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Need help with pond! #8354839 08/18/21 02:04 AM
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RobertY Offline OP
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I have 10 acres south of Seguin In Guadalupe county. I’ve got a small pond on my property that’s maybe 30-40’ in diameter. Always has water because I believe there is a small underground spring that bubbles up beneath it. The pond is located on top of a hill, believe it or not, so there has to be something keeping water in it. Water is only about 1’ deep. Behind the pond, I want to build up a large dam and sides, then remove the existing dam and create a larger pond. So today I dug all the muck and grass out of the pond with water. Beneath all of it was a red/copper dirt, but it didn’t look yellow like pure clay. I then went to the back side of the dam and dug a test hole. The hole went 3’ and I hit a solid shelf of golden colored rock.

My question, is the dirt pictured clay? It seemed to have a high sand content when I felt it. This is consistent with what’s under the pond above, that has water. Should I just dig my pond and line with clay? I want the pond to be stable and hold well. Don’t want to do it twice. Plan on feeding it with an ag well to keep it up.

[Linked Image]

Last edited by RobertY; 08/18/21 02:05 AM.
Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8354895 08/18/21 03:08 AM
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That’s sand country south of Seguin. They call it the Sand Hills.



Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8358630 08/21/21 10:03 PM
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Would this be considered a tank when your done?


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Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8358866 08/22/21 12:49 AM
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To say your project is ambitious would be an understatement -------- my pond (I mean my tank) leaked ( underground, never saw water behind the levy) until it finally silted in enough to stop the leaks.

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Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8359133 08/22/21 11:56 AM
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Get with your local NRCS office and ask for help. They can guide you on what you need to do. Also find a reputable farm tank construction company in that area. He can look at the site and give you advice on what you can expect from the site. You can also do a perc test on your own. There are areas south of Seguin that will have a lot of clay and some areas in the Sand Hills that will have clay underneath the sand layer. An experienced tank builder might be able to find some clay on your place, if there is any there. Also drive around the area to see if there are any tanks built on the places next to yours or close to it. That will tell you what you can expect. Lastly, you can buy bentonite to seal the pond with also. I have done a small tank in the hill country that we hit a gravel layer in when it was just about done. It leaked out that vein of gravel after filling with a well. We bought bagged bentonite(since it was a smaller pond about 8' deep). It took 8 tons of bag bentonite to seal it, but it worked very well. Just labor and a small FEL tractor with disc to incorporate the bentonite into the soil. All told it took about 2 months of time to seal it. We put in 3 tons first then filled it. Then waited 3 weeks, then added 3 more tons. Last time we waited 2 weeks, then added the last 2 tons. Filled the pond again with well water and it held water. Never leaked again. We also had an 8" drain pipe/valve in it so we could drain the pond into a larger pond. It was built as a bait pond to stock the larger tank below it.


Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8360090 08/23/21 01:54 AM
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STX, what is the per ton cost of the bentonite? I have a pond that leaks. Is it the same as drilling mud?

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: 68rustbucket] #8360373 08/23/21 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by 68rustbucket
That’s sand country south of Seguin. They call it the Sand Hills.


yeah, but that's not sugar sand in that photo.

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: Hudbone] #8360447 08/23/21 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Hudbone
Originally Posted by 68rustbucket
That’s sand country south of Seguin. They call it the Sand Hills.


yeah, but that's not sugar sand in that photo.

up



Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8360496 08/23/21 02:20 PM
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The top 12 inches or so appear to be a sandy loam with clay below. Ribbon the clay out with your hand and see if it feels gritty. +1 on having the local NRCS out. They can provide a soil map, and most of the offices have soil augers.


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Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8360660 08/23/21 03:50 PM
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NRCS Web Soil Survey Website

Takes a little bit of use to figure out how to use - but is a helpful tool to at least get you in the ballpark on your soil types. It is highly accurate (within 30-40') on our place in VZ county.

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8360848 08/23/21 06:06 PM
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Send a PM to Cibolo. He does this work and from his screen name, I believe he is nearby.

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8368309 08/30/21 01:21 AM
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Looks like iron ore to me.


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Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8368384 08/30/21 02:19 AM
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[Linked Image]

Just finished this little one in Kingsbury. Completely
Lined with bent on it. Got 5 more going AMD we are going to mix the bentonite with soda ash to cut down on cost


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Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8375004 09/04/21 10:15 PM
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Looks great

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8376014 09/06/21 01:03 AM
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erathar Offline
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Wow, that is a little one.

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: RobertY] #8386017 09/15/21 05:37 PM
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RobertY Offline OP
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Awesome, thanks for the info fellas. I began cleaning and digging the organic matter out of the existing pond. I went to a clay pit (located about 4-5 miles from my property) and asked them to show me the clay they were harvesting. Sure enough, it matched the clay shown in my picture. I went back and was able to harvest a considerable amount of clay out of the property and began building my dam. My intention is to not take any chances, but to bentonite it from the get go at a substantial coverage rate. I don't want to go through the saga of leaks. The clay has a high sand content, so the bentonite should aid in sealing it quick. A truck load of bentonite was quoted at $3800 delivered, which seamed like cheap insurance.

Please let me know if my train of thought is off track here!

Re: Need help with pond! [Re: Cochise] #8386027 09/15/21 05:45 PM
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RobertY Offline OP
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Originally Posted by Cochise
NRCS Web Soil Survey Website

Takes a little bit of use to figure out how to use - but is a helpful tool to at least get you in the ballpark on your soil types. It is highly accurate (within 30-40') on our place in VZ county.


That is super cool. Used it and you're right, its pretty dang accurate. It didnt identify the ribbon of clay on the property, but I would expect it too, since the majority is exactly what it called out.

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