Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Site problem

I need some advice and am hoping that some of you experts out there can help.

My wife and I are shopping for properties. We found a small acreage that we both like, my wife for the house and me for the potential pond site. The problem is that a large portion of the site where I envisioned excavating the pond is taken up by the septic tank and drainfield. There are not many other spots to put the pond. I am considering reducing the size of the pond to fit the original site, but the space is tight and excavating a pond below the septic system seems like a very bad idea - talk about "off" flavors! I would greatly appreciate any thoughts regarding how far the pond would need to be set back from the drainfield to make this work.

If it helps, the soils are sandy and the pond would be lined with bentonite. Thanks in advance for any responses.

jnapier - In Ohio, pond has to be 50 ft away in clay soils; no doubt farther in looser soils. Your local health Dept. will have the rules. You will need Good Luck in getting a good seal in those soils even with betonite. Betonite needs some percentage of clay in the existing soil to work properly. Once the upper pond margins dry in drought conditions and the upper walls crack, the cracks tend to be ongoing; never reseal very good esp in thinner bentonite applications. Consider exploring other properties if you have to have a pond.

Thank you Bill. I will check with the health department. If the septic situation looks like it will work I will then have a professional check the soil to see whether it contains enough clay for a successful bentonite application.

jnapier,

Like Bill said, check with the local health department. The regs for my county is 100' from the septic.

As a side note concerning properties and ponds, here is something to keep in the back of your tacklebox. My property is located outside the town water district. Shortly after digging my pond, the yearly renewal notice for my homeowners insurance arrives in the mail. GREAT........the contractor is holding me upside down by one leg looking for coin and now the insurance company clamps on the other to shake me down for the remainder. Now I know how Don King gets his haircuts.

To try and recoup some legal tender, I visit my insurance agent to see if having a water source in the backyard, in case of fire, would qualify me for a discount. She starts laughing, hands me a complimentary hair brush and tube of hair gel then proceeds to politely explain that unfortunately, the insurance company views a pond as a LIABILITY. And for the cherry on top, she states that the pond should be fenced. Their take is its nothing more than a big inground pool. I can't wait till the assessor gets wind that I have a pond.

-Russ

Russ,

Thanks for the dose of reality and the good points. I knew the excavation and bentonite would be expensive, but hadn't given much thought regarding the insurance and property tax consequences. Safety is an absolute priority as well, so I had been thinking about fencing options or designing the pond with a safety shelf of shallow water (which will probably give me a good start on the aquatic weed garden I hope to avoid). Sounds like I had better start filling the piggy bank and considering other properties.

jnapier,

Please don't take my last post as an attempt to shy you away from putting in a pond. Just the opposite.......besides, Mark needs the subscription money .

Fortunately I live on a dead end lane with a handful of neighbors. My pond is not fenced but I have two simple rules. (1) None of the neighbors children are allowed at the pond, be it for fishing, catching frogs, ice skating or whatever unless an adult is with them. We all know accidents can happen, so you try to take as many precautions as possible. (2) No one is allowed to tell bigger fish stories than me.

On the issue of ponds and property taxes, I honestly do not know what effect, if any, my pond will have on my assessment. Perhaps some other PB members can shed some light on this topic. Good luck in your property search.

Russ

Russ,

Don't worry, the "dream" is still alive. I just appreciate the input on the potential hit to my pocketbook so I can budget accordingly. It looks like the September/October issue will have an article on pond construction that I am anxious to read.

P.S. Pond or not, Mark will continue to receive my subscription - PB is a great read.

Sorry, I'm trying to figure out how to use this forum. I would recommend you avoid locating the pond where treated septic tank drainage could enter. The nutrients could cause problems with nuisance vegetation and potential pathogens must be considered.

As for sealing the pond, I suggest you investigate: www.seepagecontrol.com. I've never used the product and can't recommend it, but it is interesting and may be worthwhile to you.

Good luck.

Johnny,

Thank you for the link. The product looks interesting and I will definitely keep it in mind.

jnapier - Chemical Pond Sealers. My experience with all the chemical pond sealers is they often work okay until a drought period then when the water goes down and the soil/seal dries and cracks the seal is lost. If you can keep the pond real full all the time then you have a chance of keeping a seal.

Bill, That makes sense. Step #10 in applying the chemical seal is to keep it moist until the pond fills - so water fluctuation would not be good. As usual, thanks for your insight.

BTW - the local health department requires 100 ft septic setback. We are pursuing some other options.

jnapier - I'm not sure I made myself clear in the 25 Sept post. Keeping the soil moist not only applies to chemical application during construction and filling but even AFTER the pond is full. Water fluctuation ANY time will cause cracking of the exposed banks and the thin seal will be lost above the low water point. Chemical sealer companies assume you will keep the pond brimming full and usually don't open that can of worms of drought conditions then refilling. The evaporation, then cracking and resultant leaking when refilled was the problem in the pond where I used the chemcial sealers.

Bill,

Yes - your messages are clear and very helpful. Thanks for following up to make sure I understood your point.