Wow. Having had offices in "downtown" King George and Dahlgren back in the '70s and '80s, I think of you as being a neighbor. It is hard to believe that you are in a drought, while my ponds have been over full pool for the last two years.

In any case, I would definitely clean out as much silt as possible. I'd try to clean the edges, and as far beyond the waterline as possible. Whether you do it, or you bring in an excavating company, I don't believe you aren't looking at a major expense.

As I'm sure you and CJ know, the King George area has many transitional zones, ranging from very impervious clay, to an intermediate area, to sandy soil and brackish groundwater from the tidal areas of the lower Potomac.

I wouldn't be concerned about drilling too deep with a PTO augar and losing a pond bottom seal. Even in heavy clay, the left over clay and the concrete will seal it pretty well. If you are in sand, it won't matter. Many years ago, I helped put in a lot of docks in that area using a trash pump to form the hole for the pilings. I haven't been back in recent years, but I'm guessing all these docks are still there.

You've got a lot of "good old boys" in that area. If you've got questions, I'd head to the local Post Office and the local restaurants for breakfast, and I'd make friends with the locals. They can tell you what will and will not work, including what you need for pilings.

(Are the Wilkersons still running restaurants and soft-shell crab raceways in Dahlgren and Colonial Beach?)

Ken

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