New to the site and have been lurking around lately. Found this site when searching about information on building a pond. Hopefully construction will start soon this Spring. Getting estimates currently on the project now. Pic of topography if I uploaded this correctly. Currently Blue and Red areas are potential sites.
Thanks John, Yeah the lay of the land offers us a lot. This property is in Boone County, Mo. We just recently purchased it and are planning on moving back to the Midwest to be closer to family and our son. So basically starting with a pond build, then followed up by a outbuilding, then a house build next year. I want to make sure we do this right since as I am sure many on this forum can tell me I have one shot. I had the DNR guys go to the site and check out where I thought would be a good spot and they marked on a Topo where they thought two locations would be good or combine some or both. The blue area is about 1 to 1/2 acres. The red area is about 3 to 3.5 acres. I am hoping to here from many of you in the area. For those near Boone County, any other Excavation contractors they may have used along with contractors for outbuilding etc. Currently I am trying to handle things from NC with travel back and forth when needed to MO to meet onsite. This should be an exciting year for us to get things moving. Hopefully I will get some feed back and suggestions from others have already gone through what I am about to.
Bill, if it were me, and it’s not, I would wait on the pond until I was there full time. Ask a lot of questions. There are a lot of dozer drivers but dang few good pond builders.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Thanks Dave, yeah understand but really need to go this route since I want to build a house based on where my pond ends up being and get a head start. I am currently retired so I can spend as much time as needed in the area. I am in the process of starting to talk with excavators now and working on setting up meetings with the ones I have talked to already that I feel have experience in building ponds. I am hoping from this site I may get a few others that currently live in the Central Missouri area give me some additional leads. Word of mouth is really the best way to find someone plus following up on references. I am already finding out how tough it is to find a qualified pond builder. The DNR gave me a list to start with, but I plan on talking with some of the homeowners in the area also to see who they used and any issues they may have had. There are a lot of ponds in the area and I can tell some are new from the GIS and Google earth. Seems slow on this site currently. Not sure how many visit the forum that much since I am new to it. I thought it would be a good place to start to get some feedback and advice. I have learned one important thing in life. There are a lot of knowledgeable people out there and listening does not cost you a thing. You never know what extra crumb of information can make a big difference. Also trying to research and read as much information I can. This has been in our plan for more than 25 years. Finding the perfect property of course was the first. We have looked at a lot of properties and this one seemed to fit everything we were looking for. I plan on being there as much as I can once the pond build starts.
Welcome to the Pond boss forum Bill. I agree the when construction starts it will be better to be there to oversee cause questions always come up along with new ideas or problems. Also talking to locals who have had ponds built is a good way to find out who to use or not use. Good Luck with your build and you are in the right spot to find out answers to your questions.
Nothing like seeing your bobber bobbing. 1 acre pond with LMB BG GSF BH CC and whatever else I can find Not after trophies I just like catching and eating fish Buddy R Hill
Welcome from Pettis County Mo! There are a small hand full of us here on the forums from the I-70 corridor and hopefully one can recommend a pond builder in the area for you to check out. My pond renovation was just done by a dirt guy, turned out very well and was affordable. So, if you need some generic dirt work done just PM me and I will get you a number.
