Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations bentonite clay and ag lime mix

my new pond is within 9" of being at full pool. i have been pumping water 24/7 for days now and we are getting some rain. however i am still fearing leaks. i have read lots about bentonite broadcasting to help seal a leak. some say it is a waste, others say it works. i was curious if anyone had every added it at the same time as adding ag lime? seems like if bentonite was applied from a barge like most people use to add lime that would be the best way to get good coverage. i have never seen bentonite so i am not sure if it is a heavy solid like lime or not so i dont know if they would separate or sink at close to the same rate. i was thinking that if there was seepage the 2 combined could possibly make a plug.

any thoughts?

How big is the pond? How many gpm are you pumping in?
I have never had any luck treating a pond with water in it. Some luck on a small area along a dam.
You might see what the pond does after it is full. If it goes down then spread it like you said.

Scott, like mike mentioned, broadcast spreading doesn't have much "luck". Having a very good idea where an actual leak is would greatly increase chances of getting a seal. IF I were going to attempt spreading bentonite in a full pool, I would add it before any lime. Combined would at best cause a temporary fix, or at worst, sink slower than the ag lime, covering it, and rendering the ag lime useless to the water column.

I would personally hold off on bentonite and see if I actually suspect a leak. If I were sure there was a leak, then I would be draining the pond and amending bentonite deeply into the basin and compacting it properly.

Edit, on my first personal pond, the original build cost was just under $5000....leak repairs due to extremely dry clay and lack of compaction topped $30,000 to fix.

Betonite is available from very fine power to coated gravel. I concur with advice, continue filling the pond look for leakage or wet spots. Best long term fix would be draining applying bentonite working it into the top layer and compacting with preferably a vibratory sheepsfoot roller. Worst case bentonite would have to be applied to the entire pond bottom. As Rainman mentions fixing a leaky pond can cost more than building it which is why it is very important to choose a well experienced and qualified pond builder who will guarantee his work.

i am running a 2" semi trash pump around the clock. i have a 5 gallon bucket of gas rigged to it. i have a friend that is a well driller. he guesses i am getting 75-100gpm with the pump. i also have a small stream feeding it maybe 20 gallons a minute or even more during these rains. i did have an experienced pond builder with over 100 ponds under his belt. he felt confident the pond would be fine, i am just a little nervous about some rocky areas in the pond. i feel like there may be cracks and crevices that run deep and far. my pond bottom is very irregular with lots of humps and drop off's (which i requested). i was hoping for a super good game fish pond. we also have lots of stumps planted. i think it would be a nightmare to rework the bottom dirt with bentonite even if we did drain it. looks like lake is going to be between 1.75 and 2 acres according to the last google image. i used google earth plus to plot the expected shoreline. google earth plus will give you an area not just a linear dimension.
we have a rainy week ahead of us on and off for the next several days. the pond is rising about 3"s per day with the pump. so we should be full soon.

There is a polymer product designed for just this type of situation. It can be applied at full pool. search here for aquaben.

I tried it. Wasted another bundle of cash. Wound up having to drain, put core in and 18 inch clay liner. Good luck.

I would suggest u not add lime and Bentonite together. The lime causes the Bentonite to flocculate, which causes the clay particles to separate and reduces the clay particals of bonding tight together. And will increase the fluid loss of the bentonite. In some of the forum here it is said lime will help clear the water of a new pond. It's because the lime flocculates the clays an causes them to sink to the bottom.
Tracy

Tracy, I'm not understanding what you are meaning. Hydrated Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) can clear a pond, because it has a positive ionic charge and attracts suspended colloidal (negative ionic charge) clay particles, causing them to clump together and sink. Ag Lime (Calcium Carbonate) is essentially inert and will dissolve and neutralize acids, slowly raising the overall pH along with reducing (buffering) daily pH swings.

I'm not sure either lime, Ag or hydrated would break down the Sodium Bentonite, but it would need to sink anyway to help seal any leak.