Market Survey on Bentonite Sources - 06/17/08 05:45 PM
Hi!
Background:
I am the unfortunate in Fannin County with the bumper crop of cattails below the dam where there never were any before. The CAT jocky, Mr. Hale, apparently ignored the basics, ref: USDA/NCRS pond manual http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=118460&gonew=1#UNREAD . I used salt per the NCRS Pond manual last year before I put in the fish and could draw down to the original grade. This slowed the leak but I still have those 2 acres of cattails.
That is the history, now for the current info.
Mike Otto was very helpful. I walked the dam, described what I saw, and the need to stop the leak without killing the large population of fish. he recommended the "sprinkle method" with "granular bentonite" and gave me the number of Western Bentonite. As with any commodity, the market fluctuates, so I consider this snapshot as a jumping off point.
TX:
Western Bentonite: Only handles the powder form. Only has one distribution warehouse <http://www.completeproduction.com/txd/western.htm> call the Aledo office
Texas Sodium Bentonite: Handles powder and granular through distributors or at HQ. <http://www.texassodiumbentonite.com/contact_TSB.cfm> Call their main number for local distributors.
Baker Chemical: 713-649-4200?
South Western Materials <http://www.southwesternmaterials.com/>
OK
Seminole Mud <http://www.seminolemud.com/>
Sizes:
50 lb bags; 100 lb bags; 3,000 lb bulk bags; and bulk loads (not all products available in all sizes)
Types:
powder and granular. Know what you want and read the bags when you buy. Not all sources carry both.
pricing: as of 17 June 2008
$10.00/hundred pound bag and
$5.75-$6.00/50 pound bag
I called all of the TX companies. and was very pleasantly surprised by a local distributor that is very local (McKinney, Tx). I got the contacts from references and by typing "bentonite" on Google Maps, for "TX". Once you get used to bad numbers, and numbers that the ringer was disabled by the office folks, et.al. this works well,
Background:
I am the unfortunate in Fannin County with the bumper crop of cattails below the dam where there never were any before. The CAT jocky, Mr. Hale, apparently ignored the basics, ref: USDA/NCRS pond manual http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=118460&gonew=1#UNREAD . I used salt per the NCRS Pond manual last year before I put in the fish and could draw down to the original grade. This slowed the leak but I still have those 2 acres of cattails.
That is the history, now for the current info.
Mike Otto was very helpful. I walked the dam, described what I saw, and the need to stop the leak without killing the large population of fish. he recommended the "sprinkle method" with "granular bentonite" and gave me the number of Western Bentonite. As with any commodity, the market fluctuates, so I consider this snapshot as a jumping off point.
TX:
Western Bentonite: Only handles the powder form. Only has one distribution warehouse <http://www.completeproduction.com/txd/western.htm> call the Aledo office
Texas Sodium Bentonite: Handles powder and granular through distributors or at HQ. <http://www.texassodiumbentonite.com/contact_TSB.cfm> Call their main number for local distributors.
Baker Chemical: 713-649-4200?
South Western Materials <http://www.southwesternmaterials.com/>
OK
Seminole Mud <http://www.seminolemud.com/>
Sizes:
50 lb bags; 100 lb bags; 3,000 lb bulk bags; and bulk loads (not all products available in all sizes)
Types:
powder and granular. Know what you want and read the bags when you buy. Not all sources carry both.
pricing: as of 17 June 2008
$10.00/hundred pound bag and
$5.75-$6.00/50 pound bag
I called all of the TX companies. and was very pleasantly surprised by a local distributor that is very local (McKinney, Tx). I got the contacts from references and by typing "bentonite" on Google Maps, for "TX". Once you get used to bad numbers, and numbers that the ringer was disabled by the office folks, et.al. this works well,