Has anybody built a pond?

[Heath]

I'd like to build a pond on my property. I'm thinking that I'd like to make the pond oval shaped and about 15x30 feet in size and deep enough to reduce the amount of sunlight that could reach the bottom and create excessive vegetation growth.
I believe that my primary problem may be a water source. I don not have an active stream on my property, but I am planning on building this pond at the bottom of a valley that serves as a watershed in the spring and after hard rains.
Question: Will I need to put a well in specifically to fill and maintain the level of the pond? I know that the depth of my home well is approximately 350'. Although the house will be about 500' from the pond and approximately 80' higher in elevation, I'm guessing that the water source for the pond well will likely be the same source that my home well is sourced to.
Any thoughts on this topic are greatly appreciated. Has anyone here done something like this?
Heath

 

[chrisjbell]

I haven't built a pond...yet. I'd also like some advice on this subject. I've got water (irrigation district), and most folks around here seem to do fine without putting in liners, although one of my neighbors dug really deep into the bedrock and had to use concrete to keep it from leaking.

I'm quite curious about this one. Can I do the work with my CUT (got a small backhoe and FEL)? Would I be better off renting a 'dozer? Money is a big issue for me - got laid off not too long ago so I have much more time than cash.

 

[tdenny]

I haven't built my pond yet mostly because I have young children and I'm very worried about my youngest tumbling into the water. Just something to keep in mind for safety sake.

 

[WCarlson]

I have a 1/3 acre trout pond that is 11 feet deep. I had been feeding it from both an active spring and a stream that I divert to the pond, an assured and consistent source of water. The two sources kept the pond filled and the trout healthy for over 10 years. Then we had a severe drought in 1999. Both the spring and the stream dried up and the trout started dying. My solution was to have a shallow well dug up in the woods above the pond in a place that was always wet. I contracted with a well digger and cut a path through the woods to enable him to get his truck to the wet spot. When he arrived, I found that the measurements he quoted for his truck were for it in a folded state. It was three times as high and twice as wide as the path I cut. He then informed me that the "modern" way of digging a well was to put the truck where it would fit and dig until he hit water (at $20.00 per foot). After he set up the truck he only dug for two hours, but went down 270 feet. ($20x270=$5400 + $300 for casing and $1700. for the pump, tank and hydrant). The well is 500 feet from my house well which is 170 feet deep. I now run the well pump up to 8 hours a day in the summer when the water starts getting near 70 degrees and aerate the pond with a dedicated high volumn, low pressure pump when the air temperature is below 65 degrees. The pump feeds a 2' by 2' airstone and will move 120,000 gal of water an hour. (cost $2200.) I have happy fish and am blessed with an understanding wife.

The reason for the long diatribe is that even a pond with an "assured and consistent" source of water is subject to the whims of mother nature and can result in a significant cash outlay, if you want it to remain healthy and not merely a muddy hole in the ground.

As far as tapping into the same source as your house: my primary well is 170 feet deep, my auxilliary pond well is 270 feet deep, I have neighbors within 1/4 mile that have wells 25 feet deep and 250 feet deep, as well as one that doesn't have a well, just a spring and a cistern, all at virtually the same elevation. The point being that water underground is rather unpredictable, you could find it at virtually any depth and the depth of your current well 500 feet away may or may not be an indication of the depth at which you will find water. In my case it wasn't.

In short, a pond can be a delight, however, you will need an assured source of water and should be prepared for a significantly larger cash outlay than you may plan. I hope this helps.
Good luck,
Bill

 

[gmason]

heath, we built a ~.75ac pond a few years ago. Picturepond pictures link

We had way too much water source so we had to put in a pond to control runoff. I have a 18" pipe coming into the pond and 3 12" going out. Plus several other small runoff spots around the pond to feed it.

If you make it deep enough, you shouldn't need to use your well to keep water in it. I use mine to irrigate the whole property with it, about 7 circuits now and growing.

I'd be happy to answer any specfic questions you have.. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

gary

 

[Heath]

Gary,
How deep do you think your pond is? How did you fill it? Did you allow the run off to fill it over time? Did you Dig until you hit water?
Thanks
Heath

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I know its of no help... but our pond has dried up quite a bit. Down like 3-4 ft. I hope it comes back up this spring/summer.
It is fed from underground.

Ken H.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If you let the pond start out shallow and then drop it off in some areas, you'll have some nice places of vegetation like lilly pads, maybe duckweed (which looks really cool) and other plants, like cat tails etc. You'll get a ton of widllife to enjoy, redwinged blackbirds, different species of swallows, ducks, and so on. I can go on forever listing birds that will visit. I saw a really awesome picture of someone's pond on TBN but can't find it. I'll keep on looking.

Blake
WA

P.S. As far as what machine to use, all depends on how much money you want to pay out for using a dozer or whatever. But it depends on the size of pond and how deep etc. An excavator might be easy, then you can haul your dirt away with your FEL.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Here's some pictures of ponds, just ideas. I hope to put one on my property when I have it some day.

Blake
WA

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Another...this one I don't like just because it's too open. I would want more trees around it, like a weeping willow, some cat tails etc. I'm a birder and so I see things more in a natural way and see how I can best maximize my chances of attrackting a lot of bird species.

Blake
WA