Would Cost Of Pond Be Worth It

Looks like you have plenty of water so why mess it up by building a pond? Am I overlooking something in your post?

There is a substance called bentonite clay that is commonly used to repair leaks or to line entire ponds. You put it down at a rate of about 2 or 3 lbs. (dry powder) per square foot of the pond basin, then you run it into the existing ground using a disc or rototiller, then you run over it with a sheep's hoof, a dozer blade or a soil compactor. Then you let it rain. Does pretty good but kinda expensive if your hauling alot in. Will kill fish if you repair a big leak or if you introduce fish too soon.Good luck.

Rock, if its still like it used to be, if you have the CC build--or stock it, you HAVE to let outsiders in to fish. I'd get a dozer man to come look at it--they have to knowledge it takes to judge if the areas good for a pond.

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On the cost of my pond they had a large trackhoe, two large dump trucks, a large bulldozer and a large farm tractor (for pulling out the trucks when they got stuck) going from about sun-up to sun-down. Ran about $1K per day. They left about a one-area pond with two islands which averages about 6' deep.

Agreement was once they started they would run seven days a week until completed. Problem was there my land has a high water table and a heavy rain would have stopped work. Fortunately it didn't rain during the construction.

Area was probably a wetlands. I went into the NRCS office and asked what specific wetlands I had on my farm. They looked it up and said only one area on the other end of the farm. I said thank you and left. It was treed, which had to be removed before actual digging could start.

Afterwards the NRCS said they would have given me a permit anyway as it would have fallen under 'the greater use' concept. Where before it just had swamp critters, it is not an oasis for migrating geese and such.

Pond is spring fed and it is all a 6" pipe can do to keep it from overflowing. About eight years now and haven't seen a single cattail.

Ponds under a certain size are generally exempt from permitting.

From what little I know, more than half the ponds built with a liner, or with added clay could have been built without it.

I agree with having your local government pond experts come out. I did that. They had loads of excellent information.

Big R, You're in a fire area, and you love fish. Can you haul in some clay to line it with? My dad built one at his NYState farm, and it's the center of the place, with swimming, wild life, amazing birds, etc. Just hope there's a cheaper way than 25K!!! LDC

I had a Guy from the state came out and looked at where I wanted to put a Pond and he said it wouldn't hold there and sugested the spring,said it might hold I just hate putting a bunch of money in it just to have a big mess.

big rockpile

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I'm guessing the drop at the side where the small waterfalls are at 4'. If so, if you did nothing but bring in loads of clayish dirt and have them spread and packed by a dozer in a semi-circle you could well be left with a pond at least 4' deep of whatever size you were to choose. You would, of course, have to either put in a spillway or fall tube where it water naturally drains away now.

Another option would be to bring in a trackhoe and have them dig out enough to provide the levee dirt. Depending on the slope it might be shallow at the waterfall end (so you don't lose them) and then deeper downhill.

Locally trackhoes and dozers go for $80-$90 hour depending on size. An extend-a-boom backhoe can also work, but a trackhoe can do several times the work in the same period.

If you know someone with that type of equipment have them come out and give you a ballpark estimate.