sealing a pond

[techwrtr2]

I've been thinking about using bentonite on a small pond about 12' X 20'. But now I'm thinking concrete.

I've been thinking concrete as well for two specific leaks. I know the location of one and the other should be traceable due to subsidence.

I think bentonite might have worked well if leak was just a seepage, but in this case the leak appears to have become large enough to handle most of the pond's current outflow. :confused2:

 

[Taylortractornut]

Pigs work good, Ithink the wallowing and manure mixed seals it off. Ive heard lime does it to. The chicken farmer behind the landfill I work at had a leaky pond and had a sandy veind in the levy. He backed his littler spreader to it and dumped 9 yards onto the surface all over it. It got green really quick then sealed off and filled up.

 

[Egbert]

I recently had an old swampy mess of a pond reconstructed. The old pond NEVER went dry. The new pond will not hold water at all. The pond is now about 100 feet in diameter and ranges from 8 to 15 feet in depth. With heavy rains, I've seen this thing up to 75 percent filled, only to drain dry in a weeks time. The leakage is through the pond floor, as the banks show no sign of problems.

I've looked into sodium bentonite but .. from my quick calculations, it would cost about $5K to cover the bottom of this pond - not to mention the time and labor. I am looking for "affordable" solutions.

There is no livestock on the farm, so the pig solution is not an option for me.

 

[Gary Fowler]

We had some leaks thru the dam on our pond and we bought a bunch of Portland cement and mixed it with the soil to make a soil cement and it stopped the leaks. I would dig a trench to expose the leak, then throw a few bags of cement in, mix it with the dirt I took out and pack it with the backhoe. It worked and 94 # bag of cement was cheaper than a bag of bentonite..

 

[Hiltz]

Ive heard of old timers using a small boat paddling around and spreading dry Portland cement across the surface. The cement sinks down and coats the bottom. I realize this sounds really time consuming but if the surface area is small it might be worth a try. If you suspect its just the dam leaking you could concentrate on this area.

 

[Pondguru]

Yes - Sodium bentonite could be a good solution. Another option that might work well is a 2-part polymer called soilfloc pond sealer.

 

[bindian]

Just an FYI...this thread is over 10 years old. The original poster may not even be on this forum anymore.

 

[groundcover]

Anyone tried that Soilfloc ?