500,000 Gal. DIY Swimming Earth Pond

[fossil]

Hi All -

For those that might be interested you can see my pond project via clicking thee YouTube links below.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Best,
fossil

 

[sissy]

welcome and I really like your rope fence makes it more nautical .Nice dock did you have much damage from sandy

 

[j.w]

fossil
So all you have to do is dig a hole in that clay and instant pond w/ no leaks. You will be one pond guy that will never have to sit back and say..................gee I wish I would have gone bigger. Really like what you have done and you get to swim in it too w/ the fishies :razz:

 

[fossil]

Thanks sissy - We didn't get any damage from Sandy in Northern NY..... Many good thoughts for our friends to the south though...

@ j.w. +1 :-]

 

[sissy]

Oh dummy me did not see northern oh well brain dead here sometimes .My son lost everything in Keansburg NJ .Would not want more people effected by storms than there was .My uncle Art lived in Buffalo NY and worked for the auto plant there

 

[fossil]

@ sissy - Ya I hear you....will keep good thoughts..... I'm still a good distance north from Buffalo....Closest big city to me is Ottawa Canada..

 

[Waterbug]

Nice videos.

I was surprised how steep some of the walls were, but sounds like you have some more plans. Do you pump out the pond or does it have a drain. Notice you sure have the grade for a drain.

No overflow pipe? With that grade it could save you someday.

Any erosion under the waterfall beneath the surface. Didn't look like the liner went down too far.

First skimmer I've heard on mud pond. First filter too.

Hockey. Now that is one thing I do miss about NY, being able to play hockey most of the winter.

 

[fossil]

Thanks Waterbug -

Correct, I have a lot more work to do....but have a good start since June of this year. To drain the pond I'm able to siphon down the hill side pretty effectively. I do not have an overflow pipe, but I do have a decent overflow trench with stone over a liner at the far right of the beach. Hoping this will handle it..

Some erosion under the waterfall, but I plan on lining it the rest of the way up the cliff and stack the stone up to the top. The clay is very hard underneath it, so that has saved it so far.

The pump, skimmer and filter worked OK, helps to add a lot of extra water to the water fall more than anything. I need to build a more effective skimmer basket for under the dock and house the pump so we don't hear it. Has a green algae issue in the summer. Thinking of getting an oxygenator with beneficial bacteria to help?

The pond has some leaks albeit has a good clay base. Have some ideas on how I'll deal with that, but it has made making it into a hockey rink a little more challenging. Plus there is currently about two feet of snow over the ice.

I have a dedicated well 800' up the hill side (self draining no freeze issues @ 11 GPM). I was hoping the well was up the hill high enough to siphon down to the pond, but I lost that bet. So I can pump water now, but the electricity usage is undesirable. Time to invest in some solar panels perhaps.. Does have a couple slow springs, but not enough to keep up with the leakage issues.

Any way, great questions.....Thanks for the interest.

fossil

 

[sissy]

there is what is called the solair a wind and sun turbine .Not sure how well that would do in your temps .

 

[Alfonso8100]

Excellent pond, great project. I experienced the video. You right about requiring to develop a maintaining walls.........or I'm fairly sure those steep banks will begin to erode and fall in.

 

[shanezam203]

Looks great, where did you put all the dirt?