Pond Sealing -> Sodium Bentonite

[Rowski]

I need to seal a small pond. It's size is approx. (kidney shaped) 15x10x4. The Pond is lined with feild stone. There is a small amount of seapage. Most likely due to poor fill. I was told the sodium bentonite work well. I was wondering if any body has had any luck with this stuff. Also If the sprinkle method of sealing is worth it (on this small pond). I found a good company via the net in Texas that has a lot of good info. Does anybody know of a place to get this stuff in the northeast? Are there other methods of sealing ponds (other than liners)?

Derek

 

[Thomas]

Rowski,
You may want to check with the state of Vermont before adding any chemicals to the water,/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gifalso maybe they could help you better with your problem.

Like New Hampshire lately you don't want to get caught looking cross eye at a body of water with out somekind of permit./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Hope everything dryer over there near Jay Peak than over here in Lebanon./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Take care and stay/w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[Bird]

Derek, several years ago I heard that benontonite was the thing to use to seal the bottom of ponds and I did just a little inquiring into that. I understand it's used in the oil fields as drilling mud, sometimes used to seal borrow ditches, etc., and I don't remember what it costs, but I remember thinking it would be pretty expensive at the time. Of course, my interest was in a much bigger "stock tank" instead of a little puddle like you're talking about/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. And when you threw in that word "sodium" in connection with "bentonite" I don't remember that. Of course, we don't have to be concerned with stone or rock around here. A neighbor had a stock tank that wouldn't hold water, so he spread old sorry hay all over the bottom, then put good hay in the middle for the cattle to eat, and they tromped all that old hay into the ground that winter, and when it rained enough to fill that tank, it never went dry again.

Bird

 

[Rowski]

Bird,

The link were I got some of the info http://www2.itexas.net/~bentonite/default.htm I forgot to post it with the original post. In too much of a hurry to work on the tractor /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. Sometime (seems like most of the time) the "old ways" of doing things is so much more simplified!

Derek

 

[Rowski]

Thomas,

Check out this link. http://www2.itexas.net/~bentonite/default.htm. It's non toxic, so they claim. This is a man made pond (puddle) from the overflow from the resevior. Hopefully they won't lose to much sleep. Things are average here for rain fall. It seems like it rains every other day. Just enough to keep one from outside work. But not enough to get the ground soaking. I wanted to york rake about an acre today for seeding but it was to dusty. The people in the mid west will think I'm crazy /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif. Temps have been slightly cooler though. Hopefully we will have a nice fall and a good winter. My wife was looking over my shoulder as I was reading your post. She said "Lebanon, I haven't been shopping there in a while". I guess I know were I will be soon! Take care and stay DRY.

Derek

 

[Thomas]

Derek,
Indeed it does sound like you might be shopping in West Lebanon or Lebanon area,and if your wife should shop for a long time,just skip down to Town Line Equipment Dealer{Kubota}[wink} on 12A south to Plainfield,NH about 7 miles or so.

Thomas..NH

 

[W5FL]

Thanks for the link. I contacted them as well as another guy who advertised locally. My tank is 135 feet diameter and 9 feet deep and doesn't hold water very well during the very dry Texas summers. See what it costs to get this done. I was going to just bring in about 50 yards of clay, but bentonite is probably better - if it is affordable.

 

[Rowski]

Wen,

How did you make out with the bentonite? I needed little for my small pond. Got some for $17 per 50lbs bag. The next day a guy told me that is going to get some in Canada (25 miles away) for $22 for 100lbs bag /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif. Another really wet day wish we could trade sun for rain. Best off luck.

Derek

 

[W5FL]

They quoted $5500 for enough Bentonite to seal my 135 foot tank. Looks like it is back to hauling in clay. They quoted about 25 yards but that is just a little over a cable dump size. Wish I could find something that people would pay $5500 a load for. Guess tractors and implements sell for more than 22cents a pound, but that sure seems like expensive dirt.

 

[gordon]

OUCH!!! You sure can get alot of clay hauled in for alot less and have some money left over for a creeper gear! It sure must be some some good stuff.
Gordon