family's hunting land in south central PA has a couple of hollows that sound very similar to yours. We've talked about constructing a pond in much the same way you describe, so I look forward to hearing what the dirt moving experts have to say about your project. If you find a trustworthy and quality dirt mover with pond building experience please pass that info on to me. You're not too far from our land in south central PA and the pickings are slim in that area when it comes to experienced dirt movers in the pond building department.

From a fellow West Virginian, welcome, HollowPond! Great to have you on the forum. That's at least 3 of us now with Catmandoo in the Romney area and me in Clarksburg.

Sounds like a great project you've got lined up and you've certainly gotten some good advice on things to consider and carefully plan out before you start construction. I'll be very interested in reading about who you find for dirt work as our resources seem to be a little limited here.

As you've been told already, we do love pics, so be sure to get some before shots and let us all see where your dream is going to come to life!

Again, welcome! Great to have you here!

Hollowpond,

First, welcome to PB. We're starting to get more and more of us in this area -- Virginia, West Virginia, and Southern PA. I'm actually over in the Capon Bridge area.

Your planned description sounds a lot like my present pond. I've put in two settling ponds above mine, and I've encouraged a wetlands area. It stays pretty clean and full.

I do know a couple of real good dirt movers who I would trust. I'll send you a PM with their contact info. They've put in lots of ponds, but I don't consider either of them pond experts. The nice thing is that both are willing to work with people, and they know the local area well.

One of the nice things about this part of WV is that it isn't too difficult to make a pond that will hold water. Even during droughts, we get enough water to keep ponds full.

A good pond should be more than just a bowl shaped hole in the ground. It should have spawning areas. It needs cover. It needs a good emergency spillway. It needs the right kind of slopes to keep the weeds down, but not so steep that it is dangerous. Many other factors need to be considered too.

I'm a little short on time in the next couple of days. Maybe somebody can help by posting links to some of the really good pond building threads. One that comes to mind is the new pond that Theo Gallus put in two seasons ago. Lots of good ideas, and lots of photos. I can't remember if our friend "Mongo" posted some of his projects, or if they were in the magazine, and presented at our conferences. Mongo builds fantastic ponds.

If you haven't contacted Dr. Ken Semmens at the WVU Extension Service, you need to meet him. He knows more about West Virginia ponds than anybody, and he is great to work with. He knows all the right people involved in WV ponds, and he can get you lined up with all the best people. He comes to our area somewhat frequently, as he has a number of projects over at the Reyman Research Center in Wardensville.

Dr. Ken has lots of good stuff posted on these websites:

WVU Aquaculture Extension Service
WV Aquaculture Extension

Bob Lusk's and Mike Otto's books are probably the very best place to start. See Pond Boss Books. I'd strongly recommend starting with "PERFECT POND...WANT ONE?"

Mike's website is at Otto's Dirt Service.

This site is owned by Bob Lusk and Mike Otto. Bob is probably the nation's best private-waters consultant. Mike is probably the best pond builder.

Enough for now.

Again, welcome.

Ken G.

Great post Ken...

Good words to us all. I wish I had found Pond Boss before I tried to renovate my pond. I think I would have saved a lot of time, effort and money. It actually pays do it right the first time instead of you paying again to do it right the second time.

Hollowpond, welcome to PB. Ken G is a great resource as long as you don't try any of his edibles(?).

There is a lot of difference in building a hole in the ground to water cows and a home for fish. It's an entirely different thought process and most dozer drivers don't think like we do. No matter what you do, you'll find something that you wish you had done differently. We can help you with most of that.

Thanks everyone--what a group of supportive people! I would LOVE to read anything and everything that is out there so keep the links coming!

Catmandoo--I feel like maybe some of my research is paying off because I have already spoken to Dr. Semmens--actually his facility in Wardensville is right on the way to our land; so we visited there last summer; seen his pond on the facility and that is where we learned how important it is to lay pipe on the bottom to control water level. In fact, he told us that he thinks that is the #1 big mistake many people make--not laying this pipe. We also toured his aqua culture facility and loved seeing all the fish. His research is very cool!

We still have so much to learn though. I would love it if people might want to list their top couple 1)things to do, and 2)things not to do...

And last, if we use the agri-drain inland water control system--do we still need a culvert pipe on one side of the dam, and spillway on the other? Or would the spillway be enough?

Thanks everyone!

Welcome to the forum. You are on the right path.

Do as much homework as you can before you spend any money on the dirt guy.

Well it's been a year since my original post and we are now ready to start the building process!! We interviewed three dirt guys and went with the one recommended by catmando (even though he was the highest price, he knows about pond building vs. just moving dirt). We plan on attending the upcoming conference and hope to be able to talk with many experts to fine tune our plans. We will post pictures of the project once it gets underway. Hopefully will begin mid-April. Can never get too much advice, so don't hesitate to direct us...thanks!!

Can't wait to watch it develop.

cant wait to see the progress. all the guys on PB have great advice.good luck and have fun

I'd like to hear Hollow's reviews of the PB conference if he attended.