Nick,
You never gave any details on the initial construction of your pond.
What was the clay content of your pond material? How was it compacted? Did they compact with the material near the optimum water content?
If your pond has decent to good clay, but it was not compacted correctly during initial construction, then you might fix the leak just with improved compaction.
If there was decent compaction and you only have small leaks, then amending your current pond material, then disking it into the soil, then compacting again might work.
My rental rate down here on a Cat CP563 (84") vibratory padfoot roller is $743/day. That machine is capable of compaction much greater than a heavy wheel loader.
I am asking a lot of questions, because I suspect I will run into a similar situation when I construct my new ponds!
What is your bid for trucking, spreading, and compacting the clay for the liner?
The other option (if you are only leaking a little bit) is to look at the Soil-Floc polymer sealer. If that is potentially feasible for your situation, then contact Teehjaeh for a cost estimate. He is not too far from you (Lincoln, NE). That might be a cheaper fix than trucking in the clay liner.
Good luck on getting your pond sealed!
