Pond Bank Repair

[Creamer]

Believe me I appreciated the warning and knew exactly what he meant. I was real hesitant to try this but decided to go for it. The reason the excavator went down was me throwing all the weight onto one track by not being careful. Of course once it was down it was not coming back up easily.

Thanks for the comments on the pond. It is about 14 acres with the deepest point being about 24'. Most of it is less than 10' though in a normal year. This year it is 18" lower than I have seen it in my twenty years here. We had almost no snow last year and it was really dry until mid-July. When it did rain there was no run-off so the pond kept going down.

My driveway is a dam built by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent flooding of the small town that is on two sides of me. It was built in 1973 and the pond has two springs that in conjunction with an overflow help to keep it relatively constant level which is really nice. That is why I thought I better take this opportunity to repair the banks because it doesn't usually come along!

 

[dereklawler]

The banks in a pond can erode spontaneously during environmental changes such as heavy rain or spring thaw. Preventing erosion requires that banks in contact with the water have plant growth, so don't leave steep banks bare. Simply plant grass in exposed areas, as the roots will help to prevent erosion. If you can't eliminate the problem or it's too complex to fix, then it may be in your best interest to contact a licensed engineer.

 

[dereklawler]

Line the pond with a plastic pond liner if the pond routinely develops leaks. This is common where ponds are dug in well-drained, organic soils that are free from clay deposits. The better a soil is for plant growth, the worse it is for pond water retention. If this is the case in your situation, you'll have to drain the water completely and then line it with plastic. Otherwise, you'll find yourself repairing the pond year in and year out.