Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Getting there

I though you would like to see the progress of our pond.

This is after 4 weeks of filling with our hand dug framers well. So far there have been no signs of leaking. Only time will tell for sure.I've been using a sprinkler to fill the pond, to keep the sides wet and not over tax the well.


The rocks I’ve brought from other parts of the property. We put in a field when we first bought the place and excavated this stones that were hidden away under a large pine tree. I plan on sliding them down the bank when the pond freezes over this winter to complete the rocky bank coverage.

That's a lot of work, scruffy. Neat how the biggest rocks you want to move around (at least partially by hand) are the same size everywhere. I think you may have more of them in New England.

Looks good Scruffy, you are gonna have a nice pond!

Being a city boy I have never heard the term "framers well" what does that mean?

Jeff,
In this part of the country a "framers well" is a hand dug well lined with field stone and capped with a cover. It was the original well for our house, which was built in 1906. It was used until 1967 when a casing well was dug to supply water to the house. The casing well is supposed to have better protection from becoming contaminated?

We have used the well to water the lawns and gardens during the summer months. The well is 16 feet deep and about 6 feet in diameter and is usually filled to within 4 feet of the surface.
Now it has become my pond water supply at least untill the fall/ winter rains come.

Very interesting Scruffy, thanks for the education! Now all I have to do is slip the word into a casual conversation so people think I know what I'm talking about. Something like.... Hey DIED is that a framers well over there or a bear pit? .... Maybe I need to work on that some more, heck I don't even know what a bear pit looks like. Dang this country stuff is harder than I figured it would be.

As you saying that your house was built in 1906 Scruffy?

Jeff,
Yup, the house was built in 1906, a Victorian farm house. Opps, there goes the dyslexia again. I wanted to said a “farmers” well sorry for the mis spellings.
Theo,
There are much lager rocks on the property only the Kabota can’t handle them. A couple of stones were moved with the bucket and chain and a balancing act on the front tires.
I’ll be rolling the larger stones in place once the ground freezes.

I've got some big rocks that I will drag into position to mark significant spots at my new pond in a year or two, after I get some good sod established around it. I can't pick them up and if I drug (dragged? gedrudgeoned???) them right now I'd mess up a whole bunch of fresh grass. So I'll mark the positions with T-posts before the pond fills and get the rocks there later.