Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Need Opinions on Secondary Core Ditch

i have always succeeded in fixing a leak with a secondary core ditch assuming the pond was cored the first time because most of the time i dont know if it was or not. i usually do it on the backside of the dam starting at the high ends of the back face working down. this way i can tell where the leak originates. if you start at the bottom (lowest elevAtion of back toe) and see water you might have to chase it up to higher elevations on the backtoe or backface to see where it is actually coming from. i also usually make a flat spot about half way down the dam height from one end to the other for the trackhoe to work from. this allows me to go deeper with a core if neccessary which usually is the case. going down on the front of the dam like you describe is better but i usually cant do it because of mud. good luck to you
and from past experience and goof ups on my part you cant always depend on the elevation the pond leaks down to to be the problem spot i have found it to be up to 8 ft below that elevation. i reckon its pressure related at times and when the pond gets low enough there is not enough pressure to force it out anymore. this is why i dont start on top of the dam. i start a little lower depending on dam height so i can go a little deeper if need be. i also segregate the good dirt and the bad while digging putting only the best back in and spending a lot of time packing it with the bucket on the way back in