Livesintrees
5 year old buck +
So If this damn seeping pond ever dries out (nonstop rain for couple weeks) I plan to seal it with bentonite. How much will I need? I’d say it’s roughly 25 yards by 25 yards give or take.
Bentonite. How much.
- Thread starter Livesintrees
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mikmaze
5 year old buck +
big project to do it right, but should last for years if followed, not sure on rate of bentonite, depends on your soil. 1/2 to 2 lbs per square foot covers the whole range. I wouldn't skimp so you get it done in one shot. strip back a layer on the dam, till in the bentonite, to a 6 inch depth. compact with tractor tires is possible, then re lay the layer stripped off prior. you want it there to protect the sealed layer. figure that clay rate for a 10 foot deep pond, if it is 20, double the rate. is your pond leaking through the dam, or bottom? what kind of soil would you say you have.
Livesintrees
5 year old buck +
To clarify. I should have mentioned it’ll will only be around 3 feet Deep. It’s strictly for deer use. Soil is clay and loam for the most part in this area. It simply doesn’t have the needed depth. It has a seep out the bottom but mainly when we get several weeks of 90’s plus weather a good bit of it simply evaporates.
j-bird
Moderator
There is a website called pondboss that lots of folks turn to for help with ponds, fish and the like. If you have not looked there you may want to. The soil type is a big portion of the equation. I have a neighbors that built a 2 acre pond and they brought in 2 full semi truck loads of it and then spread it and worked/packed it into the soil. The ground here is very coarse loam with very little clay.
Have you considered lining it with clay? If you have clay in the general area the trucking costs might be reasonable. Do you have any way to add water to the pond when the level reaches a certain point? You could wire in a float switch that would have a top and bottom level set for adding the water and turning it off. Some electric companies offer a time of day rate where you could run the water at the cheapest electric rate. I have a dedicated pump for my pond in my six inch well that is set higher in the water column than the pump for my mobile home.
