Hello from Guinda, California.

[Pondering401]

Hello, I live in upstate California, aka NorCal. I am in the process of building a rural pond and have been winging it, so far without any massive blowback.
I had a neighbor with a big excavator dig a circular hole fifty feet across and six feet deep, in a cone shape. This gave me a slope that would not slump, hopefully. Then I distributed bentonite on the rough surface and used a flatbed tamper to firm the surface and mix the dirt and bentonite. I applied three pallets worth. Then I filled that gently last October, 2025 and it has been holding water, roughly 30,000 gallons.
Next I bought a kit for a bottomless stock tank to create an upflow bog filter, sized at 24 feet diameter and 33 inches tall. It too will have a bentonite bottom. I am at the stage of spreading bentonite, roto-tilling it in, and tamping it down, then assembling the stock tank and filling with all the components to make a bog filter. More on this later, with questions.
Right now the pond is chocolate milk. I am having a friend who works for RPS add a solar powered pump/aerator just to mix the water. This will be in addition to and separate from the bog setup.
Heh, here is where I am bogged down.
1, Pumps can be submersible or above ground.
2, Bogs can be layered or not.
3, Ponds can have skimmers or not.
4, Ponds can have 'bottom drains' or not. Obviously mine does not have a bottom drain.
5, Pumps can pull water from the bottom or the top of the pond, and if the top then they can pull from near the bog or far from the bog, to create different flows.
6, The bog can be flushable out a drain, set up with snorkels to suck out goop, or left alone.
7. The bog can have 'space' at the bottom, via crates/whatever for water to flow and gunk to collect.
8. The bog needs to have flow 24/7/365 or maybe only daytime for solar without batteries.
There is more, but this is already too much and is what keeps me up nights.
This pond and bog is intended to provide habitat for our frogs, toads, dragonflies, crustaceans, and water for the smaller critters that can get through our deer fence, which encloses two acres. We have seen foxes, raccoons, skunks, feral cats, and such inside, as well as quail and all manner of other birds. And bats seasonally. We have eight more acres that is dry farmed with cover crops for the deer, who enjoy inside when we occasionally forget to close gates.
It is also for fire protection.
This is quite enough for now.

 

[GBBUDD]

You lost my interest at the wetland in particular was an earthen bottom. The odds of ever having anything but chocolate milk colored water is minute at best. The pond once fish are added will always stir up the salt at the bottom.
Wildlife walking in it will do the same.
The only way id do earthen is if I put fabric and gravel or HEAVY sand on the bottom
The other big mistake with earthen.ponds is not stopping water runoff from getting into the pond or wetland..

Maybe im wrong but a clay bottom even pne mixed with bentonite is very sloppy stuff on the surface.

 

[Pondering401]

You lost my interest at the wetland in particular was an earthen bottom. The odds of ever having anything but chocolate milk colored water is minute at best. The pond once fish are added will always stir up the salt at the bottom.
Wildlife walking in it will do the same.
The only way id do earthen is if I put fabric and gravel or HEAVY sand on the bottom
The other big mistake with earthen.ponds is not stopping water runoff from getting into the pond or wetland..

Maybe im wrong but a clay bottom even pne mixed with bentonite is very sloppy stuff on the surface.

 

[Pondering401]

The pond is bentonited and packed. There will be no fish, no critters walking in it but the rare swimming human. No run off problems either unless we have a flood. I am putting lava sand around the edges for a beach and because it is prettier than mud. Sorry I lost your interest.
Maybe you could weigh in on other issues. Regardless, I will be keeping you posted.

 

[Tula]

If you remember years back, we had a highly educated Canadian ponder, his username was Mitch. He was in the process of building a large pond with a bentonite bottom to serve area wildlife. It would be interesting to learn how it turned out.

 

[Pondering401]

If you remember years back, we had a highly educated Canadian ponder, his username was Mitch. He was in the process of building a large pond with a bentonite bottom to serve area wildlife. It would be interesting to learn how it turned out.

I am new so I don't remember, and my pond is available to small wildlife only, mostly amphibian, avian, and insectoid, unless I dive in on a 115F day. I will have a short pier so I don't disturb the bottom, but bentonite is very forgiving if I do and hoping the upflow biological pond is too.

 

[JRS]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

Post some pictures!

 

[sissy]

I have lots of deer over the years drinking from my pond during the heat of the summer and loer the water level a foot or more in a week and then i have to add in neighborhood dogs , skunks and even a escapee horse or cow . All night long I saw them on my security cameras . I boght a water though for them and fill it everday I am going to add another one ths summer . sso you will have to think how many critters will be drinking or cooling off in your pond . Welcome and hope you can get enough info here .

 

[sissy]

evaporation and fires with ash coming down also are a concern . Last year wildfires here and then the wind blew in from Canada wild fire smoke . , six illegals caused a big fire here as the were cooking meth in the woods behind a trailer park

 

[Pondering401]

Pond and upflow biofilter tank so far. The tank is 24' diameter, 33'' high. How far apart should distribution pipes be set?
Pond is 30,000 gallons. Tank is 10,000 gallons.

 

[GBBUDD]

The pond is bentonited and packed. There will be no fish, no critters walking in it but the rare swimming human. No run off problems either unless we have a flood. I am putting lava sand around the edges for a beach and because it is prettier than mud. Sorry I lost your interest.
Maybe you could weigh in on other issues. Regardless, I will be keeping you posted.

Lost my interest was probably the wrong term. It's more earthen bottom with clay is a battle to achieve clear water. Fish or no fish and I think everyone would probably agree having clear water is more appealing. Trying to get to this point with clay and bentonite can be an ever ending battle and be very very careful what ants you add as they can get established and own your pond in a very short period of time.

 

[Pondering401]

Thanks, GBBUDD. Plants are on my radar, but mostly just for the biofilter pond so far. Those with potential problems will be in pots and watched. Only plants I have on hand so far are Japanese iris.
No plants are going in the bigger pond, though I like the idea of a small floating island with roots in the water.
I get your concern about clarity with my chosen method. We shall see, so to speak.