Garden Pond Leaking!

[asamananara]

Nestled in the deepest hollow of my woods is a small spring-fed
stream which, cascading gently down a eight foot stone cut, creates a
beautiful little waterfall near which I have established a meditation
circle. Between this circle, which was erected upon a slightly
elevated patch of ground, and the basin of the waterfall is a
area of soil level with the watertable. As you can imagine, this
spot has a tendency to get very soft and muddy, so I recently
decided to dig it into a reflecting pond. After digging down
through a foot of mud, I hit a solid clay substrate which I pick-axed
through for another foot. Using the removed clay, I shored up
the walls of the soon-to-be pond, sealing it about 10 inches
thick. As the pond filled with water, I built the walls up another
foot above the water table, leveling the pond surface with the
elevated circle plot. In all, the whole operation was pretty
successful, as I now have an 6 foot by 10 foot kidney shaped
pond instead of a mud pit next to my circle. However, seeing as
the half nearest the circle is actually above the water-table,
I'm having a hard time containing seepage through the soil.
I've routed a portion of the stream into the far end of the
pond, and diverted a outlet over a stone dam at the lowest point
at the near end, creating a steady flow in and out- which seems
to have helped the pooling a bit, but the soil nearest the circle
is still getting soft. I'd like to hear any suggestions on how
to bank the inside of the pond, or the upper surface of the
circle-plot, to stop this seepage. I've thought of using bentonite,
but it's expensive. I'd like to avoid any plastic or PVC liners,
as I plan on doing some water-gardening. Anyone have any ideas?

[mucgwyrt]

If you can buy/find natural clay, you can use that.
It must be puddled; i.e. combined with water, not dry. Oddly enough, when puddled it will be water proof :D
I'm sure if you look up "puddled clay" on google, you could find some instructions :smile:

[asamananara]

Thanks, I've got plenty of of it- the whole soil substrate is actually
a fantastically dense natural clay. It's holding up really well,
except for that one area where the pressure builds up, forcing
the water to permeate it. Perhaps I can build that side in
a bit deeper, lining it with another 3-4 inches, bringing the
total clay depth to more than a foot? I'm actually hoping that
in time, the finer suspended particles will work themselves
into the soil and plug it up a bit... but until then, I guess
I've got some more digging to do. I was hoping I wouldn't have
to drain it to solve the problem... there's going to be some
very unhappy frogs if I do!
Bentonite is a special clay which absorbs something like 20
times it's weight in water, swelling an equal amount in the
process... it's used to seal dams and waterways, as it can
just be sprinked onto the surface, after which it is drawn into
the leaky pores and expands to seal it tight. Unfortunately,
it's only sold in 1000 pound lots. More than I can use! lol

[mucgwyrt]

Ahhh I seeeee!!

Might be worth posting this in the Green Room? I think thats where most of the garden questions usually get answered... :)

[asamananara]

Yeah, I tried that a while ago... only got one or two responses.
(see "similar threads" below). Perhaps more handyman types
will read through this spiffy new "Pagan Spaces" forum than
the green room?

[mucgwyrt]

Fingers xx :D
Or you could try and google for a specialist garden message board...

[ap Dafydd]

Thanks, I've got plenty of of it- the whole soil substrate is actually
a fantastically dense natural clay. It's holding up really well,
except for that one area where the pressure builds up, forcing
the water to permeate it. Perhaps I can build that side in
a bit deeper, lining it with another 3-4 inches, bringing the
total clay depth to more than a foot? I'm actually hoping that
in time, the finer suspended particles will work themselves
into the soil and plug it up a bit... but until then, I guess
I've got some more digging to do. I was hoping I wouldn't have
to drain it to solve the problem... there's going to be some
very unhappy frogs if I do!


Nothing worse than unhappy frogs! They'll squat outside your kitchen window giving you accusing looks and chanting gribbit.

Maybe it's a simple as needing to puddle it more than you have already. Clay ponds are buggers to do but once in should last for centuries.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[ravenwood92]

Have you thought of using some stone and concret. I realize this means draining the pond or building some sort of dam near the area you are working (and not drain the entire pond) on but it could solve your problem. It could be made to look completely natural as well.

Just a thought! Let us know how it comes along.

Mike

[asamananara]

That would be great, except I'd have to haul the four hundred
pounds of concrete over a half-mile long, winding forest path,
and would then have to backfill in the soil for planting. It
would definately work, though!
I've actually fixed this problem, for the most part. The
solution was talc. Pulverized, cosmetic-grade talc; eight
pounds scattered over the surface of the water. This was
suggested to me on a landscaping board, and seems to have
worked. The powder is drawn into the pores of the clay, and
expands as it absorbs water. Within an hour of applying the
talc, the water had cleared, and I no longer noticed any unwanted
draining. Within three days, the previously swamped soil around
my meditation circle had dried. Pretty nifty, but the guy who
told me this trick said I may have to reapply a few more times.
Thanks, for all of your suggestions- I hope the talc will be
enough to prevent me having to take more serious actions.

[mucgwyrt]

Yay! :fpompoms

When do we get some photos though, asa? :smile:

[asamananara]

When I have the capacity to post pictures again.
My home PC is dead, and has been for months. Apparently, computers
don't like being rained on. Fortunately, roof leaks are easier
to fix than pond leaks are. :lol:
I've been limited to posting on my work terminal, which is
an antiquated ASCII machine. I'm getting really sick of seeing
nothing but green text!

[mucgwyrt]

When I have the capacity to post pictures again.
My home PC is dead, and has been for months. Apparently, computers
don't like being rained on. Fortunately, roof leaks are easier
to fix than pond leaks are. :lol:
I've been limited to posting on my work terminal, which is
an antiquated ASCII machine. I'm getting really sick of seeing
nothing but green text!
yeah, you're missing out on my funky dancing cow avatar! :lol: