Long time Pond Boss reader, new to this forum. Thanks for the add.
I have wanted my own pond for a long time and may finally be able to make it happen.
About 5 years ago I bought some property and I am now ready to start discussions on adding a pond.
I am in central IL (Peoria county). I am looking for a couple reputable builders to review my site, discuss possibilities and concerns and ultimately provide and estimate. Please let me know if you have anyone you recommend and any other considerations.
My first stop was the NRCS. I guess they still do it re runoff, soil types, etc.
You are close to Nate, so I would reach out to Herman Brothers Pond Management to see if they have any suggestions.
Dam would be about 140 ft wide and about 27 ft deep. I don't know how wide that makes the bottom. If I knew I could calculate the how much dirt movement would be required. Surface area would be 1/2 to 3/4 acre. Anyway, I have 2 estimates so far. Both are around $30k. This seems high. I will get more details of what is going into the numbers but this sounds high. Your thoughts?
Also, Nate will be coming to evaluate the site in the near future.
I'm no pro but I think if you was to have the front and back at a 1 to 3 slope you would be around 175' wide depending on how wide you wanted the top. Maybe a pro will say for sure.
My first stop was the NRCS. I guess they still do it re runoff, soil types, etc.
You must have a more winsome personality than me, Dave. Texas NRCS would do zip for me except furnish soil maps, which were of limited use.
My first stop was the NRCS. I guess they still do it re runoff, soil types, etc.
You must have a more winsome personality than me, Dave. Texas NRCS would do zip for me except furnish soil maps, which were of limited use.
This was quite a few years ago. I have heard that now, you’re lucky to get much out of them. Or maybe, just maybe, it was my sparkling personality.
I'm in the same boat too, and the county folks around here in NC aren't really being much of assistance. I heard they used to be able to provide a list of reputable pond builders, but they quit doing it some years ago. I've got a few "dirt movers" coming out to my property this weekend, but I'm not holding my breath. Good luck.
Some dirt movers may know a bit about pond building, coring and such, but all of them around here still insist on compacting with a dozer, say it's good enough, but it always results in leaky ponds unless they are excavated in pure clay. Don't buy the story that a dozer compacts. A heavy wheeled backhoe with a load of dirt in the bucket is far better than a dozer, but very time consuming on anything but a small job. The clay also needs to be compacted in lifts only about six inches thick.
Fish more, drive around the area. If you see something about what you’re looking for, stop and introduce yourself. Ask who did it, if they would recommend them and maybe what they would have done differently.