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Swimming Pond Design
Anyone have experience building recreational ponds? I am planning to build a 1-acre pond to be used for swimming. My question is not so much how it should be built to hold water, but are there any design techniques that I should be considering so that I’ll have water that is clear (or as clear as possible)? The pond is fed through spring water, a small tributary with seasonal runoff, and normal surface drainage. Thanks.
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Swimming Pond Design
I'm in the process of doing the same thing. Check out documents such as http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/fisheries/420-011/420-011.pdf . Much of the information is based on Federal guidelines for pond building. If you are the type of person who is "above board" on everything, then you may find yourself in a permitting nightmare. Otherwise, dig and enjoy.
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Swimming Pond Design
Build it and do not get any ducks or geese. Grass carp will keep the grasses down. Ours are the sterial type.
We used to swim in ours all the time but now have 8 ducks and 2 domestic geese along with as many as 44 Canadaians at times, limit when I'll go in.
The dock is 2 poles buried back into the bank so no wood touches the water.
Ours is also spring fed and on the hottest days in July if you dive more than a couple of feet deep big boy and the twins disappear into warmer turf and stay hid for a long time...
Many a times yet on a hot afternoon mowing even with the ducks (lots of water moves thru the pond) a skinny dip is always a refreshing treat. I back the mower up on the oppsite side of the pond and use the deck as a dock also. (NO SAND).
C my pic 1 I'll send you pics of dock if you want them.
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Swimming Pond Design
I've dug a few large and deep ponds for clients here in SE Michigan (300,000 and 500,000 gallons). We have a big problem of "string algae", water bugs, and a species of cattail that wreaks havoc. The client stocked them with gold fish that get pretty big, Perch and a few Walleyes. A big stork makes them dinner and now they're gone. Canadian geese love the ponds. The client lets his kids swim in both ponds and they get ear infections due to all the poop in the water (ducks, fish, animals). I wouldn't recommend putting a pond any closer than 100' from a septic system leach field. I'm pretty sure that's why the larger pond stays cloudy all year round.
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Swimming Pond Design
I have a number of ponds in various states of repair in condition. You best bet would be to get in touch with your local NRCS rep. and agricultural extension agent for recommendations specifically geared towards your area. Below is a link to pond management and construction. It is a 39 page .pdf file so it will take awhile to download
Link:
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Swimming Pond Design
Thanks for the good advice. The info on those websights is exactly what I was looking for. Thx.
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Swimming Pond Design
I built our 1 acre pond about 3-4 years ago. I did a lot of research and planning. Mine is spring fed and next to a larger creek, as well as the watershed basin for my whole property. I installed sediment ponds, shunts, flood bypasses, as well as 2 drains, a fixed straight line drain to eliminate possible clogs, and an adjustable drain to control water level. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer.
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Swimming Pond Design
My other main concern at this point is what to do with the excavated material. The pond is located in a naturally low area and will be created by an impoundment or dam at one end so much material can be used here. Also some can be spread around the edges. However, if I am excavating an average of 7-10 feet over a 1-acre area, thats one hell of a lot of material to lose. Any ideas?
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Swimming Pond Design
Drive around and look for someone building a new house who needs backfill. Around here fill dirt (clay) is going for $2.50 per yard delivered in 20-24 yd loads. Something to keep in mind and I go through it a lot is, if you decide to put a sign at the road that says "FREE FILL DIRT" for some odd reason people who need that "FREE" fill dirt automatically assume you will truck it there for FREE. Like my dirt-hauling buddies who also get similar calls tell the caller: "Ma'am, yes, the dirt is free but the trucking isn't." Around here the going rate for dirt hauling is $75 an hour per truck regardless the size of truck---5yd or 40yd PLUS the loader time of $100-$150 per hour. The smaller the loader the longer it takes to fill the truck---and the clock's running!
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Swimming Pond Design
A one acre pond seven ft deep would require over 10,000 cu yds of packed material removed. That could require 1000 truckloads. Are you sure you can't use it somewhere?
Dave
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03-07-2005, 08:55 
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