Found an old pond - needs water

jk96 · Dec 1, 2009

Well I had almost given up on the pond and got a surprise today. Got a phone call and found out the pond was done. The operator was a no-show after several calls this summer and I had placed it on the backburner until next spring.

Unfortutely since I didn't know he was working on it I wasn't there to take pictures. The only pictures I got were a few from my trail camera. The project only took him about 6 hours to clean it out. Looks like some pretty heavy clay throughout and should hold well. Time will tell.

Only took one photo from my phone of the finished project. I'll try to take some better pictures this weekend.

EddieWalker · Dec 2, 2009

Good thing for the game camera!!!!

Congrats, now the fun begins. There's nothing that compares to seeing it fill up and overflow for the first time.

Eddie

jinman · Dec 2, 2009

EddieWalker said:
There's nothing that compares to seeing it fill up and overflow for the first time.

Eddie, that's so true. However, there are two ponds close to me that were so poorly planned and placed that they rarely have as much water in them as my toilet.

Unlike the movie title, just because you build it is no guarantee that the water will come. I'm sure that's not the case of jk96's pond and I'm looking forward to seeing some filled pictures.

jk96 · Dec 2, 2009

I'm sure that's not the case of jk96's pond and I'm looking forward to seeing some filled pictures.

I hope your right Jim. All of the topos show water there at some time in the past. The soil looks good so I'm hoping there enough runoff to fill it. I've been cussing all the rain we've had lately and now I can't wait for more.

Any suggestions on what type of vegatation to plant both on the spillway and around the pond for erosion control?

Jeremy

jinman · Dec 2, 2009

jk96 said:
Any suggestions on what type of vegatation to plant both on the spillway and around the pond for erosion control?

Jeremy

I think this time of year you would do well to plant some rye grass for quick germination. If it were springtime, I'd say wheat, but I don't know if it would germinate in cooler temperatures. Rye grass can germinate in the range of 50 to 70 degrees F if it is kept moist and in contact with the soil. For your application, some lawngrass seed with a fescue or Kentucky bluegrass mix might be best. You will also get the best results if you drag a section of weighted chainlink fence over the seed so they are covered by up to 1/4" of soil. What you don't want is to leave the seed spread all over the top of your soil so they wash into the bottom of your pond at the first heavy rain. Also, migrating birds can eat a lot of your seeds if they discover them.

jk96 · Dec 2, 2009

Thanks Jim,

I'm in NW MO so the temp here today is already mid 30's. I may have to wait until early spring.

jk96 · Dec 2, 2009

Took a little better picture today. Went back out to place the trail camera on the pond. I figured it may make some interesting pictures in the future to document the progress as it fills along with some of the wildlife that uses it.

jk96 · Mar 11, 2010

First signs of water.

We recieved .45 inches of rain last week and the first signs of water appeared.

Another .3 inches of rain yesterday.

EddieWalker · Mar 11, 2010

I'm suprised you haven't received more rain. We're getting rain here on a weekly basis. My ground is so saturated that the water is just oozing out of it and my ponds are bot full and overflowing.

Are you going to put any structure in there for the fish? Something to hide in?

Eddie

jk96 · Mar 11, 2010

We've had quite a bit of snow over the winter, last storm was 8 inches, but the melt off was so slow that we really didn't get any runoff from it. The last two rains were the first significant rainfall we've had. The rain was more of a soaker and not a downpoor but it's nice to see a little water there anyway.