I am in the process of buying a lot to build a home on (about 14 acres). I would like to build a small fishing pond (1/4-1/2 acre) as well. The lot is about 350 feet wide and over 1800 feet deep (outlined in orange on the map). The front 1200 feet of the lot slopes towards the road (about a 100 foot drop in elevation). I was wondering if it is remotely possible to place a pond in one of the two sites indicated on the map. The pond would be filled with runoff (if possible) or well water. Thanks for any guidance you can provide!
Last edited by steel1975; 05/23/1212:12 PM. Reason: changed pic
You'd get more runoff if it was situated in the center of the draw. It would also be less expensive to make a dam across the narrow end of the pond rather than the long end. With the ponds located where proposed, you might have to have a dam along both the long and short end - sort of "L" shaped.
Whether it'd work or not all depends on the soil type.
It's best to have the whole pond situated on your property, even at "100 year flood" levels.
Makes a lot of sense now that you mention it. Thanks. Is it possible that there would not need to be a very large dam if the pond is built in an area that has a very slight slope?
That would depend on how deep the pond needs to be, and the amount of slope. You could possibly excavate some of the sloped area to get more depth, but make sure to tie in the dam core to good water holding soil.
Damming a ravine is cheaper than excavating a pond.
Just double/triple check any contractor references and actually go look at some of the ponds that they've done. I can't put a number on how many guys just move dirt vs how many actually know how to build a pond, but I'd be willing to guess it's greater than 10:1. Basically anybody can dig a hole in the ground, but it takes knowledge and the right equipment to dig a hole that will hold water.
