Thinking about building a pond in my backyard

[mjhaverkamp]

Ok I live on 4 acres in Southlake, my back yard is probably 2 plus acres, thinking i could put about an acre or so pond in my back yard, it used to be a baseball field for the boys, they are all grown now. I am thinking of making it really cool with big rock boulders, ledges and ditches, spawning flats, structure, etc, and filling it with big bass, I do have some run off but not near enough to fill a pond of that size, I do have a water well that makes about 15 gallons a minute. Am I nuts or what ? The land is very valuable but I dont ever see me selling it so someone could build a house in my back yard, thoughts ?

[froghunter]

It could be an excellent idea!

I hope my next place has a pond on it.

[Dale Moser]

Buy a little dozer and just get to it! I could spend thousands of hours on a dozer just digging.....I'll bring the beer!

[flywise]

If it is going to make you happy get after it.

[ctburt0n]

Would planning & zoning let you do that?


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[jimmyjams4110]

If you have Clay dirt, should be easy. If your top 8 or so feet is nothing but sugar sand could get expensive lining it with Clay or some other geotextile sealer system so the pond water doesn't dissapear into the banks and bottom. Thats assuming your water table is much lower than your pond bottom. We dig several ponds like what you're thinking about, feel free to shoot me a pm if you'd like some help estimating the damage $$$, im the senior estimator for Drake Construction here in Conroe.

[mjhaverkamp]

If you have Clay dirt, should be easy. If your top 8 or so feet is nothing but sugar sand could get expensive lining it with Clay or some other geotextile sealer system so the pond water doesn't dissapear into the banks and bottom. Thats assuming your water table is much lower than your pond bottom. We dig several ponds like what you're thinking about, feel free to shoot me a pm if you'd like some help estimating the damage $$$, im the senior estimator for Drake Construction here in Conroe.

Thank you, the soil is clay for sure, maybe the top two feet could be top soil from when i built the ball field, I think from the house roof, driveway, back yard pool area, and the area before the pond starts would allow quite a bit of run off, I know 15 gallons a minute on a well is not that great but i would think it would allow you to maintain the level somewhat in the hot summer months, thanks again.

[mjhaverkamp]

Buy a little dozer and just get to it! I could spend thousands of hours on a dozer just digging.....I'll bring the beer!

Dale I could get into a lot of trouble on a dozer, especially if i only had two acres to play on.

[mjhaverkamp]

Would planning & zoning let you do that?


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I dont think they can stop me but that is something I will need to check on, several others around here have ponds.

[Dale Moser]

Two acres is just the surface Roge....just think how deep that back acre is!

[curtintex]

Ok I live on 4 acres in Southlake, my back yard is probably 2 plus acres, thinking i could put about an acre or so pond in my back yard, it used to be a baseball field for the boys, they are all grown now. I am thinking of making it really cool with big rock boulders, ledges and ditches, spawning flats, structure, etc, and filling it with big bass, I do have some run off but not near enough to fill a pond of that size, I do have a water well that makes about 15 gallons a minute. Am I nuts or what ? The land is very valuable but I dont ever see me selling it so someone could build a house in my back yard, thoughts ?

I've thought of doing the same thing on my 4 acres...hell, I own dozers, have operators and dig ponds for a living and I'm been planning my own pond for years.....too busy digging for other folks.

[texashunter56]

What are you going to do with all the dirt from the pit? Is there enough drainage to fill it? Two acres is a big hole depending on how deep you go. Two acres of dirt from that hole is a big pile of dirt. I would do about an acre if it were me in that space. What about spillway and where will the water go that runs out of it?

[jimmyjams4110]

Dale I could get into a lot of trouble on a dozer, especially if i only had two acres to play on.

If you want an acre pond, a dozer alone would take forever. Need to get a track hoe, dozer , front-end loader, and roller if you want something done in a couple weeks.

[jimmyjams4110]

A job that big, it should be easy to use the dirt to either build up the rest of the yard or a portion of it, or a trucking company could find a place for it quickly I would think in your area. Probably get rid of the dirt for free, maybe make a buck if it's select fill.

[TKK]

more to building a pond that one thinks

where will dirt go? it is expensive to truck it off the property

15 gallons per minute is not a lot to keep a 1-2 acre pond full. you may need a larger pump

lots of folks I know go hire a bulldozer guy to dig a hole - find someone who builds ponds for a living - otherwise you may end up with an empty hole - also what kind of dirt are you digging into? any clay in it? otherwise you may have to use a liner which gets expensive.

Best person I know for advice is Bob Lusk - owns Pond Boss - go online to see his newsletter and website - he is the best bar none and the info on his site and magazine is the best

good luck