Tips on Designing and Lining a Pond
POND BUILDING
Dr. Jim Rogers
- If you need a liner, use clay when it's available nearby, because the transportation will be relatively inexpensive.
- Clay should be placed and compacted into a layer at least 12 inches thick for a pond up to 10 feet deep. Increase this thickness by 1 inch for each foot of water over 10 feet.
- Don't be concerned if you see surface cracks along a dry pond edge; they will come together again when wet. Cracks are a sign of a clay bottom.
- Rogers has used four kinds of synthetic liners, each with pros and cons. The two he has used most often are HDPE and PVC. His favorite, HDPE, is resistant to ultraviolet light and more durable against animal hooves than PVC, which must be covered where exposed to sunlight. HDPE's disadvantage is that it must be welded using specialized equipment. Both types should be put down wrinkly, not smooth, because adding cold water will draw them tight, compromising the anchoring system.
- Synthetic liners should be placed in a cutoff trench around the pond's edge, with soil covering the liner and filling the trench. Rogers recommends that these trenches be two feet deep.
- Be careful how deeply you dig. Some ponds that hold water efficiently begin to leak when you dig through their clay bottoms, trying to make them deeper.
- Be careful of slope. “I never recommend a slope with less than 2 feet of horizontal run for each foot of vertical drop,” Rogers says. “A lined pond with steep sides is a hazard to children and wildlife.”
- Be mindful of depth. “In cold areas like the Panhandle, make sure there’s water at least 5 to 6 feet deep for thermal protection for fish, and shallow areas productive (with rooted vegetation) for wildlife,” Rogers say
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