Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,899
Posts557,082
Members18,451
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,414
ewest 21,474
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,110
Who's Online Now
8 members (homewardbound, Justin W, Sunil, DenaTroyer, Freg, Donatello, jludwig, catscratch), 756 guests, and 207 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#3160 11/24/03 03:34 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 48
T
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
T
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 48
My half acre pond is down probably 3 ft since the time I bought the property last summer. The locals tell me the problem is the pond "leaks" and after hours of searching for seepage around the hillsides (pond is on top of a hill) I never found any seepage. So, as luck would have it, I camped out on the property last week during deer season and got to see what was happening during a heavy rainstorm. The pond isn't leaking, but the watershed is!

The pond is built at the tail end of what was a small strip coal mine. The effective watershed is a little over six acres and looks like a amphitheater (sloped on three sides and then flattening out by the pond). What I saw during the rainstorm was water running down hill toward the pond and then disappearing into holes in the ground. The draining of water into these holes was noticeably loud, like the sound of someone emptying a bathtub. One hole was about two inches in diameter and the other was about twice the size. The area around the holes is a weedy field and the surface soil is a heavy clay.

Obviously the water has found its way down into unconsolidated subsurface soil and rock structures that are backfill for the mine. I have no idea where the water is going, but I do know that it isn't making its way to the pond. I found other holes too and all are at an elevation above the pond water level. What's really strange is not all the holes are at the same elevation!

I feel if I can plug these holes, the pond will recharge and even increase in size. I'm looking for any input about how to solve the problem. In the short term, I took a shovel out there and manually tamped heavy clay into the holes. Long term I am considering using a dozer to move soil out of the area with the drain holes, line with Bentonite, and then cap. But that is the costly solution. Anyone have ideas about how to fix the watershed leaks or had similar experiences?

Thanks!

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,346
Likes: 96
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine
Lunker
Offline
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,346
Likes: 96
I wouldn't use bentonite. Pack those holes with native soils, or with rocks packed with soils, or try to divert flowing water. Consider building small diversion terraces, guiding water away from areas where the holes are, more directly into your pond.


Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 48
T
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
T
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 48
Bob,

Thanks for the advice. I noticed my pond rose about 6 inches during a week when we got far less than 6 inches of rain, so I'm thinking that plugging those holes may have helped. I'll plug the rest and see what happens.

As I mentioned in my first post, the watershed is former strip mined land and the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources did the reclamation work. They installed terraces and berms to divert the water to the pond area. All I have is about an acre or so of 'leaky' ground that is catching the runoff. I thought about laying some tile through this area to 'bridge' it, but if I can stop the leaking the pond will eventually enlarge and cover the leaky ground. Thus the interest in stopping the leaks; a double benefit of greater depth and surface area.


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
Bob Lusk, GaryK, GrizzFan, PhotographerDave
Recent Posts
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by Sunil - 03/28/24 12:39 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by Sunil - 03/28/24 12:39 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 11:01 AM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by esshup - 03/28/24 10:39 AM
Brooder Shiners and Fry, What to do??
by Freg - 03/28/24 09:42 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by esshup - 03/28/24 08:36 AM
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by Justin W - 03/28/24 08:19 AM
Reducing fish biomass
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:18 AM
Questions and Feedback on SMB
by Donatello - 03/27/24 03:10 PM
2024 North Texas Optimal BG food Group Buy
by Dave Davidson1 - 03/27/24 08:15 AM
Freeze Danger? - Electric Diaphragm Pump
by esshup - 03/26/24 09:47 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5