Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam How to Build a Pond a'Top of Rock

The frog pond holds water while it's raining, and even a couple of weeks after!
Welp, our house should be finished in a few weeks in June. October is the pond building time in norther Alabamie. So, I'd better get to planning. Only a limited amount of silty sand with some clay some 50 yards above the site. After the house, I may be somewhat short on cash (have $4000 to $5000)
Possible approaches:
1) I might get lucky. 3 hand dug test holes indicate there may be a solid slab rock under half my .2 to .25acre planned pond. I hope to rubber line the deep end from 3' down to 8' then cover with 4" rock some 8" thick. $5000 to $9000 depending on that rock shelf.
2) I can get limestone dust/sm.gravel for $250 a load, try 6" limestone topped with 1" bentonite, shallow till, then pack some. Guess $6000 to $10,000
3) Have 20 trucks of clayey soil at $300 to $400 a drop brought in, spread and pack traditionally. $6000 to %10,000 estimated.

Speak your mind Pond Meisters
What would you do to get a small .2ac fish pond in rocky terrain?

There's both decent run off and supplemental well water so a near constant water level shouldn't be problematic. Yet, we've plenty of other problems to discuss!
PS, Sunday to Thurs we'll be on the road driving from CA to AL with 3 cats in tow (love adventure) so then I can only respond evenings. Promise I'll be glued to this thread at KOA every eve though.

Pond 75' on far side.

I am by far no expert, but will add a comment or two to help bump this along.

Sounds like your a bit short on cash to do any of the best ways. You have a good water source so there may be a slim chance that everything would be fine on its own. It is always the best avenue to do it right the first time, but a pond that is .25 acres could be pumped out and redone. Its a mess to do, but possible. Can the water be pumped out someewhere if this is the case?

If it was me I would use clay. Either wait till you have the money, or go in hoc. No experience with liners myself, but they have limitations by other users descriptions. And there is no guarantee that they won't get a leak in them too. Would that stone underneath be smooth or jagged?

You doing this youself? You will need to pack the clay down properly.

Best of luck, Jim

Do it once, and do it right the first time. If you don't, most likely plan on spending at least the same amount of money you spent doing it wrong plus some extra to do it right the 2nd time.

Thanks Gents;
I can rent an excavator and raise the frog pond dam 3'. Maybe can scrape up enough soil to build a 4' berm around the shallow end. If I get lucky and can utilize a solid slab rock, I can dozer scrape the deep end then hand shovel clean off the initially soft sandstone. Fissuers can be packed with bentonite/kitty litter or possibly a liner can be placed.

However, has anyone put a liner in the deep and let the marginally clayey soil take care of the shallow sections? (Me thinks it can be done if one puts a load of 4" rock to hold it down and edges tucked at the 3-4' zone)