Well, I did everything I thought I needed to had core tests done, had a Soil Scientist look at all the soil, had the pond engineered, and built with a local reputable company.

I use this site and requested all of the information from the builder and asked him to follow all the steps that I learned from the site, it seems not to matter now as I have a hydrostatic leak.

Time to move forward and I’m looking for a local Pond builder to help renovate the pond

If anyone from Northeast Ohio could chime in with a local reputable pond builder that they’ve used that would be appreciated

What is a hydrostatic leak in a pond?

Talk to TJ here on the forum, he can help.

Hi - happy to help however I can. Email me anytime tj@hudlandmgmt.com. My time is always free to the Pond Boss Forum family.

I used to work on porous media experiments in a different context, so I will make a stab at "hydrostatic leak" as a discussion definition.

At very small grain sizes, the capillary forces have a significant impact. They are not something that people normally have to consider working at the typical macro scale of most projects.

However, it is possible to have zero flow at a certain pressure, and then a measurable flow begins above a "threshold" pressure.

I will ASSUME that in this situation, a hydrostatic leak would mean something like: the pond holds water just fine with the water level at 5'. When the pond is full at 10' deep (for example), then the pond leaks water out of the pond bottom in some location. The leak slows substantially as the water level drops, and then ceases altogether when the water is reduced to only 5' deep.

Obviously, this would act very similarly to a leak in the pond sides that was situated just above the 5' level.

Perhaps the contractor and OP have some reason to support the theory of a "hydrostatic leak".

If my definition of a hydrostatic leak is close to the physical process occurring in the pond, then that does sound like a good situation to potentially seal with Soilfloc.

I have a leak like that in my 4th pond. I just call it a leak. In my case, I assume the gravel vein running under my pond rises at some point to where the leak stops. I may try and seal it up if it does not slow down a lot in the next few years. I am still trying to locate blue catfish for my 3rd pond, but may have to apply for a permit and get them myself from out of state.

How old is the pond? They can seal themselves over time I'd there is a supply of sediment in the water.

Exactly.

There are multiple physical configurations that could result in a leak that ACTS like the hydrostatic leak that I described. If your leak is controlled by the spill point of the gravel vein, then it would act in a very similar manner.

Theoretically, that leak would have a nearly constant rate as the pond level went from 10' to 5', whereas a true hydrostatic leak would exhibit a decreasing rate as the hydrostatic pressure on the leak decreased as the water level in the pond declined.

In most real world cases, I believe it would be very difficult to differentiate between the types of leaks, unless the outlet of the leak was easy to locate and monitor relative to the existing conditions in the pond.

Jared,

I am just speculating about the specific conditions that may have occurred in your pond. That is only to give you some more information to examine your problem.

You have a difficult problem to address - namely a pond with a leak in an unknown location.

Good luck on fixing your pond!

Hopefully, someone will chime in with the name of another possible pond contractor in your area.

I would also be sure to contact TJ. He is very knowledgeable about chasing and fixing leaks. He also has a product that might be a good application for your circumstances.

My pond leak is like FishinRod described. The fuller it is, the more it drops per day. If the level gets up to 16'-17' it will drop about 1"-1.25" per day and by time it gets down to 12'-13' it only drops about .25"-.30" per day. Less if it gets lower than that but it hasn't been any lower than that for about 2 years now but if we don't start getting some real rain before long it might. It is probably about 13' right now. The leak does seem to slow down a little every year.
I've talked to TJ and I will probably try Soilfloc when I can. We've been waiting for a builder to give us pricing on a new house and want to start building as soon as possible. We will have to put in a well and I plan to upgrade it if I can to help keep the pond full.

A new house at the pond - which holds water like a bathtub.

I like your plan, Bob! Hopefully, you get it all put together.

If you’re looking at rehab I work with one of the best pond architects on the planet and he’s located in PA but consults nationwide. Feel free to reach out anytime, happy to help any way I can.

TJ