I wanted to give an update on the progress with this project since the last post. We drained the pond this February and the contractor returned to remedy what we believed to be the source of the leaks. Concensus was that their were two factors - that he cut too far down through the clay in the main pond basin opening up a spring that became a drain as the weight of the water increased and secondly that the pond had too much sand on top of the clay around the sides of the pond wicking water and increasing evaporation. The contractor removed two 18 wheelers of sand from the sides of the pond exposing the clay foundation. (I gave him this sand to help offset his expenses with the repair.) He then re-profiled the basin making the sides less steep and therefore also wider. He put 3 feet of clay on the bottom of the basin near the dam, where we suspected the spring problem. He also added an additional 8-10 inches of clay upstream to the basin. Here are a few before and after photos.
Pond after draining. I had stocked about 50 large male bluegill a year earlier and a handful of females. I was able to net every large bluegill and put in other ponds. They had grown much larger!
In this photo you can see the large amount of sand on the sides. Some of this washed in over the past few years.
After they finished they spread a small amount of sand back on the sides so I could get grass established again.
This is what it looks like following about 6 inches of rain that we have had since completed. I noted that this past week we had 1.25 inches of rainfall and the pond increased by 1/4 inch. Meaning we lost a net 1 inch in the past week - I imagine from evaporation or wicking. So far so good. Our area never did get enough rain this spring for the ponds above this ravine to overflow. When that happens this pond hopefully will fill rapidly. If I can maintain this level or close to it all summer, I hope that fall rains help finally fill the pond.
