Fishing Pond Construction- Suggestions Welcome

[bigheadfred]

Have you thought of buying a used dozer and excavating yourself, or hiring a driver, and selling the dozer afterwards?

I have an uncle with a D6 that would love to come do it. Except it is too far away. A few years back his son-in-law was set to build some fence down where uncle lives. Some out-of-state people had recently bought the piece below the one the fence was going on and had blocked access to that land. Around here there was always a gentleman's agreement you could access your land through the neighbor's if that was the only means.

The BLM land runs alongside all of it there. So my uncle took his Cat over and pushed a new road through the sagebrush up to that back parcel. The BLM got wind of it and did some screaming and yelling. My uncle told them they could shove their regulations. They eventully dropped it.

PS: That wasn't the first road he oh made.

[thackney]

That's a fact... A couple acres is too big for a liner, so Bentonite is next. And that's the biggest thing to worry over, at least around here.. getting it to hold water. I dunno much about it down in Texas but I hear there's a hard pan not too far down in places that sets like iron.

The next biggest is aeration... either a natural inlet and outflow, or a mechanical means, with a pump and a creek-bed, or a fountain, I suppose, that you can operate when needed, or it will go stagnant.

I'm in the black gumbo, heavy clay.  Our oversized ditch holds water until the most extreme drought.

The slough is a natural low point.  Decent rains send water from all around to it.  A much smaller ditch limits it from overflow with in flow but needs improvement.

  It is stagnet now.  I have seen some solar floating sprinklers I want to try out.  I need to clear out more trees for just the ditch.  Much more work when we start the pond.

[Taxcontrol]

Many states put restrictions on or have approval processes for the construction of ponds / lakes.  CONSULT AN LAWYER!

[roamer_1]

I'm in the black gumbo, heavy clay.  Our oversized ditch holds water until the most extreme drought.

The slough is a natural low point.  Decent rains send water from all around to it.  A much smaller ditch limits it from overflow with in flow but needs improvement.

  It is stagnet now.  I have seen some solar floating sprinklers I want to try out.  I need to clear out more trees for just the ditch.  Much more work when we start the pond.

So you have no worry about keeping a bottom in it... That much makes it much easier.

So you're fixin' to ditch out of the slough to feed the pond? Think about inlet and outlet. even if there is little flow, the interchange due to convection in the water can drive a lazy current between two water bodies... you may just keep both from stagnating as much.

[catfish1957]

What is your water source @catfish1957? 

I don't know much about building a pond. But I know farmers around here will coat the bottom of their irrigation ponds with Bentonite to slow down water loss.

Based on topo contours and experience I expect to see significant groundwater infiltration at the 4'- 5' level, with a small amount of upstream runoff. (50-60' precipitation avg. annually)  Of course there are seasonal and spot weather variations.  The pond will also  probably have a deep section (with features) to facilitate bass habitat.  And yes, I expect a clay liner to minimize leakage.  If I can get a small solar ground water pump, I hope I can supplement water during dry periods too.

The icing on the cake will be the plan to have a small covered "T" dock extending into the bass area , or near enough for casting range.

[catfish1957]

Many states put restrictions on or have approval processes for the construction of ponds / lakes.  CONSULT AN LAWYER!

Can't vouch for other states but.....
The Small Pond Exemption
The Texas legislature has encouraged the development of certain types of small ponds and lakes by exempting some landowners from the surface water permit process. It is often called the “stock tank” exemption. Section 11.142 of the Texas Water Code allows a person, without obtaining a permit from the TCEQ, to construct
“...on their own property a dam, pond or reservoir storing not more than 200 acre-feet of water for domestic and livestock and fish and wildlife purposes.”
An acre-foot is a volumetric unit; it is equal to the volume of water required to fill one acre with exactly one foot of water. On occasion, a pond can exceed the 200 acre-foot limitation if its 12-month average is at or below the 200 acre-foot level. The pond may be located on-channel, adjacent to the stream, or on a contiguous piece of property.

Basically if your pond is an average of 10' feet deep, it can reside on 20 ac of real estate, without TCEQ permitting.

[catfish1957]

That's a fact... A couple acres is too big for a liner, so Bentonite is next. And that's the biggest thing to worry over, at least around here.. getting it to hold water. I dunno much about it down in Texas but I hear there's a hard pan not too far down in places that sets like iron.

The next biggest is aeration... either a natural inlet and outflow, or a mechanical means, with a pump and a creek-bed, or a fountain, I suppose, that you can operate when needed, or it will go stagnant.

Thanks for the reminder for aeration.  I may add an array, and a small pump/diffuser to make sure the d.o. is maintained.  As far as the clay liner, I have read that adding some pea gravel will help prevent turtle burrowing, and other destrucitve pests..  Hopefully having the good depth will help lessen the effect  natural seasonal themocline turnover.

[roamer_1]

Thanks for the reminder for aeration.  I may add an array, and a small pump/diffuser to make sure the d.o. is maintained.  As far as the clay liner, I have read that adding some pea gravel will help prevent turtle burrowing, and other destrucitve pests..  Hopefully having the good depth will help lessen the effect  natural seasonal themocline turnover.

