Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Found clay - but at 25'

Friends,

At our planned pond site, we found clay at 25' but were expecting it at 12' (based on the soil study / county engineer). As such, we'll have to get clay from somewhere else on the property if we're going to have a depth of 12-15 feet and a clay liner.

Of note, there is some water seeping into the pond site (currently a 20' x 60' large trench) indicating surface water at 11-14 feet. The adjacent property is in a FEMA flood zone and is low ground. The pond site is on relatively flat ground and is the lowest point (elevation) on the property.

Is there an option to not have a clay liner and still have the pond hold water?

Thanks,

Joe

Not a professional but have worked with ponds a good bit, probably need a little more info, mostly as to what kind of soils do you have above that clay line at -25' theory would believe that if water table is at -11', in other words, if water runs in to maintain that level I would assume water would also run out to that level, with out a clay or restrictive liner.
Hopefully some of the professionals on this site will chime in and answer your question. Good Luck!

Yes - (rubber) liners, bentonite, and (soilfloc???) to name three. But non-clay alternatives are almost always more expensive than clay found on site. Folks will haul clay from a remote area on their pond property in order to use it.

Thanks for the feedback and good info.

Currently we're doing a dig, wait and see approach and taking dig samples from around the property to see if we can find some clay closer to the surface.

Here is the general soil profile of the area:
Bowie fine sandy loam, 1 to 5 percent slopes
Typical profile
A - 0 to 5 inches: fine sandy loam
E - 5 to 10 inches: fine sandy loam
Bt - 10 to 27 inches: sandy clay loam
Btv - 27 to 45 inches: sandy clay loam
Btv/E - 45 to 73 inches: sandy clay loam
B't - 73 to 80 inches: sandy clay loam

Here are a few shots of the dig site (3 x holes). The last picture is before it started filling with water.