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Still in the design stage of my pond project. Building in south Carolina and finding very little activity on this site from residents here. Wondering if someone could comment, clarify, explain, what is meant by this document that I found on pond construction and management on the SC DNR website. I'll try to attach link and type up the excerpt:

pondconst

'The ideal depth of a pond is 6-8 feet. Most biological production occurs near the water surface and water deeper than 8 feet is of little value as fish habitat. Very deep water(>10') may even create conditions that lead to oxygen depletions and fish kills during the summer. About 25% of the pond's area should be allotted to shallow habitat, between three and four feet.'

I must admit that reading some folks on here with ponds 25', 30' or deeper seems excessive to me but then again that may be necessary depending on where the pond is and what the goals are for it.

I have talked to two pond builders but didn't get far in the discussion other than they offered to come look at the property once it's bought(offer put in and awaiting word from realtor). My research and my instinct tells me I want a pond in the 15-20 max depth. The surface area I'm shooting for is in the 2-3 acre range as the lay of the land and budget allows. What I'm anticipating once I bring pond contractors in is that they will question my desire for a pond deeper than(gasp!) the DNR recommends. Wait til I tell them I want a siphon overflow and not a standard metal stand pipe. I hate to knock my state but I would estimate that a vast majority of ponds here are built by dirt pushers and not experienced pond builders.

So how do I determine what depths I should be shooting for for a pond in SC? Thanks to this site I have been researching aerators and will try to swing a setup if not at construction within a year or two after. I also read about the trick to lower the water levels 3-4 feet during the winter to cut back on the shallow water vegetation so I'd like to be able to do that as necessary. Both of these variables will either allow or require water deeper than 8 feet in my opinion.

That brings up my final question; can anyone recommend a really good pond builder that does work in Kershaw County, SC?

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So far your understanding of pond design seems good. Ponds at 6-8ft will be weed proliferation zones - constantly resulting in some sort of problem. I assume the SCDNR website recommends fertilizing which if done properly(very difficult) will have phytoplankton shading the water and reducing FA and submerged weeds. Annual fertilzation and maintaining it can be quite tricky. Note that annual fertilization increases rate of eutrophication and hastens the need to rebuild the pond. Average depth and abundant shallow water also have a big part of the frequency of pond rebuilds - clean-outs.

Your pond depth will a lot be determined by location and size-depth of the ravine or valley being dammed. A good builder or dirt engineer will provide insight into this. Remember shallow water (4ft and less) is your big enemy for creating weed problems. Weed problems will be prevalent in all shallow areas if you water is clear 5-8ft(visibility). Clear water tends to be prevalent in areas with acidic or leaches soils. Maybe visit some local ponds. Pond owners love to talk about their pond. Google search your area for pond locations.

If you are going to aerate, then 14-16 ft is an adequate depth - deeper is okay. A good pond builder will better be able to assess maximum depth at the dam. SC DNR assumes no aeration thus 6'-8'.

A Deeper pond than 18ft will require a higher pressure rocking piston pump/s. Also larger ponds need up-sized aeration systems designed to produce adequate turnovers / circulations each day.

State Soil and Water Conservation District may have a list of regional pond builders. Remember a bigger pond goes "bad" (water quality, plankton to sediment) slower but it is a lot harder to fix and more expensive to bring it back to good condition compared to a smaller pond.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/10/17 05:28 PM.

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Thank you for the insight. Your comments got me thinking about the pond site I have in mind. If a dam was just thrown up at the location I have in mind I'd have about 8 ft of water depth. I had anticipated asking for somewhere around 8 feet of dirt to be excavated to get the depth I wanted. However that would only result in 8ft from the top of the dam and the ground level behind it. Why that's important is because I want to put in a siphon and as I understand it I want 4ft additional height behind the dam as is in the water. I would only be able to put the siphon 4ft deep in the water making it much less effective at removing the low quality water at the bottom of the pond. That's something I've got to figure out I guess.

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I am pretty sure I understand what you are getting at with the siphon only being able to work effectively to take down 4' of the water level in your proposed idea. However, I think you can extend the intake side of the siphon all the way down to the bottom and take out the worse water. It's just that the siphon will stop working when you get to 4' lower. That would only matter if you want to drain the whole pond. The siphon should actually incorporate a siphon break at the water level you want to maintain on a regular basis.

Perhaps I am wrong in my assumption that the pipe can go to the deepest part of the pond. If I am, hopefully someone will chime in.

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I believe Fish n chips is right on with siphon intake at the bottom. Secondly, in most ponds the shallow water will fill in with weeds, and that's where the fish will be. I think of deeper water as a place to aerate your water and keep it clean. Shallow water with weeds can easily become low in DO. I learned the hard way that weeds to the surface will keep the wind from moving the water surface which naturally aerates it. Even aeration will be limited by weed growth. You need deeper open water to keep your pond healthy. I would go deeper than 8 feet in a good portion of the pond for sure, remember the pond begins filling in the day you stop digging it.

Shallow ponds are best for wildlife in general, but necessarily for fish. The DNR favors shallower ponds for that reason.

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Hi Jonse my name is James Holt. Most of my experience has been the hard way of failures. I live in Texas where we periodically have years of drought. About three years ago we ended a fifty-year drought that lowered my big pond by about four feet and many of the area lakes were as much as ten feet low. You may not have drought as often where you live but it is something to consider when deciding how deep your pond is going to be unless you have a well to keep it full during drought. Another thing to consider is that metal eventually rusts! Mike Otto said he never uses metal anymore for his ponds because its just a matter of time before it gets a hole in it and drains your pond. Mine got a hole in it and drained my pond after only ten years. The next thing to consider is that the deeper the pond is the clearer the water will tend to be. Its very difficult to keep a shallow body of water from being constantly stirred up by the waves washing up mud from the bottom. However, you do need some shallow water for food production and spawning. Rocks and gravel are really good if you can get them to put in the shallow areas to keep the bottom from being stirred and add habitat. I have a lot of shallow areas in my pond and am constantly adding gypsum each year. There is an entire section on the forum about clearing your pond and anything you can do during construction is easier than afterwards.

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That all sounds like great advice James. Thanks for sharing. Since I haven't gotten into the details with any pond builders out here yet I'm wondering if everyone is still strictly using metal for their water level control systems. SC always seems to be a little behind the times. I wish some SC pond owners would chime in with their experiences.

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Drain pipe will rust at the same in all states. Pretty quickly and it will be expensive and a headache to repair! Stay with PVC or some form of plastic.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/16/17 02:11 PM.

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