MAINTAINING YOUR POND

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Aquaculturists at the New Alchemy Institute in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, report success with experiments using a traditional sealing method borrowed from Russia. They create a "gley" by cutting grass and other green vegetation, packing it six to eight inches thick in the pond basin, then trampling it by foot. The gley sits for two weeks and rots, but it doesn't decompose because it becomes anaerobic. The gley forms a gel. and after two weeks the pond is filled. A gley lining will hold water for a couple of years or more.

Sometimes concrete or ferroconcrete (concrete with wire reinforcement) is used to patch pond leaks. I've heard of wooden pilings being driven into an embankment to create an underground wall against leaking. I've also heard suggestions that both diatomaceous earth and ashes can be used to seal pond soil, but I've seen no proof.

Since water loss can occur because of defective piping, it's important to check basin drain outlets for signs of leakage. Be sure that water is not finding its way out around the outside of the pipe, as well as through it. Be sure also that drain valves are shut tight.

Leaks can occur because of muskrats or other burrowing animals digging in the embankment. Muskrats sometimes burrow in a pond basin, and their tunnels eventually leak water out of the pond. It may be necessary to trap the animals.

Tree roots incorporated in the dam or basin during construction may rot and open up leaks. It's important not to bury vegetation in the structure during construction. Tree roots growing in a pond dam can also cause leakage, which is why pond builders advise against planting trees on pond embankments.

Earth ponds, especially embankment ponds, are particularly vulnerable to internal and external erosion. Sloughing (sometimes called slumping) usually occurs inside a pond with overly steep slopes. The fill slides, and the pond loses its shape, perhaps leading to leakage or a weed problem.

Sources

For pond kits, aquatic plants, goldfish, and pond supplies:

Lilipons Water Gardens, P.O. Box 10, Dept 4692, Buckeystown, MD 217-17-0010; 800/999-5475

Rainbows End, 5652 Weatherend Dr., Cashmere, Wa 98815; 509/782-3301, 800/759-5475.

For weed removal:

Water-Weeder Harvester, Waterside Products Corp., P.O. Box 876Q, Lake Mahopac, NY 10541; 800/552-1217

Thus, while pond builders often disagree about things like spillway design, piping materials, or which are the best fish to stock, they usually agree about the slope angles inside and outside the pond. Inside, the slope should be no steeper than 2:1 in dug ponds (meaning two feet horizontally for each foot vertically), and closer to 3:1 in embankement ponds. Slopes closer to 4:1 are used in ponds where livestock or swimmers get into the water. Outside slopes which are no steeper than 2:1 discourage erosion, and flatter slopes make mowing and maintenance easier. Slope angles also depend on the stability of the fill, and especially silty, erodible material requires flatter slopes.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print