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  • Results 1 to 12 of 12

    Thread: How would you seal this pond?

    1. #1
      kntry's Avatar
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      How would you seal this pond?

      This is my mud pond right now. The fish have dug through the red clay barrier and it has leaked down to maybe 1' deep in the center. It is a slimy, bubbling, disgusting mess.

      I started seining today to get the few koi I have left after the flood. They are very hard to catch since they have dug holes all over the bottom and the net just skims over them.

      Once I get as many as I can out, I'm going to pump out the rest of the water and hopefully, be able to walk through the quick sand to get the remaining ones out.

      I'm going to seine it a few more times this afternoon. So far, I've caught more Perch and Shiners from the flood than koi.

      I tried walking across it about a month ago and almost lost my leg in the muck, slurry of red clay.

      I'm hoping to drain it and it will dry out enough that a friend can come fix it. I really have no idea how to seal it. I don't think bentoinite clay will help much because it's sand and clay and my friend only has about 3,000 lbs., if I remember right.
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      Sandy
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    2. #2
      FIT BMX's Avatar
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      Can you dig it out enough to put a couple of feet of clay in the bottom? And to keep the koi from digging, can you line it with a bunch of 15+ pound rocks, or will that cause other problems?
      I really don't know a lot about this.
      Gallagher.

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    3. #3
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      Are you sure its the koi causing the damage and not some other type of wildlife? I've got holes all over my yard from chipmunks, voles, moles, raccoons, etc. i wouldnt be surprised if it is something else that might be trying to get at the koi.
      Just a thought....

    4. #4
      kntry's Avatar
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      This is how much water it's losing every day. These pics were taken on Friday and yesterday.

      I'm between a rock and a hard place. The only way anyone can come up with to make sure the pond doesn't leak again is with a liner. If I put a liner and cover it with dirt, it will be impossible to muck it out in the future without putting holes in a $$$$ liner.

      My son wants to fence it and put pigs in it to tramp the soil down and seal it but the pond is right next to my house.

      So the options are to muck it out and put more clay and wait for them to dig through it again. This took about 6 years. In actuality, it should be mucked out every year but I can't to that.

      The other option is to fill it in and expand my veggie garden.

      If I muck it out, I need to find a clay that won't turn the pond red or muddy when they dig so I'm thinking about putting sand over the top of the clay.
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      Sandy
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    5. #5
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      Sandy, I'd ask myself how much pleasure I've been getting out of having the mud pond, balance that against the maintenance hassles, and evaluate other possible uses in the same way. Seems obvious, I know, but when you're faced with recovering from a huge thing like a flood, it's easier to just go on autopilot and fix everything to the way it was "before."
      Mary

    6. #6
      Roger's Avatar
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      Kntry, there is something you can spread around the pond to seal it, I forgot where I saw it. I did a web search and this is what I found
      http://easleyinc.com/how-to-order-sodium-bentonite/
      Last edited by Roger; 07-26-2016 at 05:43 AM.

    7. #7
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      I think you need to start with grading the banks. I don't think you can have eroded banks and expect to seal the pond. Once you have it pumped and properly graded, clay is about the only way to go if you are trying to keep this mud and dont want a liner.

      We are lucky in that were our mud pond is located there is a naturally high water table ~2' or less so no sealing has been required.

    8. #8
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      Sandy, I hope the rain hasn't cause you any problems.

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    9. #9
      gander's Avatar
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      I would put down the betonite and then put a very thick layer of sand over top so they cant get too the clay, all of Genes ponds had slpoping banks they did not have ledges like yours. your water can seep at all the edges
      Last edited by gander; 08-15-2016 at 03:02 PM.
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    10. #10
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      Check this out, supposedly better and more reliable repairs than with bentonite:

      https://www.polymerinnovations.com.au/product

      I ordered to Norway and paid over paypal, and the pails arrived in like 4 days. Haven't had the chance to use it yet tough, it's been dry. And this stuff is supposed to seep into the leakage while active, and then expand and seal it becoming a part of the soil structure.

      I would clean up a little, seal it with this, and perhaps put down a layer of course sand.

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    11. #11
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      Sorry, I haven't seen the replies.

      The sides were sloped. The koi dug them out and they started falling.

      We haven't had rain in over a month so the very center of the pond has about 3" of water. I'm trying to find someone to fix it but so far, no one has returned my call. Our dump truck has a blown motor and our dozer is broken.

      I may have to rent a track hoe and get clay trucked in.

      I'm reading about the plug and seep. That sounds really great but I'm trying to find a price. Thank you!
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      Sandy
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    12. #12
      kntry's Avatar
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      I agree, Kevin.

      There are multiple problems no matter if I fix it or not. No matter what, I have to get dirt trucked in to fill it in or clay to seal it. All expensive and we cemented our driveway so the trucks can't get in the yard now. They would have to either dump it in the ditch or come around the back of the property and drop it there. We could use our bobcat to move the dirt to the hole. Filling up a 30x70x4' deep hole will take a lot of dirt! When our equipment was working, it cost less than $1000 to build the pond. If I have to pay for equipment and dirt to be brought in, I can't even imagine the cost.

      I had one person say he'd charge $1500 but can't guarantee it won't leak, so what's the point?

      My son may try to do something with it next week. We'll see.

      That Polymer stuff from AU would have been perfect but it seems very expensive and that's without shipping to the US.
      Sandy
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