Building Lake Corona

[ovrszd]

Quick question if anyone on here with pond building experience is following since I have none. Should the topsoil inside of the waterline be removed? Going to have quite a bit of area that needs done if so where I'm not currently pulling dirt from.

I would only remove it if I wanted it to topsoil the dam. Otherwise I don't think it's worth moving. Although with that said, I have a topsoil pile that I occasionally get dirt from.

 

[Jstpssng]

All of you who like rocks can come to my place and get all of the red granite that you want. If granite was gold I would be rich.

 

[dragoneggs]

Remove all top soil. Get the pond cleaned up good and packed, then spread top soil where you want grass to grow. Usually you will spread topsoil, plant grass seed, get a good rain, then ruts, then repeat all the above steps. I still have a huge topsoil pile from the last pond.
hugs, Brandi

If you want fish, the topsoil and grasses will help them out with oxygen and nutrients and they will return the favor. I suppose it just depends on how alive you want your pond to be.

 

[ovrszd]

I agree Mark. Aquatic creatures need something to feed on. Bare clay isn't it.

 

[jk96]

I agree Mark. Aquatic creatures need something to feed on. Bare clay isn't it.

Good to know. The two smaller fingers off the main pond would be the areas with top soil. Will probably leave these two smaller areas alone then. May leave a few standing trees or tree stumps as well along with a few large root balls for fish habitat also.

 

[jk96]

JK96,
How about more drone photos?
hugs, Brandi

Will try to get a few more shortly. Need to do some cleanup first of several trees I pushed over inside the waterline this evening. Getting pretty close to being ready to shoot the target waterline. I think I'm probably 3 feet from having the dam built to the overflow level.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I'm no expert, but pretty sure you want the top soil out. Some ponds have to bring in clay or caliche to line the pond. I've also heard of spreading gypsum to help with turbidity.

 

[dragoneggs]

I'm no expert, but pretty sure you want the top soil out. Some ponds have to bring in clay or caliche to line the pond. I've also heard of spreading gypsum to help with turbidity.

The nutrient rich soil just needs to be around the banks and shallow water where the light can penetrate. No need for the deep areas. Nothing green will grow without the light anyways. Over time the surrounding vegetation will deposit debris that will naturally create a eco-system and habitat for living things... all good. Some folks will put aeration features in to help promote oxygenation. Waterfalls, fountains of course are popular.

 

[bindian]

Good to know. The two smaller fingers off the main pond would be the areas with top soil. Will probably leave these two smaller areas alone then. May leave a few standing trees or tree stumps as well along with a few large root balls for fish habitat also.

That will work. Pond issues always mutiply from too much vegetation and/or nutrients. Never from not enough. Very soon you will see that. Summer sunshine on standing water will show how it will bloom real fast.

Heavy rains will put topsoil in the basin real fast. You have already seen that with the muck after your rains. Grass on side slopes and the dam is a must. Plant tall grass in the spillway areas.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

The nutrient rich soil just needs to be around the banks and shallow water where the light can penetrate. No need for the deep areas. Nothing green will grow without the light anyways. Over time the surrounding vegetation will deposit debris that will naturally create a eco-system and habitat for living things... all good. Some folks will put aeration features in to help promote oxygenation. Waterfalls, fountains of course are popular.

Pond dyes are sold just to keep excess sunlight from making algae bloom. Too much of a good thing is bad, especially in ponds. Excess nutrients, the neighbor's washed away fertilizer are recipes for algae blooms. Adding in too much topsoil (with it's nutrients) just adds to the muck at the bottom that kills ponds over time.

hugs, Brandi

 

[dragoneggs]

Pond dyes are sold just to keep excess sunlight from making algae bloom. Too much of a good thing is bad, especially in ponds. Excess nutrients, the neighbor's washed away fertilizer are recipes for algae blooms. Adding in too much topsoil (with it's nutrients) just adds to the muck at the bottom that kills ponds over time.

hugs, Brandi

No argument here! But a bare clay pond with nothing growing around it will be sterile. As you say... tall grasses and other marsh loving plants around some of the perimeter will bring life to a pond. Moving water and ability for it to replenish/refresh are better than a stagnant pond. Personally a sterile pond does nothing for me.

 

[two_bit_score]

Maybe a lot of these decisions will depend on what the pond will be used for. As far as a “farm pond”: “
Seed the pond basin area with a fast growing crop such as rye or wheat to control erosion during filling. Minimize erosion around the pond by establishing a good sod-forming grass, such as Bermuda grass, and by excluding cattle. This is the best way to prevent problems of turbidity (muddiness). A freeze-proof trough can be built into the back of the dam and fed from the bottom drain. Studies have shown that cattle have less hoof rot and other disease problems when not allowed to stand in water, plus you won’t have to worry about a cow or calf falling through ice and drowning. Another point to consider is that on freezing mornings you will no longer have to chop ice to provide water for cows. If cattle are present, your pond should be fenced to keep them away from the shoreline. If watering is mandatory, allow only a small area for access to the water to control the amount of erosion and shoreline damage from traffic.”

Pond Construction | Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

 

[jk96]

Maybe a lot of these decisions will depend on what the pond will be used for. As far as a 吐arm pond? ?br>

Water source for wildlife and a draw for deer plus fishing. No farm animals or cattle.

 

[two_bit_score]

Water source for wildlife and a draw for deer plus fishing. No farm animals or cattle.

Should be a lot easier and simpler then.

.

 

[jk96]

Here's a few new pics. Both of my businesses are getting busy again so loader time has been hard to come by. I've been working a couple hours from 6am to 8am each morning before heading into work. I ran a level across the pond and found I'm further away from my goal on dam height than I thought. Probably still have 4 feet to go on the ends and about 7 feet across the center to get it to where I want it. Will try to shoot some drone video in the next day or two.

2020-06-16_07-38-34

2020-06-16_07-38-50

2020-06-16_07-39-20

 

[EddieWalker]

How much dirt does that bucket hold?

 

[jk96]

How much dirt does that bucket hold?

Not enough. Lol. I've found its fastest to use gravity and push a large quantity of dirt downhill to the pond basin and then make shorter trips from the pile to the dam.

 

[EddieWalker]

When I dug my first pond, it was one bucket at a time, which took forever. I was using my 555E backhoe which has a 1 yard bucket. I think I dug for a solid month and piled the dirt next to the pond, then it sat for a year until I bought a 5 yard dump truck. Digging is easy, the real work is in moving the dirt.

 

[deezler]

When are you gonna get those trees out of there? (why wait?)

 

[jk96]

When are you gonna get those trees out of there? (why wait?)

Been waiting for a couple of reason. 1st the trees left standing are really good size and despite the size of my track loader takes a lot of time and digging to get them out. I'm probably going to rent a small excavator for a day and tackle them all at once. Second the weather has been dry and I've been focusing on getting as dirt moved to the dam as possible before the rain mucks things up again.