Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations quick basic q about uneven pond

if i dig a pond, and the water accumulates at the other end and leaks due to a slope, i assume i need to dig deeper on the other side to fix this - correct?

I'm having trouble picturing what you are describing. Are you excavating on fairly flat ground, excavating on fairly sloped ground, or digging a hole and putting a dam on the downhill side?

I’m having the same problem understanding that Theo has.

I think I understand. I read it as he's digging in sloped ground. He went down the same amount and the uphill side isn't as deep as the downhill side, and when he tries to fill the pond 100% full it spills over on the downhill side before the uphill side is the same depth.

My father and grandfather were plumbers. One thing I learned early in life is that water runs downhill.

And water seeks it's own level. An accurate level can be made with clear plastic tubing & It really doesn't matter how long the tubing is, just have the ends of the tubing vertical and the water will be level with each other. Fill with water, and see where the level is.

Thanks guys, apologies for the unclear description.

Esshup is right. Here is a picture to make it more clear, of the pond when it was half filled.

https://ibb.co/wBTTTDp

As you can see, at the top of the photo it is attracting more water, and at the bottom it is shallower, with exposed liner.

here is the problem in diagram form: https://ibb.co/RjjBrRV

This is either because I dug on a slope (I did), or because I dug too deep in one end. I guess probably the former.

I won't be digging up the liner, so what are my options. If I put more gravel in the top end, will that make the problem worse by raising the water level and making it spill, or will it displace the water back to the bottom end (in photo)? Or should I do the opposite, and fill the bottom with stones to raise the level there?

Every basin has something called the "spill point".

Where is your spill point? It looks like it is near 3 o'clock on your pond where that black liner is no longer visible. Is part of your black liner turned down under a concrete block? Can you fix that?

For maximum water depth, I would try to pull up the edges of the black liner so they are standing vertical, rather than horizontal. Put some pavers, or other cheap material on the outside of the black liner to hold it up vertically as high as possible. Then fill the inside with decorative stones or gravel to make it attractive to your eye and hide the black liner.

If that won't work, most pond liners are designed to be capable of being glued and sealed to additional liner. If you can get some more liner (or even some plastic scrap with the same chemistry), then if you carefully follow the "seaming" instructions and use the proper type of glue, you may be able to raise the low side as needed to get the water level you desire.

Sounds good. The pic I put in above was from a month or two ago and I had raised the edges a little. However, when I finally filled it last night for the first time, the 'spill point' was at 12 o'clock. I have no raised the liner at this point and put some mud in behind it. But I like the idea about the pavers so I might add those too

A useful tool when excavating is a laser level and reflective tape on stakes around the perimeter. It is a bit late now, as water works well too. Pavers, spare rocks, leftover spoils… all work well to bring up the low spots. Just don’t use materials that may rot away.