Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Cleaning out old pond

I have a question for Otto or anyone else who can answer. I am currently cleaning out what will be a 3 acre pond. By looking at soil types while diggingit looks like a small creek was dammed without much excavating except for the dam. I am digging down to sandstone and stopping. Some places soil/muck is 3 feet but up to 8-10 feet deep. I have breached the dam. My question is how close do I get to the dam excavating down to sandstone and do I do anything at that junction to prevent leakage?

If you are against the stone, I would be there is nothing you can do to prevent leakage. I have seen water flow out of shale formations along a high bank with over a hundred feet of spoil over it, nothing stops the water when it decides to move. Of course, now maybe the hundred foot of cover has something to do with why it is giving up water in the first place, weight of the overburden and all. I gotta believe you can't have exposed rock within a hundred feet or maybe more of your dam. That's just a guess, I'm not familiar with your Kansas soil and how it reacts to water. Have you spoken to any contractors about the situation? Are you doing the work yourself?

Dcwooten
Some rock leaks like a bucket with holes in it. I have seen sandstone hold water very well. If the sandstone is solid you will not have a problem with the water going down..

Joe G is right the sandstone could be the seam that lets water run horizontally. The weight of the water is constant and water is looking for someplace to go.

Cover the sandstone out away from the dam as much as possible to make it a little harder for the water to travel under the dam.

How well did the pond hold water before?

How much dirt are you cleaning out?
What are you doing with it?
What kind of machine are you using?
Send pictures.
Otto

I'd have more to offer but I have never even set foot on Kansas soil let alone excavated any, around here rock will provide a channel for a leak, that's just how it is. I agree with Otto, we need pictures, heh heh.

The pond held water without any leakage. I just wanted to know if I was creating a problem. I am digging to sandstone to about 3-40' of the dam. How much dirt? Hmmm. As much as I can in area but just down to sandstone as far as depth, that being from 3-8 feet. I am about half done. In the end it will be 3 acres.

I am doing it myself with a d5, d6, 150 trackhoe with 6' cleanout bucket, and a cat 830mb four wheel drive scraper with a 20 yard bowl. I used the scraper as long as I could and until I kept getting stuck now I am top loading it and moving it into an adjacent field. I will try and send pics.

Nice group of toys, I have a couple scrapers but nothing the size of that 830, they are a nice machine. I have a D6 cat and a D4 or two around here, older ones but still good machines.

If it held water before with exposed rock, it would likely hold it again, may take a while to seal back up at first though. Interesting project.

Cwooten
Dont't stop now. JoeG is probably right if it did not leak before it shouldn't leak now. This sounds like a big job send pictures.
OTTo