Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site eveporation

just wondering how other people's lakes are doing that are like me,not getting any rain.my water is dropping about 1/16"-1/4" a day.does seem about normal for a 4 1/2 acre pond?thought i might get some feed back on other peoples ponds.

My 1/2 acre pond has dropped about 3 ft since the early summer. What bothers me is seeing such a difference in pond water levels as I drive around the county. Some are like mine; down quite a bit. Others seem to be full. We all get the same amount of rain. My problem is my watershed isn't big enough to maintain the level in my pond. Mine sits atop a hill and there isn't much inflow.

Wish we could ship you some of our weather. It has not stopped raining or snowing here since a year ago August. It's at it again today. All our ponds are pouring water through their spill ways like little rivers.

TUZZ,PLEASE SEND ALL OF YOUR RAIN TO LOUISIANA.I HEARD TODAY WE ARE 18 1/2 INCHES DOWN SINCE JANUARY.IT'S HARD TO KEEP WATER IN A POND WITH THESE CONDITIONS.

One acre pond (or used to be); down over 6 ft. The last 2 years we have had about 60% of average annual rainfall.

During breezy, hot, dry weather, ponds can lose 1/4" a day to evaporation. In arid regions or condtions the evaporation can probably approach 1/2" per day water loss to evaporation. The weather bureau's pan evaporation readings indicate your ponds water loss per day due to evaporation.

Lee, just wondering about how deep you'd have to dig a well down in louisiana to get to some good water? if less than 40 feet..i saw a few windmill powered wells advertised. or if close to electricity, consider that. i would think you might reach water pretty shallow in Louisiana, which would make it cheaper to drill. just a thought. mark

my family/friends laugh at me because i get excited when it rains..they say..."only you want it to rain!!".... i bet you've heard that a time or too, Lee, huh?!! mark

Mark,its funny to hear you say that about rain,my wife says if she had a dollar for every time i said it we would be rich.we are now 191/2 inches behind on rain in south louisiana.hope to get some rain wednesday- sunday of this week.

Lee; we are also behind badly on rainfall. We got 1.5 inches in the last 3 days. Water holes came up about 1.5 inches. Man, I think of Southern Louisiana as wet country where all the hurricanes dump rain.

I'm down about 24 inches in my pond this year just not getting rain when we need it. Have measured about an inch in the last 2 months. Before that we drowned! Here in North Alabama my well is 42 ft but it is slow only about 3000 gallons per day right now. I am going to get another put in before next summer to maintain levels. The local driller charges 15.00 per ft and thet includes to 20 top casing.

Bob in North Alabama.

Bob K, just curious, about how much does running a well like that run a year? does the amount you are pumping make a dent in your pond?

Lee, that's great! our wives need to meet...then maybe they won't think we are so crazy after all! matter of fact...their ought to be a pond boss WIVES site... no...bad idea.. i can just see topics like "how to lose a POND in 10 days", or "Pond costs revieled" etc... ha, mark

Doing a quick calculation I would say about 150.00 per year and it has help out in the summer and also maintains a hole in the ice when we have our periodic freezes in the winter as I spray the wather into the air with a fountain I made from 5 brass spray nozzles. Next year with the deeper well I should be able to maintain the level of the pond.

Bob

bob,i'm thinking about putting a well in.did you have to test the water at your depth to see what you are putting in pond?also how is your pond,would 3,000 gallons a day help my 4 1/2 acre pond?and how big in your output pipe to get 3,000 gallons?

bob,sorry that should read how big is your pond?

mark,pond costs will kill me if she looked at these numbers,how to loose a pond in 10 days..now thats a good one.might tell her about this one.

One acre one inch deep is 27,000 gallons of water. Use that number to calculate your pond's needs, compared available water. A well may not provide enough water.
Secondly, always test water chemistry. I have a client in east Texas with an artesian well. Lots of water, but one small problem. pH is 4.6 coming out of the ground. Acid water. So, know volume, and quality.

I have a one acre pond. Use a 1 1/2 hp pump running off of 220 volts. My well easily will pump 35 gallons of water a minute. I have a shower head type spray head that will output 10 gallons a minute. Ran 2 inch pipe from the well to the center of the pond, where it 90 degrees up I reduced to 1 1/2 inch pipe. This has allowed me to keep my pond full all the time. So far the pond and fish both seem to be doing good.

AL Woody - where did you find the showerhead at the end of your 1 1/2 inch pipe. I am in the process of doing the same thing, but i did not reduce at the 90 to 1 1/2. Did you do that to increase pressure? Thanks.

FWIW.......I have a dedicated well for my one acre pond with mimimal watershed. That 5 hp motor is costing me about $150/month to keep the pond topped off. Right now I'm turning on the valve manually, but I intend to install a float mechanism as soon as the water warms up.

By the way, I elect to not let "nature take it's course", i.e., I want the pond at a certain level, and am willing to pay for it.

To me it is obvious that there are no free lunches as far as having your own private pond are concerned......in the long run it is a lot cheaper to buy property on a natural lake. However, the fact that most people do not have that option is what keeps the pond builders in business.

Good Luck,

Tom Parker

Tom, there is truth in what you say, "......in the long run it is a lot cheaper to buy property on a natural lake. However, the fact that most people do not have that option is what keeps the pond builders in business."

On the other hand, natural lakes usually mean being one of many with lots and access. I spent years fishing on large lakes natural and impounded, putting up with drunks, skiers, hot dogs, and folks who barge in when they see you catching fish. My wife and I looked for years until we found just the right spot where we can walk out the door and take a quiet ride around the pond, where my grandchildren can fish with me or, for those old enough, by themselves, without worrying about who else is on the water with them, where our nearest neighbors are out of sight, and where nobody's beer or soda cans wash up on the bank.

Sharing is nice, and there is nothing wrong with a lot on a natural lake, I suppose. But, for us, we will put up with the headaches gladly. And as my friend Bubba (who calls me Bubba in turn) says, "If you can't pee off your porch whenever you feel like it, you might as well live in an apartment."
Amen,
Lou (13.5 acres)