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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
hello all,
I have read a few posts here and decided this will be lengthy but you all will want the facts.
Finished pond is 15500 square feet. Approx average depth 8.5 deepest end 12.5 feet. 3 areators installed overkill i suppose size is 130 feet by 117 feet across.
I have a pasture that sloped to a low end of my field. The field is about 7 acres. I had to burm up one long side and one short side to create the basin and dug down from there. I was fortunate to have a frend retire excavator who is very detail oreinted to do donate his time. I rented the track hoe of his choice. We stripped the top soil seperated sand gravel and clay. The clay we used that was resident was used to construct the burm on two sides. the sand was removed and stockpilled. After initial construction of the burm and depth finalized it was determined that i had not enough clay left to properly line the pond to hold water. I had 50 semis of clay brought in. The clay i selected was tested from many sites that i found. I had the clay analized by my local soil and water conservation department. They said it was excellent and some of the best they have ever seen.. I new gravel pit locally was newly started and that is where i got it. we lined the pond with 14 inces of this clay from top to bottom. Packed in 6 inches all over then 6 more again. Compacting with the back of the bucket pounding it in and rolling in areas we could do. My excavater is very miticoulous and detailed in his work. He build a few ponds on his property and for others. We even used 200 grade stakes to assure proper depth and coverage. I am fortunate to have a sod grower accros from my property. We pumped in from 3/4 miles away approx. 950 thousand gallons of water. It took 22 hours to fill then we overfilled for a hour to see how the spillway would work. Everyone involved and watching the progress of the pond around me says dont panic! I am not sure if they are all correct. My pond is loosing 2 inches per day since filled. Its been 9 days and i am down about 18 inches. Is this soak time. settling time. Normal abortion? no viisible berm leaks that i can see.. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. I didnt find out about db 100 or db200 till i found this site after the fact.. Should i wait awhile before panicing? The fill pipe is still there in place and i can refill once more before they remove the line as part of my deal hiring them to provide my inital fill... Thanks in advance all... newbie, Gary
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,770 Likes: 302
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,770 Likes: 302 |
Gary, welcome to Pond Boss.
Newly filled ponds will absorb water until the ground gets saturated.
I wouldn't be worrying yet. I don't know how long until you should be concerned.
On the clay liners, many say to do a minimum of 2'. I'm not sure what you ended up with.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
The clay liner or blacket i put in was 14 inches everywhere. I just couldnt afford to bring in anymore. It cost me 8k to haul it in.. I read a few old us goverment publications and it said 12 inches at a average to a depth of 10 feet and 1 to 2 inches thereafter for every i foot of water depth..
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,770 Likes: 302
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,770 Likes: 302 |
So let's wait and see. The ground will wick up a lot of water at first.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,094 Likes: 1
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,094 Likes: 1 |
my pond is about 2/3 - 3/4 acre. it was built last june and filled pretty quick due to all the rain run off it catches. it is also fed by a pretty good lil stream. after it filled last year, it would drop between rains. once it was down 4". this year it hasnt quit running out of the pipe yet and we have had some dry spells. i even used a 2" trash pump a few time to pull water from it to keep my grass alive in the driest times.
i bet u will be fine.
Scott Hanners
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,065 Likes: 279
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,065 Likes: 279 |
14 inches might work if it was well packed.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
My pond is still dropping about two inches per day. Can see any leaks in the berm and looked around pretty well today. Cool weather today and the last few days so i dont think too much is from evaporation. Going to fill the pond to the spillway again in the next few days if possible. I figured more pressure with it filled will cause more settling and possibly help seal settle or create a visible leak. Cant be two big of a leak or leaks or it would have drained by now. Will keep u all posted. Thnaks for the comments.
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
Update: I decided to purchase db100 and treat my pond twice. I should have it in the next week or so.. I will post my results good or bad... keeping my fingers crossed.. Gary
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
I treated my .28 acre pond with db 100 (6)gallons. I waited a week 7 days, before adding another (6) gallons. I installed a gauge i can take readings on am and pm, currently i am loosing 2.5 inches of water per day, 24 hour period. Just pretty frustrated with myself actually. I did everthing pretty right with this pond from compaction to having good tested clay brought in.. to the db-100 to slow things up and to seal my new surface.. what now ?????????? well the best thing is that my landscaping around the pond is growing well.. My wife says the pond will be the nicest landscaped hole in the ground she has ever seen !!!!!
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
I put a gauge marker after my last treatment of db-100. I am dropping at a rate of 2.5 inches per day. I decided to turn off my aerators so i could look for bubles comming up signifing the leaks or seapage. One good thing about having the db 100 in is the water is so clear i can see out in the water to a depth of 6 feet or more.. Spending many hours walking the bank i see random bubbling in my steepest bank burm. Probably in a area about 30 feet accross down to as far as i can see into the water. I also walked the outside of my burm in the same area where i seen the bubbles. I seen seepage at the bottom of by burm in this area too. But this area of the berm is the tallest and the outside base of the berm is in the lowest part of my property. So now i wonder if this seepage is because of where the leaks are located or just because the water is finding the lowest point in my property? At the rate the pond is dropping it will be empty by spring.. Now that i have found this web site i have lots of time to decide and take suggestions as what to do when spring arrives in illinois to fix my problem.. So i would appreciate all the suggestions in what to do when the time comes in April. This would be a good test case for all of us to learn from..
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5 |
Hang on Gary and let's get an expert to talk with you. I'm sorry to hear you're having pond problems.
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7
Fingerling
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OP
Fingerling
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7 |
Thanks i am hanging off my empty bank! No other place to go but down with the water... Thanks.
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