First Pond Progress Thread

[GBBUDD]

Not yet, alas. I've been facing the dilemma of having only a fixed quantity of larger boulders to work with: do I use the best ones around the upper edge most visible from the viewing area or do I use them in the waterfall? So I'm trying out different combinations, then stepping across the pond to the viewing area and looking at them for a while. No good? Roll them out and try something else... Lots of rolling boulders to and fro, but not as much forward progress as I'd like.

I'm also trying to rig up some sort of pipe and slide apparatus to get three tonnes of river gravel down from the neighbor's yard...

Looking at the progress on @HayFam2022's pond is actually providing some much needed inspiration to keep plugging away. In the end, I'm pretty sure I'll need to do some scavenging of building sites for more rocks. Just need to get to the rocks before they haul it all away to landfill somewhere.

I'd go for a bald liner pond but I'd also cover the liner with fabric and I know you only had white so that's a issue. Even though it's underwater I don't know about the desert sun baking at it will be a problem or not .

I almost have as much wood around the pond as I do stone. Though I'd be willing to be drift wood is as scares out there if not more so than boulders.
I have been doing the same with the boulders on the waterfall . It came out sweet but the pics are terrible I have to get a long exposure. The bog is almost done looking at it from the patio so I hear yea on place a couple step back and see how it looks but the real test is with the water.

In your case with the water restrictions and suck I'd look at those little mystery falls that poke out from here and there. Make the feed to the falls be interesting as well with some small steps enough to make the white water but not enough to splash.

You'll get there

 

[YShahar]

I did that with the smaller rocks, but sheesh. Those large ones would be placed once and then done!

Indeed! Those that required two people (and really needed four) were measured very carefully and placed with precision. It's the ones that are technically two-person rocks that are causing me problems. I've got only a few of them and really want to use them to best advantage.

 

[SarahT]

I wonder how much water costs in FL?

Well, here ya go @combatwombat . My area of Florida (gulf coast, W of Tampa), per month for drinking water (some areas have reclaimed water available for irrigation). We also pay $7 per 1,000 gal sewage (no, they don't meter that. they assume what goes in, comes out.)
<5,000 gallons $4.89 per thousand gallons
6,000 – 20,000 gallons $7.34 per thousand gallons
Over 20,000 gallons $11.02 per thousand gallons

 

[combatwombat]

Well, here ya go @combatwombat . My area of Florida (gulf coast, W of Tampa), per month for drinking water (some areas have reclaimed water available for irrigation). We also pay $7 per 1,000 gal sewage (no, they don't meter that. they assume what goes in, comes out.)
<5,000 gallons $4.89 per thousand gallons
6,000 – 20,000 gallons $7.34 per thousand gallons
Over 20,000 gallons $11.02 per thousand gallons

Got it. I would have to recheck our rate, but my city charges sewer rates all year based on winter water useage, so you don’t get sewer charges when you irrigate during the summer.

 

[GBBUDD]

But that makes sense that can't be coming out of Seattle

 

[SarahT]

Got it. I would have to recheck our rate, but my city charges sewer rates all year based on winter water useage, so you don’t get sewer charges when you irrigate during the summer.

Lucky people get reclaimed water to use for irrigation and some people have irrigation wells since the water table is "close". I have an irrigation well and pump I've never used because the pump is scary old looking (and WHO in their RIGHT MIND puts a well 12" from the slab foundation? (in Florida! sinkholes?) Does anyone else think that's bonkers besides me? But I digress)). I'm going xeriscape as close as I can get, so I water to establish new plants and then only water if it's really dry/ drier than a normal Dry Season (like now).

 

[combatwombat]

Lucky people get reclaimed water to use for irrigation

If we ever move on from this place and do a custom build, I'll plumb everything but the kitchen sink and the toilets to a grey water cistern. Luckily for us, It's pretty easy to keep things green here year round without much supplemental water. But if you want to a green lawn in the summer, you have to do it. I'm making ours as small as possible while still making everyone here happy.

 

[GBBUDD]

Lucky people get reclaimed water to use for irrigation and some people have irrigation wells since the water table is "close". I have an irrigation well and pump I've never used because the pump is scary old looking (and WHO in their RIGHT MIND puts a well 12" from the slab foundation? (in Florida! sinkholes?) Does anyone else think that's bonkers besides me? But I digress)). I'm going xeriscape as close as I can get, so I water to establish new plants and then only water if it's really dry/ drier than a normal Dry Season (like now).

MORE THAN LIKELY the well came before the foundation

 

[addy1]

We are on a well just pay to pump it out. Septic no sewer charge,

 

[HayFam2022]

We are on a well just pay to pump it out. Septic no sewer charge,

Same here. We have a well, only cost is the electric usage for the pump

 

[HayFam2022]

Well, I noticed my pond system (pond, intake bay, wetland filter, connections) was losing water.

So I separated all three parts, marked their water levels and waited. I woke up this morning to an EMPTY wetland filter. The intake bay and paid are fine—thank god.

Unfortunately, the hole must be extremely low because almost all the water was gone and I’m not seeing any water on the ground around the wetland filter.

So I’m trying to find the most likely area before I start digging, trying food coloring but that hasn’t helped.

After cursing for a bit I’m thankful it’s not the main pond. I have a 10 hour problem. Main pond would have been a $10,000 problem.

I’ll update when it’s all squared away.

I do have a suspicion about the cause of the leak. I just wish someone out there would have warned me repeatedly not to use concrete blocks @GBBUDD

There are a lot of good life lessons for me while building this pond

 

[GBBUDD]

Another way to find the leak is dirty water make a bucket and pour it in slowly into a totally still water . maybe into several spots around the bog,

I;m not the guy who says nice job when a project looks like by 10 year old could have done better , but i'll try to show possible problems . yeah sometimes it comes off as too much story of my life.

i used blocks in my build but anything that got close to the liner got rounded edges with a grinder or mortar,

good chance when the wall let go some teared from the quick failure probably stretched the liner

leaks suck . you'll get past it

 

[combatwombat]

Leak at bottom of wetland is my 2nd worse nightmare.

 

[HayFam2022]

Leak at bottom of wetland is my 2nd worse nightmare.

I’m living it my friend.

There is a small chance that when I turned my pump off it syphoned water from the wetland filter and into the big pond.

I’m ruling that out now. My worst nightmare is digging up a wetland filter to find a leak that was never there…

 

[GBBUDD]

I’m ruling that out now. My worst nightmare is digging up a wetland filter to find a leak that was never there…

yeah that would be painful