I am planning to dig a 10 acre pond. It is very flat with lttle/no grade, so a levy dam is not an option. I have multiple underground water tables. 1st is 3 feet and will dry up in late summer every year. 2nd is 10 feet and will dry up in a dry year/every 3-5 years. 3rd is 22 feet and will dry up in a catastrophic drought, which last occurred 20 years ago.

My questions are:

Will the pond leak down to the 3 feet table when that table drys up each year?
What about when the 10 foot table drys?
What happens in a severe drought and the 20 foot table drys?
If I dig beyond 20 feet, and stay above the next water table, will the pond hold water reliably?


Thank you for any discussion.

Brent

Brent, the problem is that springs, etc both give and take water. so it will be hard to maintain a full pond.

If it will be a 10 ac pond, you could distribute the spoils from the pond to create a grade to drain/funnel rainfall to the pond. I have a water table pond in sandy soil, no dam, just a hole in the ground. We hit a 10" thick layer of clay at 10' with a 12" layer of gravel on top of it, and another layer of gravel at 21' with a thick layer of blue clay under that.

Like Dave said, the groundwater layer will suck water out of your pond when the surrounding water table goes dry or has less pressure in it than the water pressure in your pond.

How much watershed (in acres) could you contour to feed your pond?