Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations It rain!!!

I'm so happy, finally we got a good rain... It was less than 3" (the most in a single rain in a year!), but my pond manage to fill 4/5 to the top. First time that my pond has water since I got the property! (a year ago)... Now just wait to see if there are any leaks, which I'm afraid there will be...
Any suggestions as to how much water normally recedes...
The pond was build 3 years or so ago, but never hold water year around... Worst drought didn't help last year...

Hard to say. It will wick back into the banks for quite awhile. And those banks are dry.

My pond .65 acre is over half full since last nights rain. Around 6ft to the spill way now. It is really awesome to see it fill up. I noticed when it was filling around 6" to a 1' from the water up the soil would be wet I guess that is normal? Putting fish in soon!!!!

HV

The dry soil is absorbing water up as well as inwards.

Capillary action at work.

It has given up around 6" in the last 36 hours... Before the last two rains there were cracks everywhere, in the bank, the bottom. In some places (not in the pond), I couldn't see the bottom of the cracks!!. It was a terrible year (from a rain perspective)... Hopefully he have a better 2012... My pond is not that deep, only around 7 to 8 feet...

Tavo, this may help you know what to expect: While just over a year old, our new pond is finally filling from the rain that has occured in east Texas over the past 60 days. I placed a yard stick along a shoreline to measure how much was lost between the rains. This could give you an idea of what to expect, but there are a lot of factors. I can see that wind and temperature definitely affects it.
I can visibly see the wicking action occuring at the sides of the pond. What was once dry is now wet looking about 6 feet above the water line. Here is the progress that I have seen since the beginning of the year - keep in mind that the center of the pond is likely 4-5 feet deep - this is a measurement in the shallows.
12/18/31 8.0" (following a 6" rain over 3 days that filled basin)
12/31/11 4.75" (-3.25")
1/8/12 2.75" (-2")
1/11/12 11.0" (following a 2.5" rain) (+8.25")
1/14/12 9.75" (-1.75")
1/15/12 9.25" (-.50")
1/21/12 7.5" (-2")
1/27/12 (can't wait to see what the 2.5" rainfall did later today!)
The wicking seems to have slowed following the first couple of rains, but it is really averaging about .25" drop per day. I also am observing some spring activity that started and is likley aiding in maintaining the level as well as adding moisture to the surrounding area. I believe that this last rain will have filled the 2 ponds upstream from this new pond. If so, I think I can possibly gain 3-4 inches per inch of rainfall. I'll post again after I get a reading.

Will the banks and dam absorb so much water then stop? I guess it will never stop unless you have clay soil? Just curious. I have blue clay trucked in and red clay all ready in my soil in some places. And in some places I do not see any clay. I have not seen the water drop only it increasing. I wanted to run my well and have it rain until full pool then stop the well and see what happens to see if it will hold.

HV

Yes, once the banks and dam are saturated the absorbing will stop.

Ok I am praying when I get to full pool and stop applying the well water it would have soaked in and hold water!!

HV

There is clay all over the place. During this summer I was making (or trying) to make some holes for some posts, and it was impossible, even with a rented auger (not tractor), the clay was so dry that it "cooked" before you were even able to dig in an inch. We had to fill with water, comeback next morning and get 6" out if.. repeat until you get 3feet deep. It took for ever to make 10 holes... The rest I had to use Tpost... So there is definitely plenty of clay to go around...

Just checked the pond level. We received only 2" of rain but it added 7.5" to our pond level. Not bad. Just need a ton of rain

Check my pond out.

Surely you jest ?

Yes, just a little giddy over having an almost full pond, given the last dry spell.

Looks like I'll need hip-waders Monday !

Hip waders, wet suit, scuba gear, etc.

You forgot the speargun!

Yeah. LOL. You know, out of the hundreds of firearms I've shot or collected, that's the only one that scares me.

What about a crossbow?

They don't work as well under water

What about a crossbow?

Yikes!