A gentleman we are assisting is building his dream home and it has an existing 1 acre pond. The pond will be a wonderful focal point of this estate. GoogleEarth shows historical pictures of the pond back to 1999 and I really don’t see much variation in depth or aquatic vegetation covering the pond (granted you only get a picture every few years). The homeowner is REALLY wanting to install a well to supply water to the pond at times the pond may be low. He is wondering if the well can be triggered to run when the water drops and turn off when the pond reaches a desired level. Basically, running on a float. Does anyone have experience with this method? Let’s assume for now that the water from the well will be healthy happy water. I am just looking for some advice on the well and float, versus pros and cons of the well. He is building a multi million dollar house and he wants a well. Thanks for any advice.
My vote would be against running an automatic float system.
Some variance in the water level of a pond is certainly more natural compared to a pond that stays at an exact level all of the time. As the water level goes down a bit, the shore plants progress down the slope a little bit, and then there is additional cover for all of the base of the pond food chain when the water level goes back up.
However, I think a failure in the float switch is a much greater concern. If the switch fails in the "on" position it could draw the well down and allow for silt intrusion into the wellbore, which can ruin the pump or even result in the loss of the well. The float switch is not going to be located in a clean water tank - it is going to be in a pond with floating leaves, algae, turtles, etc.
Personally, I would just put the well switch in a convenient place for the homeowner to access. If he drills a low-capacity water well, then maybe put a timer on the switch, so it will run for 8 hours (for example) to top off the pond. Further, if they are hosting an outdoor party, they could fill the pond an extra 6" to create an even "cleaner" look.
Of course, the guy paying the bills is "always right", so if he wants a float switch you should install the switch.
I'm not sure about the automatic features of turning the well on or off but I am familiar with digging a well to keep the water level steady.
The total cost for us was to dig the well and install everything was roughly $6500. During the months that we need to run the well 24/7 the electricity cost is an additional $150 a month. It appears that money is not an issue here, but I thought I'd throw that out there for others that are interested.
We think we are getting 28 gallons a minute but that is a rough estimate of us using 5 gallon buckets and a stopwatch. Now, that being said, we don't get that directly into the pond because the well is closer to the house/electricity and runs down a ditch 125 yards away before emptying into the pond. We definitely lose some gallons per minute due to this long stretch but I think it helps the well water become oxygenated as it travels.
All that being said, the well has been a game changer for us. We are able to keep our pond in great shape year round. The ditch is our greatest asset when it rains too because it is tied into our natural watershed. When it does rain, our ditch is already full and saturated which creates even greater run off into the pond.
I might have some useful information....I live in Central Ohio and dug a 100' well to feed my pond in May 2025. The well and 100 feet of 1" line trenched to the pond cost me $8,300 - 4 quotes, all exactly the same. To run underground electric to the well head from my barn 100' away was $3,000. I get 12 gpm. The well pump is activated by a standard light switch inside my barn. I think a switch is the simplest way to manage it, and it's generally foolproof. We talked about a float, but there really was no reason for it. It's pretty simple to just flip a switch when more water is needed. My 1.15-acre pond was dug in April 2024, and it gets very little runoff because we had to have dams built around the entire circumference in order to get a reasonable depth because of shallow bedrock. When we discovered the bedrock, we knew lack of runoff would be an issue, and a well was probably going to be needed. When full, it will max out at around 6.5'-7', with shallower areas. I have run the well 24/7 since mid-June 2025. The July and August heat (80-90 degrees) has really slowed the filling rate. In addition to evaporation, I think the embankment walls are absorbing a lot of the new water, slowly sealing the clay walls as the level rises. Theoretically, it should be gaining 1 inch per two days, and was almost keeping up with that early on, but as the water reached new clay and absorbed into the walls and the summer heat intensified, the fill rate has really slowed. I've gained around 20 inches in 65 days. Electric should increase about $75/month for 1/2 hp well pump running 24/7. The well has been a great move for me. Any questions, I can answer.
Circling around to this thread again, which I commented on in August 2025. To recap, I had a well dug exclusively to feed a 1.2-acre upground pond with no runoff in mid-June 2025. Central Ohio. I've been pumping 12gpm 24/7 since then. In about 130 days, I've gained about 35-ish inches with only a little rain to supplement, a long period of drought, and no runoff. I have about 8" to go before reaching full depth of around 6.5'. It is claylined on the bottom and walls (not sheepsfooted, only compacted with excavating equipment). This is the first winter with the well, so I'll flip off the switch when it reaches capacity and see what the winter snow and rain does and monitor my level. Opted for a light-switch type switch for the well pump in our nearby barn instead of a float because it was simpler. The pic is from a few days ago during seed and straw.
