Help with leaking pond

The house I just bought has a pond that was dug a couple of years ago. The soil is mainly clay and some shale. It is dug around 10-12 feet deep. It won't hold water past 12-15 inches. The pond is probably around 1/3 of an acre big. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get it to hold water? I have called the county extension office and searched the internet with no luck. I really want to fix this so I could stock it and be able to enjoy it instead of looking off my back deck to a deep hole with a puddle in it.

Have friends that had a dam built before they built their house--close to Mark Twain Lake in Missouri.Their place has a lot of clay in the soil and I think that is important as far as retaining water in the pond. They were always warned about not planting trees on or near their dam because of possible future rotting and thus leaking at the dam. I would try to find out about the history of the pond, like if it ever held water, how old it is, other ponds in the area, etc. I guess it is also possible there is some leakage near the bottom due to rotted out tree roots or other organic material, etc. Also, are you sure their is sufficient drainage area and runoff for your pond? And could the water possibly be leaking between layers of shale??!!Check with the state and county people, they should be able to help with at least advice!
Good Luck!

We had the same problem with some acreage my family purchased about 10 years ago. The pond would fill up after a heavy rain then it would just leak out. The pond was a similar size as what you describe and also was heavy with a clay base. We found out about a product that is produced or mined in or around the Malvern area to solve the problem. Unfortunately thats been 10 years ago and I forgot what the stuff is called but it works. Its messy as all get out but the pond was never low again, other than in the heat of the summer. The stuff came in bags like concrete and it had the texture and look of lime. When its thrown or spread over the water by the dam it became a real sticky clay like substance that wass sucked into the leaks stopping them forever. I will ask my dad if he remebers the name of the stuff. Hopefully I will catch his dementia on a good day and he will remember. If not I hope I at least gave you something to investigate to help you solve the problem.

Are you able to find wet spots behind the levee when the water is up?

Does it always end drain back to the same low elevation and then stop?

How many acers of water shed do you have going into the pond. A good rule of thumb is 10 acers of water shed per acre of pond.

For a 1/3 ac pond you should have a little over 3 acres draining into it to maintain it without pumping into it.

Hey Gooch, is the stall called Benzonite? I'm picking some of that stuff up this weekend. Very hard to find but sound exactly like what you are talking about. It's actually some kind of material that will enlarge about 15-18 times it's actual size and is some kind of volcanic clay. I'm going to get around a 1000 lbs of it and give it a try. I do appreciate everyone who has given advice and anyone who can think of anything else. It's really nice to be able to get advice from such a good bunch of folks. Thanks!:D

Hey Maddox, it does drain back to the about the same level every time. I'm not sure how to measure the watershed, but I own 7 acres and this pond is down hill from about 3-4 of it so it should be getting run off. I can tell where water runs down hill to it. What do you recommend?

Yeah benzonite is the stuff. Its a real pain to work with. I would strongly recomend you suit up in some throw away rain gear and gloves before you start the project.

You should be fine with the water shed then.

If it’s draining down to the same level every time you have a leak just above the water line. The bentonite clay should work if you can find the location where it’s leaking.

Can you see any rock, sand, or shale deposits or seams at the water line? That will be a good place to start if you have that.

Can you find out any history about the pond and who made it?

If what you are trying doesn't work, fence the pond and run hogs in there for a year or two. They will roll and wallow and pack everything tight. Don't laugh, it works. grizzly

Call the soil conservation service, every county has one and it is our federal tax dollars at work.