Well... I pretty much gave up on finding the magic leak stop. After talking to Bob, my approach for this year was to control the leaking water and route it where I wanted it by using a toe trench. I was on my 5th phone call setting up estimates when I ran across an old landscaper. After a brief discussion about the job he asked me why I was going to waste so much money on the toe trench when I could simply stop the leak. I then explained about all the 'magic' solutions I've tried and asked him how to stop the leak. He said the solution was hydrated lime and he had used it with success in more than 40 ponds. Most of which didn't have fish prior to the lime application and those that did...well it killed all the fish but fixed the leak.
Now I've learned from this site that hydrated lime will increase the PH and will kill fish. But couldn't it also have an effect on the charge of the soil? I've wondered if somehow that maybe the soil that I'm dealing with is charged and repels the small particles which keep it from sealing. If clay can become polarized in the water can't the same thing occur in the soil?
Would I just be wasting more money by trying the hydrated lime and closely monitoring my PH?
