Most people think that all you need is a hole in the ground for a good pond. Many issues such as water table depth, slope, depth, and sunlight exposure can drastically improve or ruin a new pond. We also offer consultations regarding pond management for weed control, trophy fish management and aquascaping.
We have provided this level of consulting internationally for 12 years. Here are a few things to put in to consideration when you are building a pond.

Picking a site to build a pond is a small part. Construction, maintenance and preventing leaks from occurring in your pond can save you a lot of time and money in your investment. Giving you more time to be fishing!

Site selection
Topography, drainage area and soil content are the keys to making a good site location. Pond need to be located in an area with a watershed ratio between 10:1 and 15:1 (10 to 15 acres of watershed per 1 acre of impounded water)This ratio will help provide water to the pond without causing damage to the dam and spillway. Soil should contain minimum of 20 percent clay for a good compaction during construction. Help prevent excess leaking on the pond floor and around the dam. Try not to get to much clay it can crack and cause leaks during drought conditions. Bentonite is another option for sealing to prevent and stop leaks, can be your best option bentonite (Volclay) swells 10 to 15 times it original volume. Best results mix clay with original dam and pond bedding apply compaction before putting
water in pond.

Design and Construction
Good pond construction is essential for preventing excess leaking. If your pond basin contains course grain soil, blanket of high clay material is necessary to prevent leak and proper sealing. Building the dam is a very important part to getting your pond to hold water. Dam should be 10-12 ft wide at the top for most ponds to maintain structure and prevent erosion during floods. The upstream side of the dam should have a slope that is no steeper than 3 to 1 needs to be protected from wave’s erosion with grass or a rock blanket. Make sure your dam is high enough to hold and convert water to the spill way. Installing a spill way is important part of building a dam correctly, spill ways are over looked most of the time.

Maintenance
Maintenance is necessary to keep your pond in good condition help prevent leaks from occurring. The shoreline should be keep free of new growing trees and brush. Keep the grass mowed to help prevent critters from wanting to bore homes around the shoreline. The dam front and back should be kept free of trees and shrubs, decaying roots can and will cause leaks. Inspect the dam for erosion from livestock and waves. Help prevent to repair with rock bedding added to the edges. This will help eliminate and prevent damage to the shoreline and dam. The spill way should be keep clean of debris prevent clogging and erosion around the spillway. Lack of maintenance is one of the most common reasons for leaks to occur in your pond. Following this few steps can help your pond hold and prevent leaks from occurring in your pond, for you and your family to enjoy many years to come in your investment. For more information contact Estate Management Services.