1 tractor, 1 gal, 1 busy six months = 1 pond

[addy1]

Thank you Ian

I will start my pond build, it will take time to get the pictures loaded and in.
Any chance we can have more than 5 pictures per post?

The beginning!

The plan............sort of

 

[addy1]

The slope, view from the apple trees

The slope viewed from the hill

Learning to use a back hoe, digging the utility trench 4 feet down.

Rocks rocks and more rocks darn shale after the fist day of digging.

The hole

Stream and ponds to be

I plant as I dig

another good use for a tractor, plant carrier

Stream, pond and bog to be. At least plants in the dirt lol

Black plastic stream testing

Showed the need to be deeper and fixed the stream bed to be level.

Dropped the up slope of the pond by 3 feet to help level the land

Bog to the left, pond to the right

Path of the stream, each turn is a mini pond from 8x8 feet to the smallest 2x2

Figuring out the placement of those darn heavy rock planters, hauled from my home in arizona.

 

[addy1]

Too hot to be outside today, so a good day to keep going with the build!

The pond and bog with the wood wall built between the two

using the laser level trying to get this build level.........slopes are a real pain!
installing the carpet padding.

The liner!

laying out the liner

38 x 40 a lot of liner to handle, it was so hot hard to even touch the liner, had to have gloves on.

Starting the stream, the liner is 85 feet long and 9 feet wide for the stream, it needs to be cut and pieced together due to the twists and turns of the stream.

mini stream pond, around 9x8 or so

stream liner in place, adjusted many times before it was done.

Test runs with a hose, found I needed to make it deeper, sides higher etc.

 

[addy1]

The rocks arrive! We also hauled a few truck loads from our lot in pa to md to use.

Here is what 38000 lb of pea gravel looks like, waiting to be washed.
3500 lbs of stepping stones, 2900 lbs of boulders.
4000 lbs of medium river rocks

 

[addy1]

One full pallet of rock to build the up slope bank of the pond.

rocking the water fall into the pond

rocking the different legs of the stream and the different stream waterfalls, I worked from the lowest stream, up, get one stream stable then drape the liner over for water fall of the next higher stream.

With the stream on a slope, things I learned, dig steps for the rocks in the up slope side, dig the stream deep, I started out at 10 inches ended up deeper. The down slope edge of the stream need extra dirt to build the edge up, with the stream deeper less issues with the down slope side. Have a bullet level to keep track of the stream level.

Have mini depressions above each waterfall for a collection of water to water down into the next stream leg.

expanding foam is your friend!

 

[addy1]

The bog!

We built a 24 inch wall between the pond and the bog, out of wood, treated wood.
covered the wood with carpet padding.

pea gravel, we started washing it, but we were in a no rain drought type condition so it was not washed. Being a well, were worried about running it dry.

The pvc below is two inches with slots cut 1/3 of the way through, pointing down to the bottom. Luckily the liner is tough enough (bend tarp and liner ppl 36) we could drive the tractor on it to dump the pea gravel, it was a killer job and so darn hot. hubby wheel barrel a bunch, finally pulled the pvc to the side and ran the tractor.

No fish in the pond, just running gutter water into it, too dry to use the well.

used the gutter water to keep the bog wet

Of course planted the bog asap........ glued rocks to the top of the bog wall and used some rock on a roll pieces on the pond side of the wall to break up the black liner.

Running a low flow pump just to keep water going through the bog.

The bog this year, planted growing beautifully, flowering, and filtering wonderfully.

 

[addy1]

The stream when finally done sort of lol Still have the beginning water fall from the deck in progress to build........still have some liner to hide with good old rock on a roll, tweaking work being done as time allows.
Thinking of a large rock drilled out that will spill off the deck into the pond below. The highest pond is right below the deck, the rocks for that pond can be seen below the wood. right now just have some 2 in pvc hanging out over the pond.

 

[addy1]

blooming beautifully right now.

blue water forgetmenot, taro, snowflake, and lilies

snowflake and lilies

perennials near the pond

 

[addy1]

The pond

rocks and more rocks, all shale

hard to believe this will become a pond

carpet padding

Liner installed!

leak test

filling with rain water, no fish, till way later

full pallet of rock for the up slope edge of the pond, 4 foot dirt berm for the down slope side.

miserable hot dry summer, hottest every on record for this pond build

Fall was very welcome

first snow

8 inch thick ice, deer enjoyed walking on it............no air holes did not know we had any fish in there. Found out we did have five! when it melted.

 

[addy1]

roof view of the progress

in the beginning

Later in the summer

We had to move the bird feeding station making it stronger to handle our winds. Right now just tied up

About two weeks ago, the slope is getting ready to be in full bloom

 

[addy1]

A summer update!

Slope in bloom, pond in bloom.

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[addy1]

Happy fish!

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[addy1]

tons of fry, this is just some of them.

[ame]

 

[addy1]

Just love the colors

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[addy1]

The beginning of the last part of our stream, to be placed on the deck that is being built as I type. The stream, waterfall will be where that dark wood is, then it will drop off the deck to the pond below, then down the hill to the big pond

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