# Pond Construction



## bukhuntr (Jul 19, 2005)

I am thinking about building a farm pond on my property. I have no creek feed, it would be runoff only and I could install a well. Does anyone know what steps I would need to take in evaluating the possibility?


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## Lawnmowerman (Jul 19, 2005)

*Farm Pond*

Rent a small back-hoe,,  $120/day, start diggin,,,,    Seriously, size matters a lot. I have the perfect spot for about a 1-1/2 acre pond, spring feed and all, but the only thing holding me back is $$$, and you'll find out, when you get quotes from "construction/landscapers", that about the average dollar amount runs between 8-10 THOUSAND dollars,!!,,    I've looked on the "net" and haven't really found much info., but have simply talked to ppl. and they know ppl. and everyone wants to quote me a price. I tell em all I need done is a hole dug,,   Well, it aint quite that simple, which you will find out. I even work in the steel industry and can supply my own pipe and cut offs, and anything else made from metal. Still gettin quotes over 8k!,,  Ummmmm,, if you find some good info., post it for us other pond owner wannabe's,,


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## GeauxLSU (Jul 19, 2005)

Got to have the right mix of clay to hold the water.  If you have the right dirt you're way ahead of the game but you are still looking at several thousand dollars.  One of my pending projects for this year is to get an existing 'hole' made into a pond.  Also be run off fed since the spring dried up.  I may try and pump water from the river that is right near it.  Anyway, I've no doubt it's going to be big coin.  
Hunt/fish safely,
Phil


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## Lawnmowerman (Jul 19, 2005)

*Pond*

Yep, what friendly LSU said: You gotta have the right dirt. Fortunately, I live in Jones Co. (made of red clay), so I'll have no problems there...


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## specialk (Jul 19, 2005)

a pond built on your property is truly a long term investment and one you and the family will enjoy for years to come.  this is one thing i would spend extra on an get expert to look it over on-site......


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## CAL (Jul 19, 2005)

The Soil Conservation Dept.in your county will bore your land to see if it will be suitable dirt to hold water and the depth of the clay.If your land works out for a pond,I would contact a local farmer and see if he would be interested in the project.You should be able to get by much cheaper this way.If it is going to be a water shed pond,I would not put in a overflow pipe and just go with a runaround till you see if it will hold water.This will save you a couple of thousand dollars.You should be able to get one put in rather inexpensive if your dirt is easy to get too.I would try to get the dirt from the pond bed if at all possible.This will increase the depth.

Should your pond work out and hold,you can go back later and install a syphon system rather inexpensive.They work better anyway as they pull the water off the bottom rather than the top.This conserves fertlizer.

Talking about a well....I have a irragiator pond with a 6 inch well that cost around $400.00 per month to operate.One of the problems with a well is getting the amount of water per minute to make it worth the expense.My well only pumps a 100 gallons a minute and this is not enough.I would think 250 gallons per minute would be more in line to make it worth the expense.The electricity would be the same.
I watched a well man dig a well for the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Plains.It was a 12 inch well and it pumped 1200 gallons per. minute.It was to the tune of $40,000.00 too.I think it was 1100 ft.deep.South of me around Albany,they can get that kind of water at 100 ft.Wells are cheap there.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!


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## bukhuntr (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks for the input.  Cal does the well cost you that much to run every  month because of the electricity?  I have all kinds of access to heavy earthmoving equipment so I can avoid a huge expens there.  There is about 7 acres worth of watershed that would send water directly to my pond site.  I just built a house and alot of the soil around me is Wedowee wet, it would take forever to dry out.  I am going to put some more research in and see about getting the county to do the soil test.  My wife can't picture the pond, but it would be in front of my house and awesome.  My dam wouldn't have to be to awefully high because I would have to excavate back into the slope.  I am going to post some pictures on here to see what ya'll think.


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## elmerpud (Jul 19, 2005)

be sure you have somebody that really knows how to build a dam.  You don't just pill up dirt 10 ft high an expect it to hold.   We have a 3 acre pond with 3 neighbors.  We were lucky that the soil we had was the grey clay.  To build our dam we had to dig down 6 foot below the lake bottom.  Dug a trench about 3 feet wide and the length of the dam.  Filled the trench and built dam with the grey clay.  It does not leak.  If you do not dig a trench below the lake bottom you stand a good chance for a leaky dam.  Also have a friend that has a non-creek feed lake, the passed couple of years from late July to Oct the lake is dry.  We have a spring and the last several years our lake has been about 3 feet low during the same time period.


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## CAL (Jul 19, 2005)

I see your pictures! I have a friend that has a livestock watering pond in an area like you are thinking about.I have seen it mighty low but never dry!I mentioned getting the soil conservation service to do the boring to determine your water holding.They will do that service for free!
if your dirt is what you need and you have access to the equipt it should not be very expensive to do.From your pictures you can get the dirt from the bed of the pond and put it on the dam.My son and one employee built a pond in two afternoons with farm tractors and dirt pans in a similar location.
Without a water source you have a pretty good chance of a pond with water depth fluctuating a lots.Yes,my well cost 400.00 a month to run if you cut it on and let it run for 30 days.You wouldn't have to do that though.I was pumping the water out as soon as I had enough to pump on my crop.You could run a well from your house and avoid another meter also.It wouldn't take a 6 inch to do what you want either.Design your pond with a well in mind and make it a size you can afford to pump in to.A good house well that will pump say 30 gallons a minute will do what you want and not have to run all the time.A lot has to do with how deep the water is in your area.Around here it is around180 to 220 ft. deep.You can build terraces to divert all your water shed into your pond too.I have another friend that just built a house on a pond that he has to pump into.He only pumps a couple to three times a year when it is real dry in the fall.Rainwater keeps it up the rest of the year.His pond was designed to be filled with rainwater and a well.The pond is about an acre and it is very deep all the way around.It does not fluctuate much built this way.


