Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Pond questions

4 years ago me and a friend of mine dug a pond on my property. He works for an excavator with no pond experience. I rented an excavator and he ran it. It is 75' wide and 125' long and about 10' deep. It never has held water. I even filled it with a tanker truck and it leaked down in about a months time. It is mostly clay but I know in the deepest part we hit sand, thats were I think it is leaking. I didnt know about this site at the time, after reading and buying the book I want to "fix" my pond. First problem we have a 2-1 slope were the pond has a severe drop as you walk into the pond with the exception of one area were I was going to have a beach. I also never packed the soil after we were done. I am looking for advise on what to do next. I am like unclear on what a "keyway" at the bottom of the pond is. I know we did't put on in, should have? see photos

I think that you need to identify where the pond is leaking from. Since the pond drains down, your source water needs to come from run-off (watershed) or a well (or other pumped-in source). Therefore, the bottom must be sealed up like a tub (no gaps to a permeable soil layer). You need a continues liner of water-impermeable material. If you take soil samples from various areas around your pond bottom and submerged sides, then you should be able to determine how much of the area is suitable for holding water, or if the whole bottom needs to be lined. The permeable area can be lined with compacted clay, or the whole pond area could be lined with a synthetic liner. If you have the budget, you may be best to call in an experienced pond builder to suggest your most cost-effective solution. A best-case would be that only the deep hole needs to be sealed (and joined to the rest of an existing impermeable lining).

..... and don't worry about coring the dam(keyway) you have read about. Your pond is dug, no need for a dam, or so it appears that way to me. Concentrate on what RAH says with lining/compacting.

What's your ultimate goal? Fish, swim, nature watering hole?

I would like to be able to swim in it and I may add fish later. I pumped it dry last summer and where it is holding water it was the blueish type of clay that if you step in it you sick up to your knees. I think I will dig it out a bit and set clay aside and line it like suggested. the side have a lot of stone in it and I think thats were I am leaking. I also need to tapper the shore line a bit.