What is being said about waterproofing a pond with clay is actually to use clay to line the pond bottom with. Since your clay is so tight, it would be a good material to line the pond bottom. Excavate the pond, line the bottom with good, tight clay, like a bowl. Whereever you designate the the "rim" of the bowl, use the porous, sandy soil. If you excavate well below natural ground level and replace the existing soils with water, you can have a nice pond. For an escape route, why not build a french drain for water to flow to the next spot it would have gone anyway? That's what currently happens naturally. This land has a natural french drain of sandy soil where water seeps downward to a clay layer, then runs laterally to escape. Always remember this...water leaves. It ALWAYS leaves. It has to, especially when you have excess. With 52 inches of rain annually, you will have excess. There is an escape route. Find out how the water leaves now and duplicate it.
Regarding the cost of my book...it's not my intent to defend our charges. If you want to buy it, let me know and I'll have Kathy send one to you and charge whatever the postage is. On the website, I told her years ago to find out what it would cost to send these products the furthest distance and put that up there. It may only cost $11 to ship to Barbados, but it's twice that much to other parts of the world. We don't gouge anyone. Of course, being the author of such a fine piece of literary work jammed packed with more information than another book like it, the cocky part of me wants to bow out my chest and tell you that you will save thousands of dollars by being able to use what you learn in that book...but I won't. (tongue firmly in cheek).
It's refreshing to hear of your project. I would love to hear your entire story. It would make great reading in our favorite pond magazine.
All the best.....
