Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Leak repair?

So we found a leak in our pond that we didn't know we really had. When we built the pond it was super dry and we never need to pump any water even digging the pond 16 feet deep. It was so dry that at some point we dug through an old 4" clay drain tile.

After some interesting things happening we managed to find the drain tile that was leaking our pond down. A week ago we dug up 25 feet of this tile and plugged it with a large rubber plug on both ends. I hand dug back after we had the tile open to a full tile and placed the plug in the next tile with undisturbed dirt around it.

Three days later the water pressure is now working its way up through the joints in the clay tile to the surface of the pond bank. This is about 30 feet from the pond with about 3 feet of elevation on the surface and the tile is 4 feet down. The water is pushing out on the surface at the level of the pond at full pool.

The leak is now at about half the rate is was. I don't think the leak is going to slow down even with a couple years of settling. The pressure has found a way out and will keep using it.

My thoughts are to dig through the tile in two more spots. Right on top of the pond bank and dig through the tile about 20 feet from the top of the pond bank. Digging after we let the pond go down as low as it can go naturally before we try digging. My thoughts are that the hole will fill to the ponds level as soon as we break through the tile. Digging through the tile at 20 feet down stream to make an outlet for the water letting the level drop after dropping in heavy clay as a plug.

The thoughts are that we cut through and plug the tile with two clay plugs with the hope these will help slow or stop the leak farther down stream allowing us to have our full pool level were we would like.

Anyone have any other thoughts? I would plug the tile with a can of spray foam but the water pressure will not allow me to. Is my thoughts on digging two more holes and packing them to plug the tile sound? If I can plug the tile next to the pond with another rubber stopped I will too but I do not want to make the hole to big next to the pond nor get into it.

Cheers Don.