I have a rather ambitious set of goals for this pond project. I want it to be modest in size in terms of surface area, but DEEP.
My intent is to include the necessary infrastructure to ensure the pond is clean, clear and pretty much drinkable. Because of all the NC clay and silt, ponds tend to look like chocolate milk around here. But not mine! I plan to have at least one sump pump, organic water filters, sediment control, and a constantly flowing stream feeding the pond.
For now, it’s all about excavation. I’m working my poor Mahindra 1526 to death, using a front loader to do excavation work, which it really isn’t designed for, but I’ve figured out a system of progressive excavation that seems to get the job done without overtaxing the loader.
I hope to get the “deep end” down to about 8 feet deep. That should suffice for raising catfish, bass and maybe bluegill or some other pan-fish.
I’m expecting a lot from this pond, so the burden in upon ME to do the necessary research to design it right. Sounds like fun to me. 😉