That's just one of my main questions. In fact when I discuss pond builds with a contractor I kind of let them tell me their experience and see if they even mention Core Trench or Key Way before I bring it up. If I do have to bring it up then it becomes an immediate red flag. I take it a step further and have no problem asking about how many pond failures or leaking dams they have built in their career. It is pretty much a given if they have been in this business for a long time that they have had one or both at some point in a build. I am not looking for someone who just pushes dirt around. I am looking for someone who can create a plan based on my wants and desires! There is so much more to this than digging a hole in the ground or damming up a ravine. I have done detail analysis and project planning all my career so I am very detail oriented. I have a list questions and concerns in front of me during my initial conversation. Once I find someone that I think is a possibility then the next step will be to meet them at the property and go into more detail of want I am trying to build. If they want to visit the property prior to me meeting them to get a idea on what they will be working with I am find with that and I have had a few that have. I have tried to read as much as I can on this site and others and going back to the archives on this site. There are some interesting stories and builds. Some good and some not so good. As far as Mike Otto's book, I cam close to buying it but could not get enough information on whether it was more about buying the correct property or pond locations etc. or what. I really would like to know the chapter contents in it. I have read the several documents that the government has put out about pond building. I have purchased a few back issues of Pond Boss magazine and Ray Scotts DVD. I am in no big hurry to start the build and if it takes 2 months or 5 months to start because of finding the right builder then I can live with that. Sooner would be better because of the weather but it is not a deal breaker. Thanks so much for your feedback. Let me know if there is a link that provides more information on what Mike's book contains. Same for structure once a pond is being built. I read some articles that say stay away from adding organic structure such as stumps and trees etc.. to only using artificial or structure such as rocks and concrete that do not break down in time. I have always fished ponds with lots of organic structure but never gave it a thought on how it can impact the pond life. Some of my best fishing as a kid was a couple of old cattle ponds which were always muddy but we caught a ton of LMB and catfish in them. I can guarantee back then no farmer even gave it a second thought to do anything with the pond other than to keep water in them.
First 7 chapters deal with planning. Part I 1. Planning 2. Soil 3 Understanding your water supply 4. Dams 5. Emergency spillways and primary spillways 6. Shorelines and Surrounding Areas 7. Specialty Ponds.
Part II 1. Dam Maintenance and Repair 2. Erosion repair on dams front slope 3. repairing Pipes 4. Sealing Leaky Ponds 5. Renovations during drought 6. Permits 7. How and where to find help 8 Glossary 9. Table of conversion units 10. and 11. Other stuff
$29.95 from Pond Boss Book Store about 200 pages
Well worth it
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
The Extension dept at MU has a mountain of publications regarding ponds and aquaculture. It's possible they may be able to assist in finding qualified excavators to build your pond.
I don't know how much luck you'll have finding someone in this area who just builds ponds, but there are literally thousands of ponds in Boone County so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to find a dirt guy who knows what he's doing.
I can give you a couple names. Shoot me a PM if that interests you.
Thanks so much Dave. I plan on ordering it since I know what it covers. So things I already know from the research and talking with the Missouri DNR folks, but looks like it has some other great information.
The Extension dept at MU has a mountain of publications regarding ponds and aquaculture. It's possible they may be able to assist in finding qualified excavators to build your pond.
I don't know how much luck you'll have finding someone in this area who just builds ponds, but there are literally thousands of ponds in Boone County so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to find a dirt guy who knows what he's doing.
I can give you a couple names. Shoot me a PM if that interests you.
Greg
Greg,
Thanks for the link and welcome! Maybe some day in the future we will meet up. Anxious to move back to the Midwest and especially Missouri. PM on its way!
Welcome to the forum, I actually am an excavator here in Boone county but do mostly residential construction, have done several small ponds including a few NRCS ponds here in Boone County, but I have track-loaders and track-hoes, not really what you need for moving a lot of dirt a long distance as needed for larger ponds, that being said I know pretty much every excavator in this area, I actually have one of them assisting me with a 16 17 acre lake at this very moment, still lack a couple days being completed, I did my own core on this one but most of the ones that I know would not consider doing one without being cored out to good sealing clay, I am a member of the Missouri Land Improvement Contractors Association, or MLICA, which is the local chapter of A National Association of Land Improvement Contractors, I would be more then happy to get you a list of Excavating Contractors, some of which the majority of their work is pond building and land terracing. also the local NRCS office will be glad to get you a list of names that build ponds for them, obviously to their sringent specs, with completely satisfactory results, (they wont be on their approved list very long if they don't do a good job).
Now when you get ready to build your house I may be able to help you on that, it's what I do, including onsite sewer systems, water and sewer lines. Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions I can answer!
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
Welcome to the forum, I actually am an excavator here in Boone county but do mostly residential construction, have done several small ponds including a few NRCS ponds here in Boone County, but I have track-loaders and track-hoes, not really what you need for moving a lot of dirt a long distance as needed for larger ponds, that being said I know pretty much every excavator in this area, I actually have one of them assisting me with a 16 17 acre lake at this very moment, still lack a couple days being completed, I did my own core on this one but most of the ones that I know would not consider doing one without being cored out to good sealing clay, I am a member of the Missouri Land Improvement Contractors Association, or MLICA, which is the local chapter of A National Association of Land Improvement Contractors, I would be more then happy to get you a list of Excavating Contractors, some of which the majority of their work is pond building and land terracing. also the local NRCS office will be glad to get you a list of names that build ponds for them, obviously to their sringent specs, with completely satisfactory results, (they wont be on their approved list very long if they don't do a good job).
