I have a nearly identical situation here except its more of a drainage ditch rather than a flowing stream. The 7' deep ditch is about 20' from the pond edge and has a half dozen older oak and maple trees on it over the 100' it adjoins my pond.
I would anticipate problems from leakage due to root paths and uncompacted soil in that area. I have had to excavate an 8' deep trench, 2-3' wide along most of this length and attempt to pack the dirt back in with the backhoe bucket when filling.
This has stopped the numerous running leaks but I still have a problem with seepage, especially in the top 3'. The soil here is pure clay; no sand or rocks. Didn't find a single rock digging the pond down 12'.
I would think that ideally you would want to remove the trees and dig the embankment down as low as possible and then compact as you built it back up.
Just my 2 cents on what I have experienced here. My pond is about 1 year old so I have no idea if this seepage will slow with time. I'm still debating if the trees are a better source of shade or firewood:-)
Last edited by WileyC; 11/25/08 01:03 PM.
