Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How to get started?

I have dreamed since I was a child to have my own pond, but i never thought there were so many things to take into consideration. First off are there anyways to fill a pond where there isnt a natural spring or stream? Also is it possible that a pond can be dug and not lined with anything, but also not leak. how should a pond be constructed, and how can it be kept full? I would love a 5 acre pond roughly what would be the price on that and would it be cheaper to buy used equipment and dig myself. And finally do I or Dont I want to hit the water table? thanks any input will be greatly apreciated

Lots of questions! First off if you go to my homepage you can download the Pond Construction Guide to help answer some of your questions. Visit some of your neighbors that have pond and find out what their rough cost were as it can vary from state to state. As far as cost my pond is only 1/3 of an acre took 56 hours of work and cost 2800.00 for the backhoe operator to dig it. All the finish work I did with my tractor a box blade and a dirt scoop. Smeone else who needed the fill paid another 1000.00 for the dirt to be hauled off. Hope that helps a little.

Bob

Live your dream but first do a lot of research. If you can find a pro in your area I think it's well worth the cost. I have see the horror that some supposd pond builders have left. I found a great "Pond Carver" here in NY. He really is a "Carver" vs. just a builder. You can see the results on this web site: http://frontiernet.net/~catpond/

We had a difficult site that some other "builders" were scared off by. Thank God.... It was a bog area that was very over grown with brush. Quite a challenge but so worth it as you will see by looking at the photo album on the web site.

Good Luck.

as for hitting the water table or not...
There is a gravel pit going in my backyard if we renew the contractors lease the pond may be as big as 14 acres.
This pond is dug into the water table. This is a very unique situation because its being dug with a couple big payloaders, not bull dozers. Also this is a huge contractor (using the gravel for a highway) and is dewattering the pit into a local creek. The neighbors well ran dry because of the dewattering.
The expense of digging a pond like this makes it very impractical for pond builders. Also you can never drain or fill the pond. If the water table drops so does your pond, no way to top it off with a well or fix a leak. If you have gravel on your property it might be worth a try, but to dig into the water table a significant amount requires extra equipment, time and expense. And has several disadvantages.

Thank you all very much. You have helped me very much hopefully someday I will be able to post my pond on here thanks again

Dear pondenvy
I read somewhere that you may be looking for a contractor in the Gillett area. I live in Oconto Falls and know of some GOOD contractors. If you'd like info., e-mail me at skidrow@ez-net.com