Digging a new pond.

[Nick83]

Well, as i love my two small ponds in the front of my house, I knew that I would want a bigger pond eventually. Eventually came a few days ago when i grabbed my shovel and started digging. Right now Im shooting for 12'w×15'L×3'D in center and 15" deep shelves along the edges. Roughly 4000 gallons is what I would like.

I would love it if my backyard wasn't on a slope so i have to level the pond with my trusty shovel. So far everything is going swimmingly but is killing my back and the fire ants love biting my hands and feet since i don't wear shoes lol.
I'll be updating this thread sporadically through the process.
I am planning on stocking it with comets and koi once all is said and done.

 

[CometKeith]

Hi. Sounds very nice. Good luck with the dig!

 

[sissy]

my yard is not level and I wired my level to a 2x4 that I checked to make sure it was straight also .I tried metal conduit but it would roll

 

[Mmathis]

Looks like a blank canvas! How many gallons?

 

[Lisak1]

Ooooohhh this is gonna be fun! Tell me you aren't hauling dirt in that wagon... if so, you're gonna need a new wagon! We went through not one, not two, but THREE Gorilla carts building our pond.

@Mmathis - 4000 gallons is my guess. Haha! Actually, he said in the OP.

 

[Nick83]

@CometKeith @Mmathis it is minus the tree roots haha. For volume I'm pushing towards roughly 3.5- 4000 gallons.

@sissy that is exactly what I'm going to put together once the majority of shoveling is close to done.

 

[Nick83]

@Lisak1 not fun at all lol. I originally was using that wagon to haul off the sod to reuse. Its not exactly the best cart but it keeps chugging along with all the junk i fill it up with. Right now its a dig, lift and dump so there's not much i have to move. I use that wagon for everything it's not intended for and after years of abuse it is still going strong. .

 

[Lisak1]

Good deal! We mainly wrecked our carts hauling rock!

 

[Gemma]

Well, as i love my two small ponds in the front of my house, I knew that I would want a bigger pond eventually. Eventually came a few days ago when i grabbed my shovel and started digging. Right now Im shooting for 12'w×15'L×3'D in center and 15" deep shelves along the edges. Roughly 4000 gallons is what I would like. View attachment 113828
I would love it if my backyard wasn't on a slope so i have to level the pond with my trusty shovel. So far everything is going swimmingly but is killing my back and the fire ants love biting my hands and feet since i don't wear shoes lol.
I'll be updating this thread sporadically through the process.
I am planning on stocking it with comets and koi once all is said and done.

I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd want a larger pond!
Happy diggin'

 

[Nick83]

@Gemma oh yea, that bug bit me hard! Thanks, I would have pond dug out in a week but it is so incredibly hot and humid, especially for doing work outside its really bad. 3 men on my neighbors framing crew had heat strokes this week.

 

[Gemma]

@Gemma oh yea, that bug bit me hard! Thanks, I would have pond dug out in a week but it is so incredibly hot and humid, especially for doing work outside its really bad. 3 men on my neighbors framing crew had heat strokes this week.

Yup, I understand completely how it is! I'm going through the very same thing now digging my second pond, the weather has not been on our side, going from to hot, to all day rain.
We'll get it done, just not as early as we would've liked huh?

 

[Nick83]

@Gemma It really is back breaking work but the end result is worth it! Luckily for this morning it has been breezy and not full sun. I did however give myself a generous completion date of completion of spring next year.

 

[sissy]

looks like you will have a nice berm around the pond to keep stuff from running into the pond

 

[Nick83]

@sissy yea definitely, when it rains here, the water just rushes to my backyard. I certainly don't want that water flooding into the pond an causing problems. I've watched my backyard look like a river during some heavy rain and I will be happy with the highest side is atleast 8" above the soil line to divert any runoff.
Because the digging has gone a lot quicker than I expected, i need to figure out what i want to place over the birm closest to the house which i haven't thought about yet and might have to go with bricks to prevent erosion. know the farthest side i will be planting some tall ornamental grass and plants.
Bear with me but I'm brainstorming as I type and thinking about what else could work without causing any affects on the pond water from runoff if I wanted to add a small flower bed on the side closest to the house. I have to get back to the good old sketch pad and see if i can draw up some ideas.

 

[Telion]

Looks like the start of an amazing project. I look forward to w as thing this one.