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Bill H Offline OP
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Hey guys,
Ok so here is my story, please help. I recently bought 50 acres in Wisconsin. I am hoping to build a pond on this property but I don't know if I will be able to. We plan to build a house near(not too close) where the pond will be and recently had a septic guy out for perc testing. He dug holes in 7 different spots and couldn't find a place that the water didn't fill the hole. The water table seems to be about a foot below the ground and there is a creek within a couple hundred feet of where the pond would be. I would want it to be about 1/4 to 1/2 acre. The soil is sandy as deep as we have dug, sugar sand that I fear will colapse if we dig anything. I am pretty certain that the water table is high enough to keep the pond filled but here are my questions.
1. Do I have to use a liner or concrete blocks to make it deep enough?
2. How wide would it have to be to get to 12 feet deep, or would it just keep collapsing until it filled in?
3. I want to just dig a hole and let it fill up, is that a dumb idea?
4. If it's sand all the way down and it ends up only to be about 5-6 feet deep would it become a cess pool of water or would it still keep some pond life in the summer?
5. I know that if its not over 12 feet deep the fish would die in the winter, but even if it's only 5-6 feet deep then turtles and birds would use it in the summer.
Any help would be great. I don't want to dig a hole and have it be a mosquito pond that gets gross. Please help.
Thanks,
Bill

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Hey Bill,

Welcome to PBF.

FWIW I can offer this bit of advice. I own a water table pond and it has worked out great so far (in year 3 now). Water table level, at least around here, can fluctuate quite a bit over a year. You mention your water table level was about a foot below the surface when you dug the test holes. IMHO, before I spend a whole bunch of money, I would dig a test hole where you want the pond to be and monitor the level over a year's time to see what kind of fluctuation you get.

I would think sandy soil is not necessarily a show stopper. I compensated for the sandy area in my pond by using a very gradual slope of around 4:1 or 5:1.

Again, welcome!

Bill D.

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/22/15 09:47 AM. Reason: Clarification

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Hi Bill. Thanks for the response so quickly. I appreciate your advice. That's good to know for the sandy soil. So if it's a 5:1 slope, does that mean that a 50 foot wide pond, it would be about 10 feet deep?
As far as spending any money, I was just planning to have the builder dig the hole while they are out there. Wouldn't be too much cash out. But do you think it would be a nice pond at only 8-10 feet deep. Or would it get to be stagnant stinky water?
How deep is your pond?
As for the water table, I think it is pretty static. I dug a hole this summer, when it was really dry and the creek was really low and the water was still only 14 inches below the surface. So I am not worried about that part. Just don't think it can get it deep enough for fish in the Wisconsin winter.

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Keep in mind I am not a pro...

I calculate a 50 foot wide pond would only be 5 feet deep at a 5:1 slope and a V shaped bottom. If you wanted a pond 10 feet deep with say a 50 foot wide flat at the bottom, the pond would be 150 feet wide at the surface.

I got by last winter with only 8 feet depth. This summer I added two areas of 12 feet deep water and I am much more comfortable this winter. I am not a pro but IMHO Rule of thumb with a water table pond is "the deeper, the better."

FWIW I recommend aeration to prevent stagnation and "stinky" water.

Hopefully, one of the pros will be along to offer some sage advice.

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/22/15 10:45 AM. Reason: Clarification

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Originally Posted By: Bill H
Just don't think it can get it deep enough for fish in the Wisconsin winter.


Not true. My .62 acre pond here in northern Indiana is only 9 feet deep and I don't have any issues as long as I run aeration with a diffuser in about 3 feet of water. The open water this produces seems to be sufficient.

Our last two winters have been just as bad as what northern Wisconsin normally produces.


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Sand and gravel here.

Been thru a lot of scenarios and just not good without a liner $$$.

