Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Do I need a roller in clay/sand

Would like to build a 1 acre tank in sandy clay soil.The builder does not have a sheep foot roller,i believe thats what they are called.He has been building tanks in southtexas for many years and says he compacts it with with dozer.I read some where that a dozer wouldnt compact the clay. Any advice? I have some small tanks on ranch already that hold H20.

Thanks Rick

Rickro,

I've built two ponds now in East Texas with only a small dozer and both hold water just fine. We make many passes with the dozer over the clay in the dam to compact it as we go along and also are careful to ensure there is some moisture in the clay when packing. Two ponds certainly aren't statistically significant to say that this technique works, but it worked for me.

I should have added.....its critical that you have good clay and not overly sandy clay...no technique will work if the soil is too sandy to compact.

I would rather have a sheepsfoot roller but if he really works at packing, the dozer should do just fine.

I have an engineering text that says a dozer will work if the soil is right. According to the text you must compact in layers of about 6 inches or less.

With the help of Cecils Engineering book we find that a dozer CAN adequately pack it. However, this assumes that the operator is diligent and doesn't miss any part of it. The guy that did mine didn't have a roller and I didn't know to ask. He also didn't core it and I wish he had. I also didn't know to ask that. I don't think I have any problems but next time I will know better.

I would go check out his work at other places in the area. BTW, don't just accept his references. When you talk to a reference, ask them if they know anyone that he has worked for. You might get a different story from clients that he hasn't told you about.

I have some ponds in Lower Alabama where the sand content is high. I have been told by contractors with some degree of success in the area that a vibratory compactor will do the best job in sandy soil. I was told they will compact 12" deep if there is enough sand.

Scott, ask about their guarantee. I'm certainly not an expert but the only way I know of to keep sand from leaking is to mix it with gravel and concrete. Sand is really nothing more than finely crushed rock. Like I say, I'm certainly no expert.

My pond area was sand and they had to haul in clay , then it was dozed to the various areas and leveled out then he used the dozer track to compact. It took a while to seal up and it holds water very good at the present. He builds lots of ponds and is very diligent in packing the clay. About a 3 acre lake. My pond is approximately 1 year old.