So i have a 1.1 Acre pond that was finished Dec 27th 2016 on that day we started to let it fill. It has made very good progress until about a week ago. The level slowly rised over the course of the last 45 days. For the last week the level has stayed constant it is right at 11" form full pond. before that i would see it rise about a 1" a day. It is fed from a spring and a well @ 10 Gal a min. Do i need to be concerned or should i be patient?
I am not a pond construction person just one that has observed for 40 yrs new ponds that fill with water.
RAH has a good point. IF the springs are below the surface, once water reaches a certain level/height and exerts pressure on in-flowing deeper springs the water pressure can be strong enough to let/push water out instead of in.
When there is a well built and well sealed clay basin pond liner and it is pumped full, it stays full to the overflow pipe for weeks until evaporation starts to reduce the level. They often say that a new pond needs to fill and the water needs to soak up and into the soil to a point the clay fines are pulled into the bottom to reduce seepage. I think this concept primarily applies to pond build in a ravine with a dam. IMO sealed is sealed and I am always suspect when a pond fills and does not stay full or has a problem maintaining water to the overflow especially if rainfall is regular.
IMO your pond is showing seepage into the banks at this depth. To me this indicates inadequate compaction of the last 15"-18" of the sides because it was holding water below this depth. I think water has found a lateral seepage pathway out of your pond at is current depth. Water could be seeping out between layers of soil (lifts) or through some less than optimum clay that lined an area/s of the upper embankments. A common pond construction problem is the contractor gets in a hurry to finish and does not compact the last layers as well as earlier building OR the soil did not contain quite as much good clay as that in the deeper pond walls.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/13/1712:23 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
I guess worse case I can lower my level 10 inches and grade the edges so it doesn't look like there is too much bank. But in the mean time I will be patient . As it hasent rained in few weeks.