How do you dig a pond....

[chickenzoo]

OK, I have about 3 acres to play with in a treed pasture, but they are twiggy trees.. in FL. The ground has a dip down and then up again. I would like about 1/2- 1 acre pond or so with one of those fountain airators. for swans, geese etc... I have a 40 horsepower kubota tractor with frontend loader.... We have sandy soil/ clay. How would we go about it.......

I'll try to get pics of the area

 

[Dar]

i would see if you need a permit to dig one that large...

and if not start digging... there are plenty of tops here

http://www.aquahabitat.com/techfaqs.html

 

[MamaRoo]

Get all the neighborhood kids to come over and start their 'digging for china' project in your yard.

 

[Dar]

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[Yetti]

when I did mine I asked the DEQ about what permits I needed? come to find out up here I could open up as much as 2 acres without a permit...I dug two ponds!

 

[conny63malies]

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tell them you hid some pirate treasure with gold coins and hand out plastic shovels. Naw, for real, you need to call city hall and ask for a permit and then call that 1800 before you dig hotline. Let them know the general area where you dig and how deep, then they will come out and plant flags in areas where you cant dig because of any underground utilities.

 

[Wisher1000]

Whoa! Before you dig a big ol' honking hole in your sandy soil, call your county agent and ask him. He should be able to tell you if the water will hold or simply drain away leaving you with a huge mud puddle. There's a lot more to building a pond or lake than digging a hole. There must be a fresh water source, an overflow system, and I'm sure there are restrictions in most areas as to how far it must be from the property line. Do yourself a favor, get a licensed professional to build it and have someone to hold accountable if the research is not done properly.

 

[deerman]

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yes first need to see if the ground will hold water. clay would be good.......sand not so

 

[justbugged]

My first thought was one shovel full at a time. With sandy ground like you describe, you will need to line the entire pond area with a real pond liner. That can get very expensive with a pond the size you are trying to build. Also check on pond designs. When we built ours, DH just started digging. It wasn't until it was nearly to late, that I read that we really needed a shallow area around the rim for water plants. You will also need a deeper area for the fish to hide in about 5 feet or deeper will keep out most birds that like to fish. You need to consider your weather conditions also, a shallow pond will have troubles with both the summer heat, and the winter cold.

 

[DuckLover2399]

Well before you add water to your pond you will need to put a rubber liner down, and that stuff is expensive. You will most likely also need a filter, if your going to have waterfowl.