I dug a 300,000 gallon and a 500,000 gallon pond for a guy with brown clay for the first 5' and the rest of the 20' was blue. Unless I'm missing something, clay by nature, is cohesive and it's also not impervious---so ground water can penetrate it (even a fired, unglazed clay pot will absorb or allow water to penetrate it). I have heard people say they lined the pond with clay but it stands to reason that any pressure change or differential on either side of the clay (earth versus water) dictates which way the water will flow. In my opinion it all goes back to the ground water level (water table). Water level too low: the pond will leak back into the surrounding earth. Too high: the pond will fill up until it reaches water level. If you must line it to prevent leakage a synthetic liner is probably the way to go. Use the clay as liner or to protect the liner from the shale. For reference the pond levels in the ponds I dug drop as much as 3-4 feet from Spring to Fall.

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