Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site starting the dream

Well, I am back. After a wonderful winter off it was time last weekend to head out to the land and check out the past year's work. Big pile of rock is still there, most of the blue spruces survived and the catfish pond is leaking.

Everybody's nightmare has come to pay me a visit. It is too bad there are no threads here concering leaking ponds (wink).

The backside of the catfish pond about 4 feet high, water is trickling out through the soil. There is still snow in WI so it is hard to tell exactly what is going on. My wife (she is not available) after hearing the news said, "I do not miss the money since it was in the bank so spend what you need to fix it". "You can not spend the kids' college funds or our retirement but do what you need". Now that's a wife!

I do not think it is end of the world but it will just delay everything. I am talking to some people and at this point here are the next steps. Please give ideas...

1. Spring will still be planting. I have 500 shrubs from state of WI arriving soon, another layer of grass seed, re-plant 20 more blue spruces and seed wildflowers.

2. Once May arrives and the soil dies up a bit, I still need to move rock. Rent a track dozer with large bucket to move rock and finish building road and path around the land and the rock pier.

3. Rent a large roller and crush the rock on roads and path.

4. Using the roller, roll and compact the back of dam and catfish levee, (settling and winter have caused some of the problems) level terrain around ponds and roll the banks of both ponds.

5. Later in year when catfish is dried out, rent sheepsfoot roller and re-work basin in both ponds, compacting to proper compaction. The basins are holding fine but as long as I have the roller, we are going to roll everything. I realize there is a limit to how much soil can be compacted (Pinney did a long thread about it, over my head) so I am going to hit that limit. I do not want to do this again next year!

6. Rent a track hoe and skidloader and dig out dirt from the forage pond which has several good veins of clay material still available. Move the dirt to the catfish levee and rebuild the levee from the inside. The banks of the levee are very steep and impossible to roll as they are so I am going to change the grading and add about a foot of clay at the end of the catfish pond. 1 foot X 15 high by 30 long.

7. Buy DB200 and add it to the catfish pond then roll the DB200 with a roller working the levee especially hard. The doctors recommend at least 2 applications so, after rolling, add another layer of clay to the levee and another application of DB200 to the entire pond, then roll it like theres no tomorrow.

The moron with 3 big holes has spoken. What saeth oh experts out there?

talk to you all soon. Have a great time at the Pond Boss Expo, maybe next time for me.