Now when you get ready to build your house I may be able to help you on that, it's what I do, including onsite sewer systems, water and sewer lines. Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions I can answer!
You would not happen to be Jake Gingerich? Jake send me a list if you have some names in PM if you would. I will definitely keep you in mind for the excavation for building a house and septic work. I hope to put a septic in later this year.
Yes that's me, I was kinda surprised when I pulled up the sites you were looking at for the pond and it came up the Boone County assessor's website, I went back and looked and it said you were from North Carolina. I will PM you some contacts that I would stand behind their work anyday, tons of experience.
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
Yes that's me, I was kinda surprised when I pulled up the sites you were looking at for the pond and it came up the Boone County assessor's website, I went back and looked and it said you were from North Carolina. I will PM you some contacts that I would stand behind their work anyday, tons of experience.
Yup, can't wait to move. Heading to Missouri in April to meet 3 contractors for a couple of days. Hopefully your snow is done by then. DNR gave me your name as not being on the excavation contractors list for possibly building a pond and stated you have done a couple of small projects for them.
MWB, welcome to the forum. My place isn’t along I-70, but I did spend four years in Columbia back in the 70s. So I’m attached to Boone County. Lots of great info and contacts on this forum. I went through a pond build four and a half years ago. Mine was a stressful build, because I had crappy clay and too much rock. Went over budget, almost shut it down before it was completed. Result is hours and hours of fun. Grandkids love it, and even grandma will jump in when the weather is hot enough. Good luck with your build. I’ll follow along with interest. Jeff
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Welcome to the forum MWB ,from another Missourian.I really like the Boone County area. I'm looking forward to keeping up with your build. One thing you might want to look into doing is adding a sediment pond, that can double as a forage pond. I have a very small sediment pond, but wish I would of put more thought into it as a forage pond, and will probably rework it someday.
MWB, welcome to the forum. My place isn’t along I-70, but I did spend four years in Columbia back in the 70s. So I’m attached to Boone County. Lots of great info and contacts on this forum. I went through a pond build four and a half years ago. Mine was a stressful build, because I had crappy clay and too much rock. Went over budget, almost shut it down before it was completed. Result is hours and hours of fun. Grandkids love it, and even grandma will jump in when the weather is hot enough. Good luck with your build. I’ll follow along with interest. Jeff
Thanks for the Welcome Jeff. I see you are about an hour east of my property. I read your pond build with great interest since yours is kind of close to what I am doing. Hopefully yours is not leaking to much and keeping up with the rain. Where did you find your pond builder? Was he local to your area? Nice looking pond by the way!!
Welcome to the forum MWB ,from another Missourian.I really like the Boone County area. I'm looking forward to keeping up with your build. One thing you might want to look into doing is adding a sediment pond, that can double as a forage pond. I have a very small sediment pond, but wish I would of put more thought into it as a forage pond, and will probably rework it someday.
Post lots of pictures when you get started!
Thanks Bob for the welcome. I have discussed with some of the contractors about adding a sediment pond. I think once I meet them on site we can iron out the details more and what exactly I am looking for besides an outline on a topo map. I will definitely keep you all posted. I also will be doing some drone footage of my project since I have done some video footage for others. Here are a few links: The first one is a dog trainer friend of mine training grounds. Second one is a friend of mine who own a hunting preserve and I shot a video for a European Tower Shoot
Bill, those are cool videos and very smooth. It will be really great to see some of your build.
Thanks Bob,
Easy to do when you can preprogram the whole flight so you are not messing with the camera angle and direction and speed and altitude of the Drone. You can plot your course out in google earth with camera direction etc then upload and fine tune on site. You just have to make sure the altitude is high enough with the older drones since they do not have collision avoidance on them like the newer ones today.