The Hole is Too Big!

[mmorris]

I am brand new to ponds but I am reading as much as I can as fast as I can. I bought my house eight years ago with a "three-season pond" on it. I call it "my big hole in the ground." Whoever built it lined it with large rocks and boulders but no liner, and the water drained out or dried up in the summer. I finally decided to line it and expand it outward, keeping the length. My friend owns a backhoe and he removed the rocks, but a bit more off the end too. I want to keep the pond to 25' x 30' x 4' at the deepest. Will I be able to fill in about three feet at the end and have it hold up under the liner? I can't tell you much about my soil - not sandy, not really clay, but full of rocks. Should I fill the end in with boulders? Thanks.
Martha

 

[JamieB]

You’ll have to make sure what you fill it in with is well settled, fill it in with the dirt/rock, water it well, and let it sit. Time and weather will do the job. But, with rocky ground, you’ll need to protect your liner. Old carpet scraps work well from what I’ve gathered, you can often get them from places like Lowe’s or places that sell and install carpet. Just make sure there’s no nails or staples in it.

 

[mmorris]

You’ll have to make sure what you fill it in with is well settled, fill it in with the dirt/rock, water it well, and let it sit. Time and weather will do the job. But, with rocky ground, you’ll need to protect your liner. Old carpet scraps work well from what I’ve gathered, you can often get them from places like Lowe’s or places that sell and install carpet. Just make sure there’s no nails or staples in it.

Thanks Jamie. Watering is a good idea. I have quite a collection of old carpets rolled up in my driveway, waiting. I'll be sure to go over them pretty carefully for staples. I noticed one piece with a few... I'll be sifting out the bottom of the pond for rocks as well.

 

[addy1]

Nice size for a pond! Post some pictures as you work on it!

 

[Lisak1]

I say keep it the size it is! No pond owner has ever said "gosh, I wish I had made this thing SMALLER!" (Unless of course your friend made it 20 feet bigger than you'd hoped... haha!)

 

[mmorris]

Thanks, Addy, I will! Hi Lisa, I have two reasons for not going bigger - cost of the liner and the weight of the liner. How many people would you say it takes to lay a 400 lb. liner? I'm a bit concerned about my friend's motivation to finish the digging.

my big hole in the ground




my big mess

 

[mrsclem]

Thanks, Addy, I will! Hi Lisa, I have two reasons for not going bigger - cost of the liner and the weight of the liner. How many people would you say it takes to lay a 400 lb. liner? I'm a bit concerned about my friend's motivation to finish the digging.
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my big hole in the ground

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my big mess

Hi Mmorris- You can use the backhoe to move the liner into place. I installed a 25'x25' by myself in a raised pond. Weight was about 190lbs. 2-3 people should be able to handle it.

 

[Jhn]

If you are rebuilding the pond similar to how it currently is designed, and there is no water run off directed at where you want to fill it...... I would fill it in lifts tamping it with the excavator bucket, then stack the larger rock against that side of the pond starting from the pond bottom to the top edge being sure to angle back away from the pond. Also use the excavator to slightly push/lock the rocks into place, just make sure no sharp edges can puncture the liner and assuming your neighbor is skilled enough at running the excavator. This will hold the fill dirt in place....

The amount of people it takes to install the liner isn’t going to be any different for a 25x30 pond or a 28 x30 pond. Like Mrsclem said 2-3 people can handle it, but will say it depends on the people. I put in a 30’x50’or60’ liner by myself with no equipment, but I am roughly 6’3” and have worked construction my whole life and was still in my 30’s at that point. Now would probably get at least one person to help me.

 

[mmorris]

Good to know! Thanks! Is "in place" along the side, and then roll it across?

 

[mrsclem]

Exactly- I centered mine in the pond and unfolded it. then worked on moving sides up.

 

[mmorris]

If you are rebuilding the pond similar to how it currently is designed, and there is no water run off directed at where you want to fill it...... I would fill it in lifts tamping it with the excavator bucket, then stack the larger rock against that side of the pond starting from the pond bottom to the top edge being sure to angle back away from the pond. Also use the excavator to slightly push/lock the rocks into place, just make sure no sharp edges can puncture the liner and assuming your neighbor is skilled enough at running the excavator. This will hold the fill dirt in place....

Yes, similar, but wider, and much of the additional width will be a shallower shelf. Do you mean line the whole pond with rock before the liner goes in? Or do you mean add the boulder to the end that needs filling in before the liner goes in? Can you explain "fill it in lifts?"

 

[mmorris]

Exactly- I centered mine in the pond and unfolded it. then worked on moving sides up.

Is it easier, do you think, do start from the center? I was going to lay it along side, then roll it in to the center and up the back side.

 

[Jhn]

Lifts, are putting in say 8-12” of dirt at a time then compact it with the excavator bucket, add another 8-12” of dirt and repeat until area is filled to desired height. Then place underlay and liner, then use larger rocks starting at pond bottom stacking them angling up and away from the pond. So the dirt wall you compact shouldn’t be vertical, but sloping away from the pond a bit, if that makes sense.

 

[j.w]

@mmorris

 

[mmorris]

Lifts, are putting in say 8-12” of dirt at a time then compact it with the excavator bucket, add another 8-12” of dirt and repeat until area is filled to desired height. Then place underlay and liner, then use larger rocks starting at pond bottom stacking them angling up and away from the pond. So the dirt wall you compact shouldn’t be vertical, but sloping away from the pond a bit, if that makes sense.

Many thanks, Jhn. That is very helpful!