Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction POND LOCATION QUESTION

I am brand new to the concept of building a pond, so please excuse any ignorance observed. It is a learning process.

I wish to build a small pond on my property, and my desired location is on the higher elevation of my property. There is approximately a twenty-foot difference in elevation from where I wish the pond to be to the lower end of the property. Logic dictates that locating the pond in the lower part of my property is ideal, but it is not good for the property plans I've drawn out. Am I wrong to think a deep enough pond with a tall manmade watershed allows me to locate the pond where I desire?

How will the pond be filled with water?

Welcome to Pond Boss!

Every property will have a "best" location for a pond. That is usually based on the available watershed, the existing topography, and the types of sub-soils. Of course, on some properties, the best location still isn't good enough for a pond.

Is the location you prefer based on your evaluation of the land, or based on where you want to build the house, locate the driveway, etc.?

If it is the latter, then that is still OK if your upper site is suitable.

Do you think your land supports a groundwater pond or a "sealed" pond that will depend upon the run-off of surface water to keep the pond full? (I suspect you are probably intending to build a sealed pond.)

Even if your upper site is not optimal, then you may still be able to build a pond in that location but for a little more money than at the optimal location. Of course, if that matches your vision and goals for your property, then that would be money well spent.

Can you post some more info? How large is your proposed small pond? (For example; 0.5 acres or 150' x 150') Have you done any test pits or cuts to test your soils? Do you know how to read the topo map of your property and estimate the watershed for your pond location? Are there any rock outcrops near your proposed pond site? (There are lots of nice ponds around Tulsa. Some have rock outcrops along the shore that don't leak. However, I am pretty sure there have been some projects that did leak.)

Good luck on your new pond venture!

Regardless, look in the library of available books on this site, and pick up at least “Perfect Pond, Want One?” Or something like that as a primer.

I would have loved to excavate our pond within stumbling distance of the back door, but then I would have had no runoff and endless trouble trying to keep it full at high expense. There were many factors against this, including a small fast child at the time that was a safety concern.

Instead, we built one near 1000ft from the house where there was an intermittent stream to keep it topped off half of the year. This proved to be a wiser choice as there have been a number of dry years where a low runoff semi leaky pond would have near dried up like our neighbor’s pond.

Ponds won’t always go where you want them, they go where they need to be.