Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions How steep can I make a clay bank?

IMO the steepest slope for good dense dark clay would be maybe 2:1 providing the builder uses a good sheepsfoot roller technique for compaction of the clay for the basin. Steeper than 2:1 makes it very difficult to get the optimum clay compaction which is necessary to get a good clay sealed basin to minimize leakage. Once the walls start sloughing you are loosing the compaction layer and leaks begin to continually increase over time. To be on the safe and conservative side, I would go for 2.5:1 for side walls with the beach spawning area at around a 3:1 slope. IMO you don't need a large spawn area when BG produce around 10000 - 30000 eggs/fry per nest. Good dense shallow habitat determines how fast the fry disappear. Don't let the LMB or predators overpopulate as they do for about every pond owner. Line 20-25% of the bank distance with good types of habitat.

Have contractor for the beach spawn area perimeter push up a dirt curb to outline it to hold the spawning substrate in place. The less shallow water the pond has this minimizes the amount of algae & submerged weed problems that will occur down the road. The more nutrients and organics that get into the pond the more plant growth that will develop as the pond ages. MINIMIZE NUTRIENT INPUTS FOR THE CLEANEST, BEST WATER QUALITY POND. Aerate the pond well for 1 turnover per day and you won't need to rebuild it for 35-40 years. If it were mine I would oversize the aerator and run it less each day.