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Thanks for all the responses. I really don't want to use an aerator as it would not allow the ice to freeze and be skate able in the winter. I also don't want it to be a smelly pond that becomes a mosquito haven. Sounds like it might be much more than just digging the hole and letting it fill up.

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Bill,

Definitely more to it than just digging a hole.

With respect to aeration, IMHO you could run the aerator during the summer and probably avoid the stagnation issue. There are lots of folks that don't aerate during the winter. If I was going that route, I would stock fish that can handle lower water oxygen levels, like yellow perch, and go ahead and enjoy your skating. Just my 2 cents.

Bill D.

Last edited by Bill D.; 11/22/15 07:25 PM.

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Hmmm. Ok. Thanks for the info.

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How far away from the creek do you think I should be?

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FWIW IMHO I don't think it's a matter of how far you are from the creek as much as what can you do to prevent cross contamination between your pond and the creek. By that I mean, during a high water event, you don't want fish from the pond exiting to the creek and you don't want fish from the creek entering your pond. IMO the best way to do that is a barrier. Assuming you pond level is not going to be dependent on watershed and rely solely on water table, I would just aesthetically build up the shore line, with some of the material being removed during building the pond, to well above flood grade. This could also prevent your perpetually full water table pond from being overflowed by the watershed,in the short term, during a "normal" rain event.

By the way, one downside to a gradual slope shore is that the sun can reach a larger portion of the pond bottom. This can promote vegetation growth.

Please do keep in mind I am not a pro. Just a water table pond owner offering my 2 cents.

Bill D.


Last edited by Bill D.; 11/22/15 09:31 PM. Reason: Clarification

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Originally Posted By: Bill H
How far away from the creek do you think I should be?


I would check if your state has any regulations. In MI it's a minimum of 500' unless you get a permit, then you need a permit every time you stock it.

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I would check your grade height of the water level in the creak and the water table level. If your land is low and you do find clay in the bottom of the hole when building you may need to get out of the hole fast. That clay can hold lots and lots of water back.

I personally would take grade heights make a grade plan with the house in mind and the water level. This is what we did here. The fill you take out from building the pond can give you a nice grade around the new home. Higher is dryer for the new home.

I would dig a test hole as deep as the high hoe can dig 12 feet. Keep the hole open for a year and take water level heights and grade. If you find clay on your way to 12 feet you may have to arrange a over flow first.

Cheers Don.


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Thanks guys. Seems like it's a lot bigger undertaking than I thought. I was hoping I could just dig a hole and it would work, but it sounds way more involved and too costly for me. Guess I will wait a few years and do it right. Thanks.

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Hey Bill,

Perfectly understandable. Ponds are not simple and not cheap from my experience so far. Hope you stick around the forum though and continue to gather tid bits that might help when you are ready to pull the trigger on the pond. On the flip side, never know when your life experience lets you post just the info someone else is looking to get.

Just my 2 cents


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Bill H:

Building a pond is a bit more complicated than just digging a hole in the ground and letting it fill with water.

In your area, being that it is a groundwater high area, the water level in the pond will ebb and flow height wise with the level of the water in the ground.

Sandy soil will tend to slough off and migrate to the deepest part of the pond if the slope is greater than 3:1 (at least around here). Even at that slope, you might have some migration. I'd prefer to have a 4:1 - 6:1 or less slope so that it's easy to walk on. Not saying that you can't make it steeper, you can have it 3:1 but it isn't the easiest thing to walk on. You can have a gentle slope for the sides of the pond that will see the most use, down to maybe 5' water depth then increase it to 3:1 to get the depth needed without having a huge footprint.

The other problem that you will have is digging in the water. If you don't keep the water pumped out of the pond as it's being constructed, getting the bottom contour/slope will be difficult, plus the water will increase the time it takes to build the pond. Every scoop will have water running out of it, which will also wash out sand with it.

Having the creek nearby and having sandy soil might work to your advantage. You might not have the water level fluctuations that the rest of us with groundwater ponds see.


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