Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Small farm pond leaking~ need help!

Five years ago we had our pond cleaned out and enlarged- 48'x60'x9' at the deep end. It has been leaking ever since, and now is pretty much dry, except for a few feet of muck at the bottom. We tried putting in about 15 fifty pound bags of Bentonite over the years, with no luck. We have had estimates from a few companies in Northern Virginia to repair it- from $3,000-$12,000!! My husband wants to fill it in. It is a natural spring fed pond, so does get full depending on how much rain/snow we get. Any recommendations?

If you can locate the leak which would likely be on the bottom you could fix it or you could buy a liner but that might defeat thethe purpose of a spring

Thanks for your response. We thought the damn was failing, but now seems like the leak is at the bottom (also?) When the digger guy expanded the pond, he took about two feet of the damn out. The spring flows down a waterfall~ small hill from the springhouse 10-15' elevation above the pond. I read somewhere about bentonite liners, or do you mean a vinyl liner? Very interesting info on this Soilfloc~ wondering if it works on dry, cracked clay sides with a mucky bottom. It's a mess.

So, does it appear that you have another spring in the bottom?

If we do have another spring in the bottom, it's as dry right now as the one from the springhouse. The pond has been drying up faster lately as no decent rains here for a few weeks. I think the cracked clay shell on the top half is from the bentonite we put in~ about an inch or so thick, then underneath appears to be dark soil, not clay.

My thought is that springs are nothing more than aquifers. Depending on the level of the ground water, they both give and take.

Well, the pond held water for nine years before the renovation... I think too much of the dam, or the clay shell bottom, or both, was removed at that time. Just wondering if a huge liner vs. reconstruction would be the least expense wise, or if we could try to do the repair ourselves with bentonite or Soilfloc. Don't mind getting my hands dirty to get some fish back in the pond again.

I've tried bentonite 4 or 5 times and have not been successful. But, I think I would personally try that before a liner.

Do you know if the Soilfloc would work better than bentonite? My husband thinks all our wild animals would shred a liner- deer, black bear... big hooves. The pond is next to the woods, so it gets a lot of traffic. Even now when there's just a froggy mudhole.

Bentoniye, to work effectively, needs to be tilled into at least a foot of the soils, then well compacted with a sheepsfoot roller. Heavy equipment tracks compress less per square inch than a normal refrigerator will.

Soilfloc may be an option for you considering the relatively small size, but depending on pond builders near you, I would expect a "proper" renovation to be in the $3000-$6000 range. A liner would be much more, installed.

Soilfloc treatment would cost less than $400 if your dimensions listed above are accurate - I can also provide a Pond Boss discount. It's designed to work in hydrated, full ponds - bentonite is not designed to be used as such. Expect to pay at least $1/sq ft for liner. Feel free to PM me if you need some help with the sealant, advice from the other guys posted here is based on their personal experience and should be followed.

Thanks for the input, Rainman. We just got some rain, so now it's got fresh water for our critters.

Thanks also, TJ. May try the bentonite on the bottom when it's dried out, and the Soilfloc next spring if the ponds not holding water. Appreciate all the advice!

Till in the bentonite, then compact 3-4 6" lifts of clay with roller.

OK, I follow tilling in the bentonite (although any idea how much, and would you recommend powdered or granulated?) then you lost me...

Anyone know of a pond repair service in Northern Virginia? The pond is just about empty again, think we need professional help... Thanks.

How much would it cost for a 1 acre pond? Mine seems to be leaking under the damn best I can figure out.

Hi JD feel free to pm me I've been helping several forum members on leak projects with great success thus far. Happy to help however I can.

EPDM Liners for Pond leaks and Fish Pond Repair. Pond pro 2000 is a 100% liquid EPDM and 100% compatible to your pond.
Thanks

I spot treated my .6 acre pond with only 1 unit of SoilFloc (under 400$) and my measurements show it has slowed my leak roughly 6000 gallon per day. I'm only 1 month post treatment, but I'm shocked by the results so far. I plan to add 2 more units and see if I can seal my pond up even better.