We had our pond built last summer. It is about an acre and is 16 feet at deepest point. A core was dug to rock filled with soil/clay from what is now the bottom of the pond. My neighbor did the work for us and has been doing this for years. He was concerned that there might be leaks due to the rock at the bottom of the core and rock that was encountered on one side of the pond. Once the general shape was acheived, all exposed rock was covered with about a foot of the same material from the bottom of the pond. He also said that it may take a long time to fill. It filled rather quickly and I could find no leaks or water comming up anywhere below the dam. Everything, was cut and sewn with feed plot mix. With this drought, I am in Al by the way, the pond has gone way down in the last month. The weather man was calling for rain this week so I decided that cut all the grass/ feed plots in hopes that they would reseed themselves. I buried the tractor about 150 feet below the dam. The ground is just soaked. It has to be coming from the pond as there is no other water anywhere around. I called and talked with our county extension agent. He recommended scattering about 200 lbs of chicken litter to try and seal it up.

If this doesn't work, how can I isolate the leak to use bentonite or what other possibilities are there? The extension agent and my neighbor said that it could seal itself over time. What are the chances of that? I have already stocked fish, set up feeder and they seem to be doing well, but I am concerned that the pond won't survive the summer if the leak isn't fixed. Any sugguestions or advice is appreciated.

Levon Sargent