Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site New Pond? What do you think

I am thinking about having a pond condtructed here. I would like to get atleast 10-12 acres here if I can. The property is 200 acres,This topo doesnt include the entire poperty,but it includes most of the draw that the pond would be in. I dont know what I was doing wrong, but I coulnt get the pic any larger. What do you guys think about this location? I know that there is alot you cant tell from the photo. Just looking for some thought here. Thanks

topo

The location looks fine, but there are a lot of unknowns that are more important. Soil types, total watershed, etc. Have you had a contractor look at it? Are there other ponds in the neighborhood that adequately hold water? Are nearby ponds generally clear?

No I havent had a contractor out yet. I am going to talk to the NRCS first to asses my potential here. It is a GEPP soil series. It is a poor soil for growing anything but hardwood trees or maybe fescue pastures. I has quite abit of clay and doesnt perc verywell. Most of the ponds are clear if they dont have cattle using them. They seem to hold water well. I am concerned that The soil does have alot of limestone rock in it. most of them small. Bedrock is 6ft deep or deep in most places according to the soil survey book. That is a pretty big season creek running thru that draw, but it will dry up late summer.

Well, as you may know, your ability to have a 10-12 acre pond is dependant on the following factors.

1. Economics factors, primarily dam building, that are influenced by the width of the area to be dammed.

2. Annual rainful (How much do you get?)

3. Slopes in watershed, which dictates the rapidity of filling in a rain event, i.e. if you have flatter topography, the water has more time to seep into the ground.

4. Types of soils throughout the entire watershed, which will control how quickly the ground absorbs the rainfall.

5. Soil type in the pond basin, which affects seepage.

Your local NRCS will be able to do some relatively simple computations that will tell you what is an appropriate sized pond for that particular location.

Obviously you want adequate amounts of water--but you can also get too much, neccesitating large costs in overflow construction.

I'd already start collecting soils from eroded areas in the watershed to see if they settle out in a "jar test".

1 Economics will def be a large factor. The area to be dammed will not be to long due to the narrow bottom between slopes. The pond will have to be a long narrow pond.

2 annual rainfall is roughly 50"

3 slopes in the watershed are very steep.

The soil type is pretty much the same thru out the water shed it does of a lot of clay, but the basin is very rocky.

Sounds encouraging. I really like the long, narrower ponds.

You absolutely, positively need to buy Bob Lusk's new book on pond construction. I've read it myself and it's a masterpiece. Likely the best book ever written on the subject. And believe me...it is a cheap investment in relation to what you're about to undertake.

will do thanks

Those are some mean slopes. I would love to see the surrounding topo to get the big picture of the drainage feeding the seasonal creek. I'll bet it cranks during a decent rain.
I looked at a similar topo in NW Illinois on a smaller 40 ac pc. It was two draws that came together within the parcel, then ran off as a seasonal creek to the adjoining property. Very similar slopes; about 80 - 100 ft fall from the crest to the bottoms. In my case, the pond would have been very narrow within the draws with a somewhat larger body of water at the confluence. In your case, it appears that you have the same issues except it is on a much larger scale. I like it. To build a walk-out basement low enough in the crotch of the 2 draws would be a good series for HGTV dream home, but if it could be pulled off....WOW! The obvious upside is a small dam in exchange for nice surface area. If I was still shopping and I came across this as an affordable parcel, the cooler would be packed and the hiking boots would be in the trunk with the compass and camera.
How far away is the nearest access road?

I wish I knew how to get a larger view of the topo on here. It is 200 acres and that creek gets crazy after a big rain. I have a 200 ft easement across someone else to get to a county rd. Other than that there is just 4-wheeler trails around the property right now.

Lagrue, if you would like some help with posting images I would be happy to help you over the phone. I'm working at home for now so I'm always near the computer. I could teach you real fast if you can talk on the phone while you're on line. Email or PM me if you'd like and I'll send you my number.