|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
Campfire 'Bwana
|
OP
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312 |
We (now) have a perfect spot to put a small pond. It'd be about 100' x 75'.
In the winter it'd be self-filling, but we have about 4 months of drought here a year, so it'd need a liner, I think. We have heavy clay soils.
I'd stock it with local native fish. Bass, crappie, etc.
I guess my question is, if your pond is in heavy clay, did you need to line it?
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,860
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,860 |
Generally not if you know someone with a D8 cat that will compact it for you....
********
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,249
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,249 |
Have the soils tested. You should have a county agent or soils consultant w/ maps & drawings somewhere locally. Hire someone who knows how to build a pond and has the right equiptment. They will know the soils and how to use them. If you have heavy clay that will be used as the liner. 163bc
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
Campfire 'Bwana
|
|
OP
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312 |
You get about a foot down and you can make pot with the clay... literally.
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,337 |
the old orgainic way of helping to seal a pond from leakage is to feed the ducks and geese egg shells. or, add diatomaceous earth and gypsum to the water.
lot's of old wives tales, when it comes to a pond. do you have an abundant amount of money to spend?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
Campfire 'Bwana
|
|
OP
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312 |
Hell no <g>. Not on this.
Where it'd go has a water table just a few inches below grade in the winter.
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,248 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,248 Likes: 1 |
Your clay will make a good liner. I put bass in our pond too soon. They grow fast and eat everything. I ended up removing almost all of them before I got any bluegill production.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24,290 Likes: 11
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 24,290 Likes: 11 |
And you can fuel your vehicles with algea from the pond. at least than is what our most intelligent and esteemed president and scholar Barry Hussein is saying.
Fish and fuel. A win win situation,
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,157
Campfire Outfitter
|
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,157 |
Get the county agent out there & have him test it. Might as well get some return for your tax dollars. If it's clay it'll Probably hold water, but have it tested before you have a bunch of work done.
Also, there's an order to stocking a pond. Around here you stock bluegill in February then bass in April, stocking five bluegill to every one bass. That allows the bluegill to grow so enough will survive the bass depredation. The county agent can help you with that also.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312
Campfire 'Bwana
|
|
OP
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 32,312 |
I suspect what I can legally stock will be dictated by the county. We are in a flood plain, and near a big lake, so in a flood whatever is in the pond could wash into the lake.
So I suspect I'll be limited to what's in the lake. I know there's crappie and bass; not sure about bluegills.
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,193
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,193 |
Interesting that you would pose this question. This pond at my camp is about the same size as the one you are planning. The substrata is rocky and it holds water all year, all though it's not too deep; about 8 feet when full and 5 or 6 during a summer drought. It cannot be easily deepened due to the rock. I just started throwing some bluegills in to see what happens. I will have to figure out some kind of aeration system before it freezes over this winter. ![[Linked Image]](http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b350/wildhobbybobby/100_0992.jpg)
Life is like a purple antelope on a field of tuna fish...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,614
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,614 |
We (now) have a perfect spot to put a small pond. It'd be about 100' x 75'.
In the winter it'd be self-filling, but we have about 4 months of drought here a year, so it'd need a liner, I think. We have heavy clay soils.
I'd stock it with local native fish. Bass, crappie, etc.
I guess my question is, if your pond is in heavy clay, did you need to line it? Not if done by a knowledgeable excavator. I have done several with success and no liners. Had two bad ones due to fresh water springs that were concealed.
Naught's had, alls spent
When desire is got without content
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 381
Campfire Member
|
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 381 |
Do yourself a big favor and rent a 12 ton shhepsfoot roller and compact the clay. Don't take a chance on a D8 being able to compact it enough. Core out the damn at least as wide as the dozer down 6' and key the dam back into the sides if you are damming a spring or creek.
Place the clay in 6" lifts and compact it with the roller. I have spent almost 6 figures trying to fix my dam and 2 acre pond that wasn't done right.
This sounds like a lot but any good pond builder or excavator will understand.
DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS or you will have a leaky pond.
Montani Semper Liberi
"Mountaineers Are Always Free"
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,350 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,350 Likes: 3 |
Test your clay, make a ball and drop in a jar of water. If it holds together it should hold water. If it falls apart you may need a use a liner, compact the soil, add betonite or something else to help help hold water.
You could always check with a soil expert in your area or a local pond builder. My guess is you will be fine just digging it but I am no expert.
Remember why, specifically, the Bill of Rights was written...remember its purpose. It was written to limit the power of government over the individual.
There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,586
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,586 |
Jeff:
You will want to do a core sample so you know how deep the clay layer is. When we built our pond we found that we had clay that was about 8 - 10' deep and then we got into a more porous decomposed granite. My pond builder wanted at least 2' of clay for the liner and it has worked well enough to retain water through the long, dry summers, although the water level does drop due to evaporation. It holds enough water for the fire crews to dip with a helicopter. No fish as we don't have aeration or flowing water (the water is piped in off of our shop and house roof).
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,860
Campfire Tracker
|
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,860 |
Do yourself a big favor and rent a 12 ton shhepsfoot roller and compact the clay. Don't take a chance on a D8 being able to compact it enough. Core out the damn at least as wide as the dozer down 6' and key the dam back into the sides if you are damming a spring or creek.
Place the clay in 6" lifts and compact it with the roller. I have spent almost 6 figures trying to fix my dam and 2 acre pond that wasn't done right.
This sounds like a lot but any good pond builder or excavator will understand.
DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS or you will have a leaky pond. There are literally thousands of stock tanks built all over the southwest using a bulldozer to compact the soil. If an operator doesn't know how to build a tank, it ain't the equipments fault.....
********
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 47,207 Likes: 5
Campfire 'Bwana
|
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 47,207 Likes: 5 |
Jeff:
You will want to do a core sample so you know how deep the clay layer is. When we built our pond we found that we had clay that was about 8 - 10' deep and then we got into a more porous decomposed granite. My pond builder wanted at least 2' of clay for the liner and it has worked well enough to retain water through the long, dry summers, although the water level does drop due to evaporation. It holds enough water for the fire crews to dip with a helicopter. No fish as we don't have aeration or flowing water (the water is piped in off of our shop and house roof). when we had our pond, we had no problem keeping fish in it with no aeration or running water. wind blowing across the surface was all we had.
God bless Texas-----------------------
Old 300
I will remain what i am until the day I die- A HUNTER......Sitting Bull
Its not how you pick the booger..
but where you put it !!
Roger V Hunter
|
|
|
V!-- END ADAPEX VIDEO PLAYER -->
|
|
540 members (16penny, 204guy, 1badf350, 1minute, 10gaugemag, 160user, 59 invisible),
2,066
guests, and
1,108
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,908
Posts18,498,213
Members73,983
| |
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|
