Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New pond, wet sides. Problem or not?

[font:Arial]This forum is remarkable. I've been reading posts, dreaming, and saving for 4 years. Now that my new pond is finished but empty, I hope someone can help me out. The pond was built to stop an enormous head cut that was proceeding up my hay meadow (NRCS calls it a grade stabilization). We knew there was water underground because it came out on the face of the head cut, and it came up part way in the test bore holes.

The contractor hit sand and wet areas while digging the pond. He said not to worry, it's not uncommon. He'd mix up some clay, push it over the wet areas and pack it down. They were using D6 dozers. I asked about using a sheep foot roller, but he said he's been building ponds for 30+ years and never used one. This is a large company with good references and a long local history. They've been great to work with.

I thought the pond would be dry when he was finished, but water appeared the day after he left. We haven't had any rain for about 6 weeks. Now there's about 18" of water in the bottom of the pond, and the level is stable. There's also a wet area along one side of the pond that's about 60' long by 10' wide.

I've read posts that said always use a roller, but some also said listen to the guy that's had his feet in the local dirt for decades. It would seem to me that if water has come in and stabilized, then water will go out the same path. I trust the contractor, but the longer I stare at that water and wet clay, the more worried I get. I can wait to see what happens, but I would think it will be a lot more difficult, expensive, and messy to fix after the pond has filled than it would be to fix it now.

So here are my questions: Is this a common occurance? Do ponds ever seal up once they fill? Do the indications warrant spending the money to call someone in with a roller before the pond fills? Or should I just grab a cool one, relax, and stay away from the pond until the rain comes.

I would truly appreciate thoughts and suggestions from the members here. Thank you!

I would document your observations and concerns in written correspondence with the pond builder. Each situation is different, but mixing sand and clay seems odd. A clay liner is what is typically needed. Seeps up high may be less of an issue, but water seeping in from the bottom could be a concern. The contractor hit "gacial water" when my last pond was dug. I call it this because I believe it was a trapped slug of water surrounded by clay. It was blue and clear, but the pond did not continue to fill from the bottom after it was dug. If the water is seeping in from the uphill side, then you might be OK, but if it is comming up from groundwater, then you might have a problem. On the plus side, waiting should not add more technical problems if the water is from ground water and the level has stabilized because it will recede to this same level the next time it gets dry. However, getting it fixed by the original contractor may be harder as time goes by. Thus my suggestion for keeping good written records of correspondence.

Kskid, all of your questions relate to your local geology, and nobody not intimately familiar with it could reasonably be expected to provide answers that would apply to the pond you have had dug.

Nobody would be happy to dig into a sand vein but even that would relate to their extent.

If I were you, I'd wait to see if I had a problem before I attempted to solve it, particularly since you say that you hired a reputable local contractor.

I know what your going through. All this money spent, will the pond hold water, how fast can it fill. I do had doubts and worries with my own pond and its been a year with it at full pool for 8 months. I still feel the pond is loosing water more then it should.

Sand is funny stuff. If you can get a very close look at it with a magnifying glass or microscope see if the edges of the grains are sharp. Sharp sand will pack very well with the clay. If the sand grains are smooth like a marble then I would think about making sure there is much more clay then sand in the liner area of concern.

My advice is to do your best not to loose any sleep about it and trust your local contractor. The experience with the local soil is invaluable and take comfort from their knowledge. If the lay of the land is higher from the damp area of the pond you will be very happy with the future results.

Hang tight I know what your feeling. Get some rest all will be great in the end.

Cheers Don.

You voiced concern with the builder, and that is a good thing. To have that in writing would be excellent, but may not be possible. I would take many photos to record all this, and do so as the pond fills. Once its underwater, hard to show where problems may be.

Hang tight and wait to see the outcome. Hopefully you did the good homework on finding this builder. If you hire a sheepsfoot roller to come in, you are taking on that added expense. If the first guy was really cheap, well that may not hurt so much. I think bringing in someone else would tend to null the original builder out of any liability to make it right, if there is a problem.

How big of a pond will it be? Easy enough to drain down and rework it? Might hold off stocking anything to expensive in case it has to be reworked.

How far below full pool is the water coming in? That will determine how much pressure would push water back out once the pond is full. If the wet clay you're seeing is at the bottom of the pond I would be more concerned than if it was at the top.

Just to add to the other comments here. If you haven't called the guy who built the pond and let him know what you are seeing and experiencing, I would and see what he says.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions and support. It sounds like I�m not losing anything by waiting to see what happens, so I�ll keep my fingers crossed and be patient. I do have pictures of everything & will speak with the contractor about my concerns.

To answer the questions, the standing water is in the very bottom (~16� down), over an area of shale that was under the clay & sand. The water seeping from the side is about 3� below the full pool waterline. The wet clay on the side doesn�t extend down to the standing water in the bottom (at least not on the surface). The pond surface area will be about one acre. The geology report from the test bores said the sand was poorly graded, which I believe means that it�s rounded.

Thanks again for all the responses. I�ll post again as things progress.

Poorly graded means that all of the sand particles are about the same size, would compact poorly and would allow water to move through relatively easily.

That's certainly consistent with what we found. Thank you.

It's been a long time since my original post - we haven't had many "runoff" rains around here. After 22 months of watching and waiting, my pond finally reached full pool. It held steady at each incremental gain in depth, so I'm pretty comfortable that my worrying was unfounded.

I wanted to post a sincere "Thank You" to those of you who offered advice and calming words. They were a source of comfort during the long wait. If I've posted correctly, I included my favorite picture of the pond since it hit full pool. It's pretty plain, but that's just the way I wanted it. Thanks again!
[img:center]https://www.dropbox.com/s/zi5n6qctfjkz669/20150517_152638.jpg?dl=0[/img]

That turned out really nice! Congratulations on full pool! I wish my grass would grow around it that nice, it makes things very pretty.

Yeah, that looks great!!!

What's in the plans for it now?

Blue sky , blue water and green grass. thats a relaxing spot right there .

Our new pond was full pool about March and has now dropped about two feet.But no rain in a month.
Builder warned us this will happen with new ponds in area and get less and less each time it fills.

Thank you for the kind words. The grass gets hayed. It looks good now, but it's hiding a lot of broom sedge and serecia that I've been trying to get ahead of. I currently use the pond for recreation. Stocked it with FHM early on. Added BG & LMB last May. Put in several rock piles along one side and sunk a big hedge tree with cinder blocks near the inlet end. Still have clouds of FHM. The BG are still pretty small, but the LMB have taken off. I put in a picnic area just off screen to the left in the original picture. Hope to build a retirement house on the edge of the woods up the hill on the right edge of the original picture. I have an annual family picnic that brings 4 generations together. The new picture is from the picnic last Sept. Those bass were fingerlings 4 months earlier! The nieces & nephews really enjoy the fishing. None of it would have been near what it is without the information I picked up here.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/ic84wlehuzn869k/AADTcBsMaorIVX1balqTkOf4a