I install cermaic tile for a living, not that, that makes me a masonery expert and obviously not a " Leak fixer upper" but I was thinkig if I would mix up LOADS of mud by mixing bentonite powder and water in wheelbarows and just keep pouring it across the inside of a drained breast it should form a thick layer of clay that should seal? Now the prep I was thinking is pumping the pond below its below leak then clearing major rocks and other forms of debris. Dump layers of bentonite slurry 1.5-2 inches at a time then repeat untill I get about 4-6inches. If I can get a good layer of bentonite mud it should seal when the water goes back up do to hydrolic pressure? The breast is pretty steep do not know how I could stamp it in well. Or would it be better to mix the powder with the soil on the dam... I have not read to many good reports with the use of bentonite except when used in mass amounts. My dam is less the 100yrds wide so at $45 a ton I would think I can dump enough on it to seal it. At 35% of the ponds water holding capacity the leak stops so I am praying that when I pump it down till the leak stops I can still keep my fish and fix the leak too. As much feed back as soon as possible would be most helpfull. All that water freezing as it leaks through my dam, gota do major damage? Winter in PA is close and this may take some time.