Ya'll are down in the flat land so I don't know how you do it down there, but here we keep it deep right up to the shore, gravel the shore with a 2" minus and then a load of rip-rap, which keeps the critters digging to a minimum. Only where it's transitory from natural bank to beach, but for the lion's share, burrowing is impossible. But then, rocks are kinda a thing here, and don't look out of place... And it ain't like they're hard to find.

But then it ain't the turtles here so much as muskrat and beaver... which can do a whole lot more damage.but nothing much messes with the bottom here, and the bentonite layer is always under a fair layer of dirt.

And I have always preferred the creek method for aeration... Though we always have an uphill to pump to... but bouncing the water down a water feature seems to be more effective, and the simulated current in the pond keeps a channel open where the weeds don't go.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Just thinking out loud here, because it's fun to dream of what I would do with land.

Use the excavated material to build a small hill/plateau/mesa with a pond on top and a rock bed creek leading down to a waterfall into the main pond, with a solar power pump feeding water from far side of the main pond to the mesa pond.  If you (re)design it right, you should have pretty much constant water flow even when the sun is not out, and in case of extra sun or extra rain, it just runs faster.

Cantilever the falls so you can swim under and behind them.

I'd put the bass dock in as an island, so it is only reachable by swim/row.  That way you have to put in at least a little work for the best drinking.  And a solar charger to light your favorite flag(s) out in the middle of the pond.

[catfish1957]

Just thinking out loud here, because it's fun to dream of what I would do with land.

  And a solar charger to light your favorite flag(s) out in the middle of the pond.

Solar dock lights.  Yeah!!!  This thing gets more expensive by the minute.

[thackney]

So you have no worry about keeping a bottom in it... That much makes it much easier.

So you're fixin' to ditch out of the slough to feed the pond? Think about inlet and outlet. even if there is little flow, the interchange due to convection in the water can drive a lazy current between two water bodies... you may just keep both from stagnating as much.

The slough will go through the pond.  Drainage ditch improved to limit the amount inflow; essentially adding a "spillway" for times when too much water flows to the slough.  This already exists, but needs some restoration.

[thackney]

Can't vouch for other states but.....
The Small Pond Exemption
The Texas legislature has encouraged the development of certain types of small ponds and lakes by exempting some landowners from the surface water permit process. It is often called the “stock tank” exemption. Section 11.142 of the Texas Water Code allows a person, without obtaining a permit from the TCEQ, to construct
“...on their own property a dam, pond or reservoir storing not more than 200 acre-feet of water for domestic and livestock and fish and wildlife purposes.”
An acre-foot is a volumetric unit; it is equal to the volume of water required to fill one acre with exactly one foot of water. On occasion, a pond can exceed the 200 acre-foot limitation if its 12-month average is at or below the 200 acre-foot level. The pond may be located on-channel, adjacent to the stream, or on a contiguous piece of property.

Basically if your pond is an average of 10' feet deep, it can reside on 20 ac of real estate, without TCEQ permitting.

Thank you for that.  Mine will have livestock accessing it, at least at times sufficient to make this claim.

For reference:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/WA/htm/WA.11.htm

[thackney]

Ya'll are down in the flat land so I don't know how you do it down there, but here we keep it deep right up to the shore, gravel the shore with a 2" minus and then a load of rip-rap, which keeps the critters digging to a minimum. Only where it's transitory from natural bank to beach, but for the lion's share, burrowing is impossible. But then, rocks are kinda a thing here, and don't look out of place... And it ain't like they're hard to find.

But then it ain't the turtles here so much as muskrat and beaver... which can do a whole lot more damage.but nothing much messes with the bottom here, and the bentonite layer is always under a fair layer of dirt.

And I have always preferred the creek method for aeration... Though we always have an uphill to pump to... but bouncing the water down a water feature seems to be more effective, and the simulated current in the pond keeps a channel open where the weeds don't go.

For once, I'm grateful for our black gumbo.  We just need to dig a hole.  If a turtle or another digs down, it is just more clay.  If he digs past that, I'll like get an oil well.

[thackney]

Texas Parks and Wildlife Links for future reference:

Land & Water FAQ
Private Fishing Ponds
http://tpwd.texas.gov/faq/landwater/fisheries/

Managing Private Lakes & Ponds
http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/habitats/private_water/

http://www.texasaquaculture.org/

Managing Nuisance Aquatic Plants
http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/environconcerns/nuisance_plants/manage/

Using Grass Carp for Vegetation Control
http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/habitats/private_water/gcarp_intro.phtml

[catfish1957]

Using Grass Carp for Vegetation Control
http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/habitats/private_water/gcarp_intro.phtml

I don't know if you saw my comments on another thread, but I can not believe the bureaucratic hassle to get a triploid grass carp.  Seems after the lab certifies the genetics, they shouldn't give a sh__.  It has been proven tri's don't reproduce.    I will really need the vegetation control on the new pond, but leaning now that it might not be worth the hassle.

[roamer_1]

I don't know if you saw my comments on another thread, but I can not believe the bureaucratic hassle to get a triploid grass carp.  Seems after the lab certifies the genetics, they shouldn't give a sh__.  It has been proven tri's don't reproduce.    I will really need the vegetation control on the new pond, but leaning now that it might not be worth the hassle.

Hang a sickle bar under your duck boat...
It prolly won't work, but you might just convince the wife you're out there working...