Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Very sandy soil

Hi all, newbie here.
Purchased a new property that has two areas that have been dug out by the previous land owner. The one I’m first interested in is about 1/2 acre and about 6-7’ deep at center. We had 4.5 inches of rain the other day and when I checked it the next day it was dry! Sandy soil! I’m curious what others have done (liners/sealers), what works and is cost effective.
Appreciate the help!

I have no experience with liners. However, a couple of years ago, Pond Boss monthly magazine had an entire issue re liners. Contact the PB office to get a copy of that article.

Pond Boss Magazine Nov - Dec 2019 article No 13: THE LINER. Otto discusses keeping water in the pond with basics of a liner. Includes determining good clay, soil amendments, synthetic liners.

Robs:

I have the same situation, but my groundwater is very high. Last year my pond was 9' low (feet not inches).

You will have to check to see how much watershed feeds those areas. Your counties NRCS office should be able to do that for you for no charge.

You then have 2 other options. 1) Use a polymer based product like seekleak (Call Tom @ 402-730-4897), incorporate it into the soil and compact it. Fill with a well or pray that you get enough rainfall and runoff 2) Use a pond liner, then cover it with 12" of soil. Then pray that you get enough rainfall and runoff.

BUT, I am guessing that you will need a well to help keep it full due to evaporation. I pumped 3.2 million gallons of water into my pond from Jan-April this year and rainfall helped top it off.

This company can make a liner up to 1.2 acres in size that is one piece. https://www.btlliners.com/

Their liners are lighter in weight than most other companies liners, and are tougher.

Came here to say about the same stuff that esshup already said.

After 4.5" of rain, even a leaky pond should be holding a little bit of water. Your observation suggests either there is very little surface water area (watershed) that runs into the pond, or the pond basin is almost 100% sand and water runs back out of that material almost immediately.

The solution to each problem is different. However, there is a chance you have both problems!

Even if you install a liner and create a perfect seal, you still need a water source. Either surface water or a well capable of a decent flow rate.

Good luck on your pond project!

Rob,I said the article. See if they can get you a copy of the issue.

Thank you for the replies and advice. I guess I need to decide if it’s worth investing the $$ into this property since it sounds like it may be more expensive than expected. The goal was to have one pond for fishing and another for cows. I don’t think there’s not much watershed since the sandy soil soaks so much up so quickly and I don’t see any washout except for where they previously terraced areas.

Does anyone have estimates of what they would think it would cost to seal a 1/2 acre pond? Is that by renting equipment yourself or hiring someone to do it?

Appreciate the help!

If it twer me....I would either rent a mini trackhoe or pay somebody to come out with a backhoe and dig some test pits to see what the actual soil conditions are.
....topsoil down 2' that transitions to sandy loam that transitions to a 6' layer of usable clay.....
....is there any usable clay on the acreage?
....how much watershed do i have?
....how much would it cost to have a well installed...

Multiple locations for tests to see if you have good clay, what the water table actually is......


From there you will have a good idea of what you need to do and can seek some estimates. Small investment to make and it should give you some good data to work on if it's doable in your budget.