I PASS GAS

I'm fixing to build a 60x30x20tall shop with an apartment for my wife-2-be and I to live in for a few years until we are both out of school and can look into building a house.

The deal is, we are going to need fill in some parts of the lot (6.5 acres) and I was thinking how cool it would be to dig a big hole and use my own dirt for the fill. Has anyone done this? Would it actually be cheaper to do this than just purchase fill? How involved is building a pond about an acre in size?

I'm looking forward to hearing your experiences.

Thanks!

Box5

If u have access to a big excavator it can be done in a very short time. My nieghboor dug one about 80x60 next to his house in a day, he has like a 30,000lbs Kobelco though. You gotta lay sand I think, not real sure what else though.

I PASS GAS

Our wildlife and fisheries has some pretty detailed documentation on what has to be done, but of course everything looks good on paper. From my understanding, you don't need stand, especially if there is lots of clay, which is not a problem around here. They say to stock it with bass/brem/catfish, it needs to be at least an acre in size.

annabelle

Make sure it is lined with a water resistant material or liner.

wap

If you decide to purchase fill we just sold about 50,000 yards of dirt for a dollar a yard.

I dont know what it would cost for a company to haul it to you but if you can find a demolition job near by you should be able to get dirt cheap.

The state is havin most bridges around here redone so they much build temporary bridges. So, when the new bridges are complet they demolish the temp bridges and sell the excess dirt.

Just an idea for ya if you fish pond dont work out.

I PASS GAS

This is why they mention having a high clay content being a plus. The water causes it to swell forming it's own seal.

mizzu

We had the same thing done about 10 yrs ago. Make sure you have a pump or stream feed it to keep the level & oxygen up. Also ours stayed muddy for 4yrs. Someone told us that chicken fertilizer will speed up algae & plant growth on the bottom which will clear it up. It saved us a lot of money buying fill for the house.

annabelle

I'm a General Contractor. I'd figure $2.00 a yard.

explodingdeer

I helped a buddy dig a pond/move trees/spread dirt over his land about a year ago. We took about a week, but to start it was difficult to walk through because it had so many trees. Neither of us had much experience with heavy equipment but in a day or two we became pretty efficient. He rented a D5 and a trackhoe(can't remember size, but big) fuel, rental, insurance, and a couple of cold beverages cost about 5k. For the amount of dirt you will get from your pond you will already be ahead. Plus you'll be like a big kid in a big sand box grinning ear to ear.

Justwannabeme

I have dug my own pond and cleaned up several for some neighbors.
1. Don't know what your Parrish laws are like, but Dept of Environmental Conservation (DEC here) states you must have a permit for over one million gallons in pond. so check that with a phone call first.

2. you are looking at 365 feet by same and try to put it to 10 feet minimum.
again, do not know what you soil is, but you can have that knowledge just with a Parrish surveyor's or farm /soil map. Impervious clay or Odessa type (light brown not the blue sticky stuff) is the best, as you guessed- it swells and pressure balances for minimum loss and silt. a drop of two feet around the edge gives you minimum weeds, weeping willow trees can't grow and
a bit of landscape fabric (two feet wide by 100 foot rolls) topped with fine gravel is an easy maintenance with zero growth of cattails. little fishies like it too as they hide or bask in the shallows. the shape of the pond works with the natural lay of the land; try to have the deepest part at the setting sun
angles down- do not try a perfect bowl shape. the angle down idea allows natural filtration and sediment control for a very healthy pond in a short time and good for fish with natural current (thermals).

I like the aqua blue product that is a sparkling blue color which filters out the sun slowing algae growth and making the fish feel like they are hidden (they are not) so they breed more. to clear a silty pond, natural alum can be purchased at a commercial farmer type fertilizer plant. fifty pounds of alum runs about 120 bucks BUT it makes all the dirt particles stick together, making them heavier, and they sink to the bottom. less likely to be stirred up to and better health when leaves drop in and cover the bottom for a compost type effect. been playing with heavy equipment for 22 years, big smiles !!

dry season for all soil excavation, damp spring type season for mixed rock. mostly rock? get a big excavator for a week, better prices than a weekend or a day. you will need to move about 400 ton of material- about three eight hour days if all goes easy. send pics of your big smiles!!
Heidi

wap

Nice info ^^^

eddiebob

Here in South Mississippi the Dept. of Agriculture does a free soil sample (10' core) to help determine soil suitability. Check with your local authorities. Clay will seal the bottom effectively. If you have sand this will cause the pond not to hold water as well. This can be sealed with Gel which can be purchased at any of the "Mud Companies" in your area. Try Baroid, MI, or Baker. As far as stocking the pond Brim and Catfish do real good together. White perch and bass are very aggressive but can be slipped into the fish population after it is several years old. Ed B

PourinDiesel

Here in Indiana you just dig a hole and in a couple weeks it fills with water on its own and keeps it.

annabelle

Not in Texas.

I PASS GAS

Thanks for the info guys! Unfortunatley I'm out the door and can't read it all. Keep it coming!