Building Lake Corona

dragoneggs · Apr 19, 2020

Do you have a way to drain it or do you care? Have you researched using some bentonite to help seal it? I understand golf courses use this for sealing manmade ponds.

Also if you haven't already checked out Eddie Walker's pond and gazebo... more like incredible Pavillion, that is definitely worth a look. I'm sure you are way ahead of me.

jk96 · Apr 19, 2020

dragoneggs said:
Do you have a way to drain it or do you care? Have you researched using some bentonite to help seal it? I understand golf courses use this for sealing manmade ponds.

Also if you haven't already checked out Eddie Walker's pond and gazebo... more like incredible Pavillion, that is definitely worth a look. I'm sure you are way ahead of me.

I plan to put in a siphon drain for the overflow. This will serve as both the overflow and a way to drain it if needed. I've followed a lot of Eddie's projects including the gazebo. Great stuff.

ovrszd · Apr 20, 2020

Speaking of wildlife, they are all gonna love your new Lake!!!!

jk96 · Apr 21, 2020

ovrszd said:
Speaking of wildlife, they are all gonna love your new Lake!!!!

The deer have already found the small amount of water that is there now. Been working on some other more time critical projects the last few days. Will probably get started on the pond again next week.

WGI_0036

dragoneggs said:
Have you researched using some bentonite to help seal it?

I don't think I'm going to need it. Plenty of good clay to work with so far. Water is only down 1-1/2" over 5 days. Pretty good for the first fill and such a small body of water.

Molalla1 · Apr 21, 2020

^^^^^ that is good. Nice picture.

dragoneggs · Apr 21, 2020

jk96 said:
The deer have already found the small amount of water that is there now. Been working on some other more time critical projects the last few days. Will probably get started on the pond again next week.

WGI_0036
I don't think I'm going to need it. Plenty of good clay to work with so far. Water is only down 1-1/2" over 5 days. Pretty good for the first fill and such a small body of water.

Hopefully you will not need to seal it. When I looked into bentonite for a pond I was contemplating, I quickly realized it wasn't cheap! I have some 'veins' of clay but not where my pseudo pond happens to be.

I have some underground springs that fill a low spot so I would have a small pond that would stay full in the winter/spring but the depression is too porous and not enough spring flow to stay filled in the dry months. The last few years I have been diverting the water so it stays somewhat dry in the winter. That is until my resident mountain beaver family dam my ditches. :smiley_aafz:

dodge man · Apr 21, 2020

I did some rough calculating, and it looks like you would need an 18” pipe for your overflow. My degree is in civil engineering but I am not an engineer and am a land surveyor, so you might want to get that number checked. That’s assuming 25% runoff, 15 acres, and a 2inch an hour rain. That results in 7.5 cfs of flow. You would have to look up rainfall data for your area but a true design to a 25 year flood would probably have a lot higher rainfall intensity, maybe as high as 5 inches per hour. Your pond isn’t that big and it doesn’t look like anybody is going to die if it washes out.

ovrszd · Apr 22, 2020

In my area ponds and lakes are built with a small overflow pipe, large amount of dam freeboard and an earthen spillway for those exceptional rains. Intent being to control erosion.

OP's logistical situation will probably dictate his final design.

EddieWalker · Apr 22, 2020

jk96 said:
The deer have already found the small amount of water that is there now. Been working on some other more time critical projects the last few days. Will probably get started on the pond again next week.

WGI_0036

I don't think I'm going to need it. Plenty of good clay to work with so far. Water is only down 1-1/2" over 5 days. Pretty good for the first fill and such a small body of water.

Makes me happy seeing the deer enjoying your pond!!!!

two_bit_score · Apr 22, 2020

jk96 said:
The deer have already found the small amount of water that is there now. Been working on some other more time critical projects the last few days. Will probably get started on the pond again next week.

WGI_0036

I don't think I'm going to need it. Plenty of good clay to work with so far. Water is only down 1-1/2" over 5 days. Pretty good for the first fill and such a small body of water.