Reducing Depth of Pond

[mrtrumpet]

Hello all,

We have had 5 wonderful years with our stream, waterfall, pond and fish. But are now moving. It turns out our pond is about 1 to 2 feet too deep for our town's regulations (3 ft in the middle, 2 ft on the sides.) So, in order to sell the house we willl likely have to raise the bottom. Can this be done? Does anyone know if it is possible to fill in the pond with some material like gravel or sand and then place new rocks on top to reduce the depth?

Any other thoughts or advice on how to solve the problem are appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave

 

[dieselplower]

Don't do it unless it becomes a problem. My 2 cents.

 

[capewind]

Welcome ... if it is in violation, can you fence it? You could in theory add gravel as you say, but that makes a mess (read that to mean unhealthy future) ...

 

[gardengimp]

You could put in a false bottom. Using milk crates or such and dog kennel flooring.

 

[mrtrumpet]

Unfortunately it has already become a problem We have an offer on the house, but the buyer is asking that the pond meet regulations.

So thanks for some interesting answes. Here's another question: If one hired a professional could the pond simply be drained and more large rocks (read several hundered if not thousand pounds each) be placed in the pond to bring the depth across the pond up to code? Or might that cause problems too?

BTW, the pond is approx 12 x 20 ft.

In any event the fish will go to another pond, unfortunately.

Thanks again for the help and ideas

Dave

 

[capewind]

I doubt the town would go for that ... your best bet is to ask the town what they would find acceptable ... you are likely going to either 1. fence it, 2. fill with gravel (bad idea), or 3, tear it out ...

 

[mrtrumpet]

Capewind, in an earlier response you said that filling in with gravel would be unhealthy. How so? Can you be more specific?

Thanks

 

[capewind]

Decomposing matter would settle into it, making it impossible to thoroughly clean. Will skip over the chemistry of decomposing matter, gases and bad bacterias. Think of it in terms of having a septic tank in the bottom of the pond. You could do it if the buyers understood it was to be a PLANT pond, and nolonger okay for fish. People DO use gravel in bogs, or as planting media, but generally, other things are planned into this ...

 

[dieselplower]

Does this pond have a liner at the bottom or is it a natural pond? If it has a liner I would drain it, remover the liner, dump in dirt, and put the liner back in.

 

[Mmathis]

Don't know how much trouble this would be...... I think it's what'd I'd do if I was in this situation.

Drain the pond and pull the liner to one side [but you're not taking it out, just making access to the the ground beneath]. Have a load of dirt [ sand, whatever is available in your area] delivered and dumped into the pond-hole. Guessing you'd need to do some math, though, to be sure of getting the right amount. Tamp this dirt down, then replace the liner.

Sounds simple and fast [in theory, anyway].

 

[capewind]

I like the idea of pulling the liner back and adding dirt, but with an established 12x20 foot pond, that would be a major project.

 

[Mmathis]

I like the idea of pulling the liner back and adding dirt, but with an established 12x20 foot pond, that would be a major project.

Hmmm, true. What about using trash "fill", then adding the dirt so it wouldn't take as much dirt? I'd forgotten to notice the size of the pond.

 

[sissy]

Here mortgage companies and insurance companies frown on ponds and hesitate on mortgage and insurance so that may have to be checked out .I have taken out 6 ponds for realtors because of this .So you may want to check out regulations and talk to a realtor about your options and for there opinion

 

[Mmathis]

Here mortgage companies and insurance companies frown on ponds and hesitate on mortgage and insurance so that may have to be checked out .I have taken out 6 ponds for realtors because of this .So you may want to check out regulations and talk to a realtor about your options and for there opinion

That's something to think about.

 

[fishin4cars]

Pulling the liner and adding sand sounds to me like the best option. Looking at your location, that's going to be a extremely shallow pond for the area it's located. Do the potential new home owners even want a pond? If they do try and explain the benefits of a deeper pond. If they still want the pond and understand why the depth is needed then maybe it can be presented to the regulations dept. and home owners association. Many times these rules can be amended and waivers written if all parties agree. If they don't really want the pond Fill most of the pond in with sand and make a nice gravel of limestone flower bed or sitting area. If you notice I do suggest using sand, and this is my thinking. Sand is easier to level out, It will be easier to dig back out if the new owner would like, it absorbs water so there won't be as big a muddy mess in the back yard for the new owner, and Sand is cheap.