We purchased a property in upstate South Carolina with an old watershed pond that had never really filled up. I would say it is 14 years old. The soil has a lot of red clay content with no obvious signs of cracks or holes. At full pool, I would estimate it to be 12 ft deep and shaped in a V, so the water depth decreases quickly toward the end of the pond. I estimate the size to be ¼ acre.
We have been pumping water from the creek to fill it over the last month. On average we pump two to three days per week at 7,000 GPH for roughly 10-12 hours. We are in the process of upgrading our pump system to a 20,000 GPH unit. Currently, we are losing 3-4 inches per day after filling a new area. It does slow down after it leaks down to an area that has been filled for a few weeks.
I would like to hear thoughts on the water loss. I think some of the loss should be attributed to the vegetation and soil absorption. I have read on the forum to give a new pond 6 months to one year before taking drastic measures to correct a leak. There are no signs of water loss through the dam.
