Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How far do I go?

Thanks for all the good info! You all have been very helpful.

I have selected a site for my 1/2 acre pond in central Kansas and dug some test holes. My question is how far down should I go to get water. I want the deepest part of my pond at least 15 ft deep. At about that depth I hit really wet clay, 3 ft deeper and I hit rock. Should I bust through the rock to see if I can get some water or stop at the clay? FYI I know that I will have to support the pond with well water and do not expect it to be supported by a spring, however it would be nice to have some free water to keep it clean.
Thanks!

smhog,

Are you digging a pond or a well?

There are significant risks associated with your approach. A spring, given enough pressure, will reverse itself and what you thought was a source of water may become a bottomless sink. Free water becomes "freed" water. Even without a spring, a rockbed often leaks causing the owner great grief when the pond has to be drained and packed and start all over again. My advice is to avoid the rockbed completely. Digging through that will be expensive, needless, and may leave you with a pond that does not hold water.

Pulling no punches here, but I really hate to see you get into a situation where many others have been with very bad results.

In addition, you simply do not need 15 foot depth in a 1/2 acre pond.

Dig your pond to fit your needs, forget about any springs, and in fact if you run across one, cover it with 2 feet of clay, unless it is a roaring source of water.

Thanks for the info. The reason I wanted a deeper pond is so that fish could survive with a lower overall water level in the winter. My soil has a lot of clay in it, and I would like to line it with crush shale. Is there any reason NOT to have it 15 ft at one end?

A couple of reasons, but they aren't show stoppers:

1) the thermocline; water below that line is virtually useless to fish in summer..if you plan to aerate, then ok.

2) cost; it simply costs more to go deeper, other things being equal. I would rather have more surface area and less depth , because that generally is better for fishing.

If you plan to maintain your water level with a well anyway, it seems your money would be better spent on maximizing surface area as opposed to depth. Depends on your objectives for the pond. Hope this has helped.

I plan on deepening mine in the shallow end for more dry season volumn.

smhog,

I checked the USGS handbook 590 and it shows a range of minimum depths for ponds in Kansas going from 7 feet in eastern Kan to 12 feet in western Kan. Again, if you plan to use a water well anyway, that might effect your chosen depth.

That chart is on page 11 of the handbook.

Thanks!