Does anyone here do dirt work?

[alamo5000]

I am wondering if anyone here does dirt work for a living?

The reason is we have a pond that keeps on leaking a lot and I am trying to figure out where to start my research.

The pond is about 40 years old and the side that is leaking is the downhill side. Just beyond that about 50 feet is a tree line. The soil is primarily clay, but in spots there is some sandy soil.

Initially I thought tree roots had grown in and were the primary cause of the leak. Well, I went through with machinery and cleared out most (95%+) of the roots. I have been messing with it for over a month already.

Today it was still leaking quite a lot so I used a front end loader and dug a trench about 2-3 feet deep along most of that side of the pond, maybe 75-100 feet long. Where the slope of the pond wall starts to level out is where I dug my ditch. I intentionally tried to make the wall of said ditch on the pond side as vertical as possible so I could try and see what was going on. There were no roots, but there are spots along that vertical wall (on the pond side) that are just flowing water. Within just a few minutes the ditch was partially full of water and you can see where the water is flowing from.

I'm not quite sure what the next step is supposed to be hence I am throwing this out there for experienced people to help steer me.

 

[alamo5000]

I think I might have stumbled upon the answer right on YouTube...still open for discussion though.

 

[alamo5000]

At this point I am thinking that if I fill up my ditch with some heavier clay and compact it in there pretty good then problem solved. Maybe.

 

[NoDopes]

The only thing I know about dirt is burying bodies... But this doesn't sound like a solution.

 

[Duc]

YEA, BODIES ARE LIKE ROOTS, WHEN THEY DECAY IT'LL LEAK.....HEARD THIS FROM A FRIEND

 

[Maggot]

YEA, BODIES ARE LIKE ROOTS, WHEN THEY DECAY IT'LL LEAK.....HEARD THIS FROM A FRIEND

A freind told me that encasing said bodies in barrels of concrete solved that problem.

 

[jmp1]

I am wondering if anyone here does dirt work for a living?

The reason is we have a pond that keeps on leaking a lot and I am trying to figure out where to start my research.

The pond is about 40 years old and the side that is leaking is the downhill side. Just beyond that about 50 feet is a tree line. The soil is primarily clay, but in spots there is some sandy soil.

Initially I thought tree roots had grown in and were the primary cause of the leak. Well, I went through with machinery and cleared out most (95%+) of the roots. I have been messing with it for over a month already.

Today it was still leaking quite a lot so I used a front end loader and dug a trench about 2-3 feet deep along most of that side of the pond, maybe 75-100 feet long. Where the slope of the pond wall starts to level out is where I dug my ditch. I intentionally tried to make the wall of said ditch on the pond side as vertical as possible so I could try and see what was going on. There were no roots, but there are spots along that vertical wall (on the pond side) that are just flowing water. Within just a few minutes the ditch was partially full of water and you can see where the water is flowing from.

I'm not quite sure what the next step is supposed to be hence I am throwing this out there for experienced people to help steer me.

Do you have a way to drain it?? It's pretty tough to repair it from the outside. Hog out the sides and bottom. Push that material up the face of the dam and track walk it in. Bentonite can be helpful if you can get a general idea where the seap is starting. Spread bentonite out in a large area and walk it in also. Ground squirrels can be a problem also. Not my day job but I've built some ranch ponds and pushed a fair bit of dirt.

 

[alamo5000]

Do you have a way to drain it?? It's pretty tough to repair it from the outside. Hog out the sides and bottom. Push that material up the face of the dam and track walk it in. Bentonite can be helpful if you can get a general idea where the seap is starting. Spread bentonite out in a large area and walk it in also. Ground squirrels can be a problem also. Not my day job but I've built some ranch ponds and pushed a fair bit of dirt.

Technically yes, but realistically no. I would have to research to give a more definite answer. Apparently it was put in place as some kind of erosion control and with that there are some tax benefits, hence I don't know how they treat draining the pond and so forth or if there is any kind of process involved. To simply drain the pond by itself wouldn't be that hard at all.

 

[jmp1]

Technically yes, but realistically no. I would have to research to give a more definite answer. Apparently it was put in place as some kind of erosion control and with that there are some tax benefits, hence I don't know how they treat draining the pond and so forth or if there is any kind of process involved. To simply drain the pond by itself wouldn't be that hard at all.

If erosion control was the goal.....not having the dam fail is probably important. I'm not much of a believer in permits or permission for things on my own land but understand your concern. There's lots of factors involved but repairs from the outside will be tough. Jmho.

 

[Woodlanddude]

See if you have an NRCS field office in your area that has an engineer or engineering technician experienced in pond construction in that state. Vertical cuts for compacted soil result in poor cohesion and compaction to refill. You may wish to slope back your cuts to 3:1 prior to compacting. A loader is not much weight to compact with for starters. A small dozer is usually the ticket when doing pond work if you can get one. Bentonite (granular) is best done on a graded and tilled surface about a foot deep, then disced into the soil. You need to know what your doing there, though a lot of information is online about lbs/square foot and the areas to line depend on your leak. Only a drain under the core or in the abutments would likely be an issue. Soils can have a myriad of issues, hence the NRCS trip/call. They have significant soils knowledge. They will probably give you advice at least and possibly more if you in agriculture or they built that structure for erosion control in the past as NRCS or SCS.

 

[chevy_man]

Depending on the leak you can get bentonite to plug it.

Sounds like you may need to drain it and line it with bentonite.

Buy a dozer and get after it. Dozers are stupid fun for the first few hours!

 

[Milf Dots]

Flex Seal that sh**.

 

[Maggot]

Have Chuck Norris spit in it.

 

[n2ishun]

I know they make a pond liner and that they can make it as big, or small, as you need.
I know it's expensive as fuck too.

 

[Cardboard55]

The only thing I know about dirt is burying bodies... But this doesn't sound like a solution.

Buried in the damn desert? Unmarked graves out past Terlingua?

 

[myronman3]

get yourself a beaver.

you're welcome.

 

[acudaowner]

yes get a beaver

 

[Bigfatcock]

I like beaver.

 

[Milf Dots]

I like beaver.

Only if the pelt is highly groomed, waxed is even better.