All great info.
When I talked to one of the reps for the product, they assured me that the material does bio-degrade over time, but it also captures minute particles out of the water during the sealing process and brings them along to form the seal. When the material finally disappears after a few years, a natural plug )not quite as good as the polymer plus particles) will remain. The thinking was if the leak is still a problem, re-apply again and more natural material is brought in.
My thinking has been that my pond filled very quickly before the dam had a chance to settle, preventing the soil from compacting under its own weight. This buoyancy allowed water to perc through the dam, maintaining the seepage and the buoyancy. If I were to plug the seeps with polymer, the soils of the dam could drain/dry properly in the summer, and then the soil may be able to better compact without water in the way. Not saying it would be tight as a drum, but reduced leakage.
Perhaps my thinking is off, but a lot of leaking dam problems seem to be associated with quick fills.
I am now waiting for the inflow to stop to get a gauge in how much seepage I have this year. If I am still losing an inch a day, I will likely nuke the chara and apply polymer.
