I thought I would say hello, as I peruse the forums. I am sure I will have questions, but right now, I am reading my "Just add Water" and I am sure a lot of them will be answered there.

Long time lurker, but it has been a while, I admit. Due to the Texas heat, I thought I would get a pool, but the wife says "I would rather have a pond than a pool" and I went, "well...... allllrighty then".. heh.

Anyway, I do not have a ton of room, so.. to keep the trees I have, I think I am limited to about a 1/2 acre pond. I would give almost anything for a larger one, but I still have 3 dogs and they need room to roam so... I have to be realistic. Not sure how well it will all fit, but.. eh, we will see as I move through the "planning phase" and learn what the land will say I actually can afford to use.

Also, with only 1/2 acre.. I am sure my limits on "big fish" and species will also be limited, but I think if I can enjoy a nice view... life will be fine

Anyway, just saying hello.

Thanks for the book and all the great info I am sure I will find.

Arby

Oh, let me see if I can post a photo of what I am debating... just because it is fun to do lol Attached an image of the initial layout idea... not sure if it shows up.

Welcome to the forum. Right now the only way that pictures can be viewed on the forum is if they are hosted by another on-line site and then linked to here. I use imgur to do that. We are having issues with the forum software right now.

In regards to your pond and the trees, you will have to keep heavy equipment away from the trees during excavation - no equipment can drive over the tree roots, which can extend out past the end of the tree limbs or the soil can get compacted, which will kill the trees.

As for fish, and considering that your will be a swimming pond, will be more successful if you would plan on growing large panfish vs. large predators. Think of 2# Redear Sunfish vs a 10# LMB. Maybe Redear Sunfish, Fathead Minnows and Hybrid Striped Bass and plan on feeding the fish a good commercial fish food. If you like Catfish, then some Channel Cats and when caught keep them for the frying pan, don't release them. You can buy large Channel Cats in the 2# minimum size range so eaters will be available as soon as they are stocked.

Also if you have a septic system then keep that in mind if the pond is close

Welcome to Pond Boss, Arby!

I started out by reading the recommended books and multiple topics on the forum. The great benefit of that research - was that I could then ask the RIGHT questions.

I have found that if you post a specific, well-defined question on the forum, then you can almost always get several substantive and informative answers.

Good luck on your new pond project!

Glad to have you here, Arby. Best of luck with your pond!

What kind of watershed do you have? Any running or intermittent creeks to supply water? Also, do you have adequate clay to build a dam that will hold water? You might also think about depth, as in general deeper is better than shallow. And, of course, shallow water encourages annoying weed growth & helps feathered fish thieves, like herons. Plan carefully before you start digging, it's worth it!

What part of Texas? Bottom line is that East Texas gets more rain and West Texas has prettier women.

What type of runoff area do you have? Is there any concern about always getting to use it?

Sorry guys, been up to my ears in planning and reading and other schtuph

Welp... I live outside of Bastrop, TX, so more central than East. I am planning on digging a well specifically for the pond, we are on city water so this would be only for the pond. We get the normal amount, or lack thereof...heh, of rain, but my neighbor has a dry hole she has had for years that cannot seem to hold water even though it fills up at least every other year, if not yearly.

Most the water goes from our yard and runs down to hers, so if I do this right, she can still get run-off when it overflows or rains, and this should not take from her.

I figure a dam type pond is not what I am looking for, more of a hole pond... since the elevation slopes away from my house, I should be able to dig downwards and then add a berm or something with a release. Either way, I will leave the digging and placement to an expert so as to make sure to be solid.

The question I am researching, since I have limited room, is how to "size" the pond. If I build what I am planning, it is.. about ..call it 30k sq ft of pond, give or take. Seems like it is small when you think of it as less than 3/4, but I painted the ground where I am looking to put it and.. you would have to really try to cast across it.. heh

I plan to add some sort of water feature, like a waterfall, on one side, plus at least 1 water feature on the other side like a water fountain/sprayer etc to help keep circulation and temp in control. Again, will defer to the experts that help me design it and that dig it to figure out what works best.

I also want a small covered pier just for sitting and/or fishing on... not blocking the view, just to not have to stand in the grass etc.

I have 2 really good sides that should make great shallow areas for the kids and dogs plus for the fish, while also having some nice areas for the deep sections.

Anyway, we will see if it is all a pipe dream or if I have the space etc to make it happen heh.. right now, just having fun drawing out ideas.

