Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Am I trading a small problem for a bigger one...

I have a 2 +/- acre pond that I have posted on PB previously....have had a leaking issue with the dam and lose about 6 feet of water in the summer time.... pond is not near as attractive during this time and over the last three years the leak is slowly getting worse... Ive tried bentonite, chicken litter, etc... nothing has helped....
So I will try to make this is as brief as possible... I have a an area approx 4 - 6 acres below my current dam that would make a great pond... standing timber for great structure... tons of run off to keep the pond full... several springs etc.... I am thinking about building a new dam and basically filling the new pond and the old up about 5 foot higher which would put water over the existing dam and make one large 8 acre pond / lake. My pond builder has assured me that he can build the dam and basically flood this valley below the existing dam.. I want to leave the standing timber in the valley for structure as well as adding lots of other structure to this valley before it fills with water.... Can this be done?? I read all this about 6" of clay, sheep rollers compacting, etc etc....can you just flood a valley with a quality built dam and it hold water???

Alot of variables on that question.. Remember springs can also become drains with water pressure pushing against them..

what about the standing timber etc?? I have fished lots of trophy pay to catch ponds that were flooded standing timber... its pretty obvious they couldn't line these ponds with clay etc.

Another thing that I did not mention... the existing pond has a max depth of 17 feet with and average of about 10 - 12. The new pond will be 30 feet plus deep in some areas.... I realize I am going to have to do some additional stocking but will this water depth make it very difficult to catch my F1's?

That additional depth will need aeration to make it livable for fish.. Just keep the standing timber well away from your dam also around the trees will depend on soil make up..

If I dont aerate will the fish just stay out of these deep areas thus eliminating my worry that they will go down there and hide and be difficult to catch?

New pond will hold water providing a sand-gravel seam or shale zone is not somewhere in the basin.
If you don't aerate I estimate the thermocline will be at about 7-9ft deep maybe less depending on water clarity and wind exposure. By early summer of early June in AL the zone below the thermocline will not have dissolved oxygen. Your fish will not go into that no oxygen zone. Know the depth of the thermocline when it forms and fish above that depth in a normal eutrophic pond/lake.

Since you have a pond that is now not holding all the water that it should, I would remove ALL the standing timber from the new pond so the pond basin (all the pond that will be under water) can be properly compacted. Leaving the trees there also leaves escape routes for the water when the roots decay....

Also, how do you know that there isn't a vein of sand or shale under one or more of the trees if they're left standing?

They can be placed back in the pond after the pond is properly compacted if you want standing timber.

I think that if you don't remove the timber, and compact the basin properly, you will be trading problems. It costs LOTS more $$ to go back and fix a problem.

Im no expert, but man that would be sweet if it could work. I would love to have my own lake. But like essup says it could be a money pit. I only have an acre pond and my wife complains now about the money I put into it. LOL Oh well you got to pay to play as they say.