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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 5
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Hello me and my buddy both recently bough pieces of land from my dad that were both building houses on and he is letting us build a pond on his land between my buddy and Is lots. This land is near Opelousas Louisiana about 30 miles north of Lafayette. It was all wooded land that we cleared. We have started to build a pond which is gonna end up being about 1 acre. We have the basic shape dug out down about 5 to 7 ft deep so far. We are a little worried that the clay content of the soil will give us trouble getting pond to seal. Tried posting a pic of core sample report but not having much luck. Basically it says
0 to 12" silt loam. 12% clay. ML
12 to 25" Loam. 12% clay ML
25 to 38" Silty Clay 45% clay CL-CH
38 to 58" silt loam 15% clay CL-ML
58 to 78" clay 60% clay CH
78 to 88" silty clay loam 28% clay CL

So is our pond gonna hold water? What do you guys think? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Neither of us have built a pond before so I'm trying to learn as I go here. Were getting a lot of rain this winter so digging has been slow so far. We have access to a large excavator and a very large bulldozer. The basic outline of the pond is basically done and we've dug about 8 ft down in part of pond and about 4 in the other. Seems like were hitting good clay.

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Can you take the clay soil that you are running into and with the proper moisture content roll it into a shape like a pencil in your hand and have it hold together?

If so, stockpile that clay, and dig the pond 24" deeper than finished depth. Use a sheepsfoot roller to roll the bottom until the sheepsfoot starts to walk up out of the clay, add a 6"-8" layer of clay, roll it again until it starts to walk up. REpeat until you have 24" clay knitted together in the bottom of the pond all the way up to and slightly past the high water line.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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Thanks for the info. I tested the clay like you suggested and it definitely can easily hold a shape. We have a local dirt guy who we are giving dirt to in exchange for him digging and hauling out dirt. He suggested scraping around the bank with the dozer so it’s basically a vertical wall down th the clay layer. Then piling clay from the middle all around the bank to create a slope. Would you agree with this? My buddy can borrow a pull behind sheepsfoot roller that we should be able to pull with the dozer. Would that work to pack down the clay good enough you think if we create our slope like he suggested?

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Here are some pics to give you an idea of what we have so far. Thank you for any advice anybody can give.

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IMG_0187.JPG IMG_0184.JPG IMG_0182.JPG
Last edited by bellojiafra; 12/26/19 09:23 AM.
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That should work. Make sure the ground is well compacted and remember that you can't compact more than 6" or so at one time so you will have to make a few layers and knit them together with the sheepsfoot. Slope the banks no more than 3:1 if you plan on mowing to the waters' edge. Fish don't like to spawn on very steep slopes so where you think they will spawn make it 4:1 to 6:1. If you can put a 4"-6" layer of pea gravel in the spawning areas that will entice them to use those areas.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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Hey Bello,

I'm in same area as you (Carencro) and had very similar concerns when starting out. From your test results and pics it looks like we have the same soil type. Who tested your soil? Was it Louisiana testing? I did a 15' bore test with them and we can compare soil results if you'd like. My soil was described as silty clay. My pond did not end up holding water sufficiently and I'm currently researching various solutions. Its extremely important to get proper compaction so make sure you and your dirt contractor are on the same page in this regard. Knowing what I know now, I am certain my dirt contractor did not do a proper job of compacting the soil.

Last edited by JBM; 01/24/20 10:14 AM.

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