I also am looking for real pond gurus in my area. We have had horrible luck with local contractors heh.. so, if anyone lives in the area or knows of a good fishing pond developer/designer, pass the name my way please;)

RB

If you can talk Mike Otto into doing it, I would. https://www.ottosdirtservice.com/

I seriously doubt he would drive this far, but will call him to at least say thanks.. the book has been a lot of help and have had it for years, always picking it up, reading, dreaming.. heh. Did not even look to see where they were from :P

I left a voicemail and sent a contact form in. Again, probably too small and too far away for him, but cannot think of anyone better to handle it if he has time. Thanks for the insight. All this time, the pictures etc... thought he lived up north;)

R

One thing you will run in to is a place to go with the spoils, you say you are digging more of a hole and wont be needing much of a dam, if I understand correctly, which means you could have a pretty good pile of spoils to find a place for. Good Luck!

Oh yea... no idea what to do with all that dirt lol

Contact some dirt yards…. They might be interested in buying it

That was the plan. I also gave away a lot of garden dirt a few years back, nothing on this scale lol.. and people were lining up for it. Anyone with signs for "fill dirt" should find it a good day to be in da biz

I do not care if they take it for free... or offset the cost with some rocks..either way, gotta get it gone.

R

R
You would be surprised how much dirt will come out of that hole, might as well offset some of the cost of digging it

I will most definitely call around to see who would buy it.

man... sticker shock. 93k dollars for the first bid to dig and line a 1 acre pond....Had no idea it would be that expensive. Going to have to downscale big time...

Did that quote include a commercial pond liner?

If you have decent clay at your property, you can seal your pond with clay. (Of course, in some regions they call that a "clay liner".)

It is a high quote for sure, yes a commercial pond liner 45mm thick. That alone is 24k retail minimum.

I think the key here is to learn more.. read and design and rethink, take my time, and then hire a dirt person to either DO the work, or get out there with an excavator and a bobcat and, over time, dig it myself.

I would be paying for their expertise, and I have zero doubt it is / would be a great pond, but even the scaled down version they emailed is 60-70k.... so... 4500, for a week with an excavator and a really knowledgeable person to run it.. and I could get it dug out enough to shape and mold with a bobcat. Then seal it with bentonite.... easier to do than a liner with my lack of expertise.

Not something I will go into lightly, quickly, or without learning more, but.. if I want the pond, I will have it.. just need to do it smarter and more diy... heh.. we shall see.

But.. like mentioned, I am going to have to find someone to take all the dang dirt lol

There are a lot of ponds in the satellite view of Cedar Creek. I suspect that means you have the possibility of clay subsoils on your property.

Have you taken any soil samples at depth?

Do any of your neighbors have ponds? If so, ask them about the construction methods on their pond.

If you do have deep topsoil, then you should be able to sell that portion of your excavation spoils.

Very few ponds get built exactly to the original design - nature usually has a little say in the matter. Keep planning and balancing what you want versus what is feasible and affordable.

My neighbor has a pond, but she never sealed it so if it rains hard, it fills up... but it never holds the water. She loves to talk about how it was designed by a "renowned professional" heh... but I rarely see water in it. There is a pond down the road that is really small, but always has water. Unfortunately, he also never takes care of it so always overgrown with some sort of moss :P

I have not taken samples yet, and will, but I am early in the process atm. Either way, I think I have solid options and if I am able to drill this well, I will have what most have not done yet which is a constant source of water. The key will be, as you state, the soil and sealing if needed. I also do not want my pump to be running 24/7 as that is not sustainable either.

So, one step at a time. When it comes time to dig, I will have called around to find someone willing to take the dirt. Hopefully, they will pay something for it, maybe even dig it out lol.. never know.. we will see. Right now, gotta get the well.

Oh, and sorry, will move a thread into a different forum as this has gone way further than howdy :P

Good talk though.. and I love talking about a pond heh

R

Talk about sticker shock, I get that every month when I get my fuel bill. these machines seem to consume a lot of the stuff.

That does seem a bit high tho for a pond that size, I am sure they had figured the hauling off of the spoils over run, it depends on how far they had to haul it to find a place that will accept it, and not have to pay to dump it too. usually around here you are able to find somebody with a small property that wants to fill in a draw or something to make their yard flatter.

FWIW, my personal pond is dug in VERY sandy soil. Not enough clay was found to seal it so it's a groundwater pond. The level will drop up to 7 vertical feet, and can go from slightly more than a surface acre to slightly less than 1/2 surface acre. When the ground water was about 3' below full pool I did a test to see how much was leaking out. At that time, and at that water level, I could pump in 25 gpm and I'd lose 18 gpm due to leakage and evaporation.

So the long term plan is to drop a well that will pump around 200-300 gpm and get some of the polymer that TJ has. That way the well won't have to run all the time.

I guess not a better place to post so will keep going lol.

So, waiting on a new bid. This person seems to be on the ball and a lot more realistic. I am going to lose more trees than I planned, but the strength of the pond walls is far more important than the trees, I can always add trees later further out heh.

We are waiting on his bid, but it is expected to come out closer to 15-25k. I told him I am not stuck on the cost as much as figuring what we need to do, based on what the space will allow, to make sure it lasts.

Cannot wait heh

R