While I’ve used polymers with great success sealing ponds I harbor issues with that video - namely, they are FAR exceeding the recommended application amount to affect a seal. So while it looks compelling it's just not an accurate representation of the polymer ability. I can explain further - give me a call 402.730.4897 or drop on email anytime at tj@hudlandmgmt.com.

My primary job for the past 44 yrs has been to stabilize well bores. This included controlling fluid/water losses when drilling sands, fractured formations, and reducing water losses into water absorbing shales and clays. We used polymers and clays(bentonite etc) and corn starch when sealing off these formations. It's my opinion that a combination of both clay along starch works best to reduce fluid/water losses. But I have some concerns when using starch in fresh water ponds. So polymers with clays are most likely be the best way to go. There are several ways it might be applied depending on what the problem might be. I am not trying to step on Tj's recommendation's or to market another product. Fact is I have bought SoilFloc off of Tj to seal off vertical walls in my sediment pond. But here only to pass along a little experience on how to seal off water seepage. Here is a little information. Phillips Petroleum designed a product (polymer) back in the 60's that was used to spread on the ground so when it rained the water would run off and not absorbed into the ground. Or what we call water loss control. This was designed to stop the mud slides in California. This product was adapted to the drilling of wells to reduce water losses which most likely lead to water loss control in ponds.

Thanks Tracy! Very interesting stuff. I really like learning about the evolution of technologies and how they are repurposed for even more benefit.

We moved to our large acreage 30 years ago and the only thing it lacked was a reliable pond. There is a pond dam for about a 1/10 acre pond that drains roughly 15-20 acres of grassland, but nearly every summer it is dry except for a few weeks. One problem is that there is a brown sandstone type rock in the immediate area and also some glacial till. Also I didn't keep up with the trees around the pond site and now there are a couple of dozen 30 year old cottonwoods plus a few of other species. Cutting them down will be one of my major projects this winter. Or if I get inpatient, hire a contractor to come in to get rid of them.

This past summer was one of the wettest on record for our area. Instead of being dry except for a few weeks, the pond had water in it except for a few weeks. A nearby creek was also running good all summer, and the better it runs it seems like the more likely the pond will have some water in it. Full depth to the overflow is maybe 8 feet but the pond loses water pretty fast down to the ring of cottonwoods at about 4 foot of depth. The banks are not eroded, there is a sediment pond uphill, and the bottom does not have a lot of sediment load in it.

I'm not expecting to ever have a fishing pond, but am willing to experiment with SoilFloc to see if it can keep several feet of water in it most years. Depending on how much chainsaw work I do there this winter, the plan is to throw in some SoilFloc from shore this Spring when it's at the 4 foot depth, then followup with another application from shore when it's closer to the overflow depth.

Wish me luck!

Hey Husker!

Feel free to reach out anytime as I’ve worked on hundreds of polymer projects and am happy to help in any way I can. I can also get my Pond Boss family a discount on the polymer.

Tj@hudlandmgmt.com

In respect of polymer flocs for ponds, it would be great to have a product that also held the sunken muck. leaves, etc in place or otherwise prevented re-entrainment in the water column. Ideally, it would still allow bacteria and enzymes access to the organic material.