RESEALING BOTTOM OF STOCK TANK (FARM POND)

[Unclebuck257]

gsganzer,

If I could get a truck over to your place, how much of that clay do you have piled up that you're not using as tank **** material?? Just a thought as Decatur and Denton are only 23 miles apart.

As far as using the plastic to line it's bottom and then putting a trough out for my cattle, right now he has no water well on his place and filling that trough daily would be a major chore too. Even when he gets his water well dug, the water well location is at the far end of his property, from this tank. He's eventually planning on turning this into a vinyard, and part of a new Texas Wine Industry.

Bird, that thing with the old hay bales I had never heard before. Just so happens that about a mile down the county road from me are about 200, 5 yr old round bales, just laying there and rotting away. I could have as many of them as I wanted. Interesting Bird!! I'll check that idea out. Certainly would be the least expensive way to go, but I can't see the logic as to why it would stop the tank from leaking after that old hay completely rotted away under the water!!

Other than that, the Bensonite appears to be the general solution suggested, other than digging a new tank, digging down further to more clay, or getting a few truck loads of clay from gsganzer in Denton and spreading it out on the bottom and sides.

I sure appreciate all the responses.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've heard that newspapers spread over the bottom of a pond will seal it off also. Not sure how it works, but the person who told me about it is one I consider reliable.

Of course, finding enough papers would be quite a chore in itself.

Another thought was to just use the big rolls of plastic sheeting on the bottom, then spread a layer of dirt over to protect it. It might leak in a place or two, but most ponds leak anyway. You just want to slow it down to a reasonable rate of leakage. Evaporation is bad enough.

Have you dug any test holes to see if clay is down there at some level? It could be that you just need to dig down a few more feet.

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[gsganzer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
If I could get a truck over to your place, how much of that clay do you have piled up that you're not using as tank **** material?? )</font>

I don't have any piled up. But your welcome to dig out as much as you want. Just make sure the hole you leave behind is pond shaped with sloped sides and a beach on one end. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I had the original pond excavation done with a track hoe and a dozer. It was a much more effective combination then a dozer alone.

 

[Unclebuck257]

Eddie,

There hasn't been any test holes dug yet, but the general rule around here is that you go down, passed the rocky layer it appears they left as the bottom in his tank, and beyond that you will hit a better clay layer. You see, this isn't my money that would be spent to do whatever is needed. I'm trying to gather all the better alternatives for him to look at and decide.
You are correct in that digging it deeper, trying to get to thatr clay layer, might be a viable alternative.

This tank is about 70'X60' on the top, but when dug, they took it down to a cone like shape with the bottom actually being smaller.

 

[Unclebuck257]

gsganzer,

IF I do it that way, beach and all, do I get the contract on the concession stands, rental peddle boats and parking lot ???? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[gsganzer]

My neighbor has an 18' pontoon boat on his side of the tank. I think you can see it in the background of this photo. The tank is only about 1 acre. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

Jim, great minds think alike. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I asked my neighbor why the hay wouldn't just rot away after awhile and be back where he started and he said he had no idea; that all he knew was that it worked for him. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Maybe it's kind of like bricks made with mud and straw. I have no idea how long it would take for the straw (or hay in this case) to rot away.

 

[Dargo]

Okay Mr. Bird, how about me needing to seal about 15 to 20 acres worth? Yes, I'm aware that Ft. Knox is only about 2 hours from where I live, but I'd really prefer not to go that direction to seal up my ponds that are leaking. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Bird]

Brent, I'm afraid you're just out of luck with that big an area. When I bought my 10 acres in the country, there was a "pond"; actually just a 15' deep hole in the back corner of the place, and it wouldn't hold water. I checked on the price of bentonite (that was before I met the neighbor who told me about the hay) and it was too expensive. Another problem was that the prior owner had been using it for a landfill, so I just filled it in.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Some things just seem to stick in my [alledged] mind ...
I always dwell on what the old timers did. The pig commentary was of most interest. While not knowing a single thing about stock ponds, I think I have soil similar to yours: clay mixed with glacial moraine (rocks of all sizes) with organics mixed in. I know that if the soil is worked with disc or scarifiers and have the optimum moisture content that I can "compact" it with a heavy vehicle with high tire air perssure and form a "seal" that sprayed water will just sit on or roll off. I'm wondering if the pig treatment could be equated to a "sheepsfoot" compaction (best method for clay soils). I wonder if the best, non-bentonite, solution would be to disc/rip your pond then use a vibratory sheepsfoot compactor. Without splurging for a compactor rental, I wonder if you could work the soil after some rain falls then compact/roll to a smooth surface to achive a seal ... dunno.
Cheers!