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## Lawnmowerman (Jul 19, 2005)

elmerpud said:
			
		

> be sure you have somebody that really knows how to build a dam.  You don't just pill up dirt 10 ft high an expect it to hold.   To build our dam we had to dig down 6 foot below the lake bottom.  Dug a trench about 3 feet wide and the length of the dam.  Filled the trench and built dam with the grey clay.  It does not leak.  If you do not dig a trench below the lake bottom you stand a good chance for a leaky dam.


EXACTLY pud,,   They call this the "key". It "locks" the dirt/dam in place.


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## GrandSlamHunter (Jul 19, 2005)

bukhuntr said:
			
		

> Thanks for the input.  Cal does the well cost you that much to run every  month because of the electricity?  I have all kinds of access to heavy earthmoving equipment so I can avoid a huge expens there.  There is about 7 acres worth of watershed that would send water directly to my pond site.  I just built a house and alot of the soil around me is Wedowee wet, it would take forever to dry out.  I am going to put some more research in and see about getting the county to do the soil test.  My wife can't picture the pond, but it would be in front of my house and awesome.  My dam wouldn't have to be to awefully high because I would have to excavate back into the slope.  I am going to post some pictures on here to see what ya'll think.



7 acres of runoff is not very much. If your water table is high most of the time, it may work with supplemental water during the dry times. Like everyone said, invest some money up front making sure it's feasible. A pond is a beautiful thing, but a dry hole in front of your house is an eyesore.

GSH


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## CAL (Jul 20, 2005)

The people at Soil Conservation will answer all those questions.That's what they are paid for.


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## bukhuntr (Jul 20, 2005)

If my soil is good I am definatley going to pursue this further. I am a little worried about the lower end as it is kind of a sandy loam, at least down a foot or so.  I think this is from years of runoff and silt accumulating.  I have also heard it is wise to mix your red clay with another type of soil as the red clay tends to dry out and crack.  I know my grandfather had a half acre catfish pond in Arkansas that relied solely on a well pump and rainfall, no runoff.  The pond was only about 5 feet deep.  Some of my best memories as a child were our trips out there.  We would fish all week long.  He died in 96 and I went up there when my grandmother died last year and it was a tear jerker to look at the pond all dried up with trees growing up in the bottom.


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## the HEED! (Jul 20, 2005)

*Check out GON magazine*

there is a guy in there that advertises for pond construction and management I believe...?


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## GeauxLSU (Jul 20, 2005)

PSE TRITON said:
			
		

> there is a guy in there that advertises for pond construction and management I believe...?


Probably Greg Grimes.  Nice guy. http://www.lakework.com/
Hunt/fish safely,
Phil


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## Lawnmowerman (Jul 20, 2005)

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/fisheries/420-011/420-011.html#L2


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## cmzshooter (Jul 20, 2005)

*iffns you want?*

I'd be willing to help you with the pond. Ive got two round nose shovels and a wheelbarrow  Then it is just deciding where to fish.


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## Jr Branham (Jul 21, 2005)

*Pond info*

Hey Gang,
  Try pondboss.com, go to the main menu, then click on "ask the boss" it is a question/answer forum, losta reading there for ponds.


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## rayjay (Jul 21, 2005)

I saw Ray Scott on a Bill Dance show a few weeks back and they were discussing pond construction. Check out this link.
http://www.rayscott.net/sales/gsw.php


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## short stop (Jul 21, 2005)

I  have to say  this is not a DO IT YOURSELF JOB  --access to heavy equipment or not ---I  grew up in  a Grading /Pipe/ Buisness  family --3 generations  worth of  knowledge  here . We have built many ponds and lakes . We have also REPAIRED  I dont dont know  how many ponds built by people who short cutted the process . Ponds with flowing water that leaked  out  the CORE  of the  dam  were # 1 repair .Digging this out is crucial . Sloppy work  will never be seen until you try to hold water . WORSE off is  it that cost as much to fix as it dit to build the first time , NOT CHEAP .. Get  some quotes  from  some grading contractors /then go look at some work they've done  . You dont want an eye sore  in your front yard . --- PM me if want  some  #s  , I be happy to give you  some infomation ---- SHORT STOP.


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## CAL (Jul 21, 2005)

Being a run off pond,I would make it more or less round with no real shallow areas.This will help tremendously with the evaporation in hot weather.It will cut down on the water surface area.


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## bukhuntr (Jul 22, 2005)

SS, thanks for the input.  You may have talked some sense into me.  I am going to get some estimates from some professionals.  I definately want it done right.


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