Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help New pond seeping

I had a 1 acre pond dug last August, Have been pumping water to it recently and have got it about full. I have noticed seepage from back side of damn and was wondering if this is normal for new ponds?? The soil was all red clay. also I have added some crayfish as a food source for bass that I want to stock, could they become a problem on causing seepage. any ideas would be appreciated!!

i think the pro's will tell you this is not uncommon with a new pond.i can tell you i dug my pond and it did have a small amount come threw 1 time after a large rain put about 4 feet of water in it within 8 hours.i have since added on to my lake several times and have not had this problem due to they filled up very slow.i would cut the levee and let it fill a couple inches at a time.end result they did not leak doing it this way.my guess is as the levee's settle everything will be o.k.you might have the same problem i did with to much water to fast.

thanks for info lee, I thought it could be that I was filling it up to fast, but when I spoke with the guy that dug it for me, he said it shouldnt be a problem? I am new to the forum and to understanding ponds and soil but from what ive gathered it seems most people agree that it takes a while for a pond to "seal Itself" I think I will stop pumping water for a while and see if things settle a bit. thanks again, if anyone else has any thoughts please reply!

Another potential problem is water running downhill within the back side of the dam and running out at the bottom. My dam "leaks" after a rain but never during dry times.