Darn rain and clay, help

[GaryMoz]

Work for the pond has gone well, hole dug and walls built, bottom drain in, all good.

But it's rained and rained, the water table is up, about a foot higher than the bottom of my pond. This is not a problem in it's self as I have made provision for for water pressure build up under the pond.

The problem is the pond is dug in clay and with all the water, the bottom of the pond is just like quicksand, you just sink into it. We have a team coming to fit a liner, they be standing and working in the pond, so it will just become impossible.

I just wondering what can do to help stabilise the clay, Ideally I would want to dry it out, but even without the rain, the water table is around the level of the bottom of the pond.

Any suggestions? would throwing a lot of sand down help? I still need to do a little work in the pond i.e. the fine tuning of grades in the pond, I was going to use sand, but I am worried it will just all get mashed in with clay into one clumppy mess I can't work with.

 

[bagsmom]

Work for the pond has gone well, hole dug and walls built, bottom drain in, all good.

But it's rained and rained, the water table is up, about a foot higher than the bottom of my pond. This is not a problem in it's self as I have made provision for for water pressure build up under the pond.

The problem is the pond is dug in clay and with all the water, the bottom of the pond is just like quicksand, you just sink into it. We have a team coming to fit a liner, they be standing and working in the pond, so it will just become impossible.

I just wondering what can do to help stabilise the clay, Ideally I would want to dry it out, but even without the rain, the water table is around the level of the bottom of the pond.

Any suggestions? would throwing a lot of sand down help? I still need to do a little work in the pond i.e. the fine tuning of grades in the pond, I was going to use sand, but I am worried it will just all get mashed in with clay into one clumppy mess I can't work with.

I'm sorry I don't have experience with that but it sounds awful! I know someone here will have a good suggestion. Can you pump the water out somehow? Would putting gravel in the bottom help? Or would it just get incorporated into the icky clay mess?

 

[GaryMoz]

I'm sorry I don't have experience with that but it sounds awful! I know someone here will have a good suggestion. Can you pump the water out somehow? Would putting gravel in the bottom help? Or would it just get incorporated into the icky clay mess?

I already have have gravel filling the bottom drain channels, but the water is coming above that. I can't really put more gravel in without first removing clay as the base of the pond it's just about at the right height for the already concreted in bomb drains.

Currently I'm trying to dig a hole a bit deeper than the bottom drains to put a sump pump in, it's a bit hard going as it keeps filling up with water and I can't see what I'm doing.

If I can get the sump pump working it may help

 

[WaterGardener]

It rained a lot when we were trying to build our pond, too. We used a large tarp to cover the dug out areas in the clay soil. That would catch the rain and we could easily pump it out with a sump pump.

Obviously that won't help with the water already in there, but it could prevent more falling in.

 

[GaryMoz]

It rained a lot when we were trying to build our pond, too. We used a large tarp to cover the dug out areas in the clay soil. That would catch the rain and we could easily pump it out with a sump pump.

Obviously that won't help with the water already in there, but it could prevent more falling in.

Our problem is we are down to the water table depth, which is a bit odd as we are on high ground. I guess the water is being trapped on top of a layer of clay.

I've have sump pump in a pit, so I hope it helps.

The pond it big and the wind blows strong here, so it may be a bit of a struggle with a tarp.

 

[WaterGardener]

Same here with wind, but concrete blocks and the rainfall can help hold down the tarp.

We covered the entire pond area, up onto the surrounded ground, so the tarp was very big. It made it much easier to get back to work once the rain stopped for a bit, since we didn't have to wait for days while the pond area dried out.

 

[Beercan31]

If you have any more of that "Pea gravel" use that to stiffen up the clay. it will not dry it out but at least you wont keep mushing up the clay.

 

[hamstermann]

rowing a lot of sand down help? I still need to do a little work in the pond i.e. the fine tuning of grades in the pond, I was going to use sand, but I am worried it will just all get mashed in with clay into one clumppy mess I can't work with.

Don't put clay and sand together. It forms something as hard as concrete when it dries out and is a real booger to dig in.

Maybe you could make a vertical French drain, or put in a horizontal French drain that leads to a sump pump?

 

[GaryMoz]

Don't put clay and sand together. It forms something as hard as concrete when it dries out and is a real booger to dig in.

Maybe you could make a vertical French drain, or put in a horizontal French drain that leads to a sump pump?

The digging has finished and I do have a sump pump in.

That is now stopping the water building up, I just need the clay to firm up a bit.

I will try to cover the area

 

[GBBUDD]

Work for the pond has gone well, hole dug and walls built, bottom drain in, all good.

But it's rained and rained, the water table is up, about a foot higher than the bottom of my pond. This is not a problem in it's self as I have made provision for for water pressure build up under the pond.

The problem is the pond is dug in clay and with all the water, the bottom of the pond is just like quicksand, you just sink into it. We have a team coming to fit a liner, they be standing and working in the pond, so it will just become impossible.

I just wondering what can do to help stabilise the clay, Ideally I would want to dry it out, but even without the rain, the water table is around the level of the bottom of the pond.

Any suggestions? would throwing a lot of sand down help? I still need to do a little work in the pond i.e. the fine tuning of grades in the pond, I was going to use sand, but I am worried it will just all get mashed in with clay into one clumppy mess I can't work with.

SORRY I MISSED THIS POST
adding lots of lime and mixing it in this is the route i would look at but i do have a concern if the lime would be an issue for the liner , But if you are to pour concrete over the area it should be a mute point. but you really want to make sure your high and dry and the soil is compacted. This may require a tarped roof over your pond until the concrete is poured. this step is critical if your concrete settles and cracks it can easily rip the liner. i do hope you plan on at a minimum to use wire mesh reinforcement or even some rebar

By the sounds of things i'm glad i pushed you a bit toward the drain under the pond it is hard to believe but water can and has lifted entire concrete swimming pool with 30,000 gallons of water in them.

 

[GBBUDD]

This is why my post of building my pond is still active, when you start bouncing putting a post here or there and it is not a reply to a build it can get lost and did for me any ways here.