Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Where can I find clay?

I need to re-seal my 1/2 acre pond in Hillsdale County, Michigan. I recently had it dug and used grey clay from the bottom of the pond to line it. Unfortunatley, we went below the water table and it pushed right through the bottom and leaked out once the the head pressure from filling it overcame the water table.

I plan on filling the pond back to a depth of around 15'...... above the water table and reline it with clay. Where can I find clay or a borrow pit? I have talked to local contractors and road commission but so far no luck.

Any ideas?

If it was me, I would first start looking at the local sand and gravel pits. They go thru dirt every day to get at their material, some of which might be exactly what you are looking for but no use to them. Got any around you?

Rats! So sorry to hear that RC! I had a sinking feeling that when Bill Cody said that this will be a learning curve that he had an inkling of the way this might end up:


"Where do we find someone expert with Michigan gray clay??? Evidently there are soil scientists and there are soil scientists. Evidently the best practical place is a contractor who has built ponds with gray clay soil. Evidently your contractor is not real familiar with gray clay or he would have said "Hey I know just what to do with this stuff". This will be a learning curve for you."

As to refilling to 15', filling with what? sand/gravel? will water push up through that too? Might be a good time to again study the situation with good pond builders.

Check with the limestone quarries like a few of those around Toledo. Not sure if they are all owned by the same place. They remove a lot of top dirt to get to the limestone layer. Buying dirt is sometimes a problem. They're not making more dirt so the supply is often in demand.

I've contacted a local contractor more familiar with the local soils to get ideas/quote. The pond is currently at around 28' deep so I don't know yet if backfilling it to 15' will hold or not. Obviously it would need to be lined with clay/synthetic etc.

By far my biggest mistake was not doing my homework and matching up the type of pond I would be digging with the expertise of the pond builder.

I have a much better appreciation for what it takes to properly build a pond. And while it has cost me time and resources it can be course corrected.