Pond Design

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

Hi,

I have the Pond Design (Fish Farming & Water Harvesting Pond) but unable to translate into a proper diagram/picture… Does anybody who has skills can volunteer?

I can provide the details…

[Viks]

??
i can give it a shot…

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@Viks

??
i can give it a shot…

Thanks…I will send out the details…

[rajus19]

Good initiative, atleaset for me at the right time as I’m looking to dig a pond near the borewells in my farm which I recently bought.

[hegdegg]

This weekend, i got two trial pond dug, attached picture will give idea. Got water at around 10 ft in the first pond and around 6ft in the second one.

There are problems with each of the pond, in the first one, i got the rock immediately after the water and could not continue digging with JCB. Second one, soil is very loose, it starts collapsing everywhere.

Any help in designing the pond will be much appreciated. Initial idea was to have a large pond, around 50 * 50 but now need ideas to go ahead.

Padmanabhan ji, hope you don’t mind me putting in query in your thread.

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@hegdegg

This weekend, i got two trial pond dug, attached picture will give idea. Got water at around 10 ft in the first pond and around 6ft in the second one.

There are problems with each of the pond, in the first one, i got the rock immediately after the water and could not continue digging with JCB. Second one, soil is very loose, it starts collapsing everywhere.

Any help in designing the pond will be much appreciated. Initial idea was to have a large pond, around 50 * 50 but now need ideas to go ahead.

Padmanabhan ji, hope you don’t mind me putting in query in your thread.

You have provided the Length & Breadth, what is the Depth of the Ponds in your mind?

For your first pond, you said you have reached 10 ft and then hit rock…10 ft is a reasonable depth…
If you have to go further, detonating the rock is an option…

For your second pond, you have mentioned 6ft and then soil is falling…

From both the pictures, I can say you need to have slopes in the interior of the pond in the ration 2:1 at the minimum and can the slope can be more based on the soil…

The JCB guys need to be told to dug the soil in a staggered way rather than digging straight away 10 ft or 6 ft in one place…

Unless you do this, the problem will persist…

1.Any reason for having 2 ponds instead of one…?
2.Is this for Rain Water Harvesting/Storage or do you want to incorporate Fish Farming as well? For Fish Farming, 5 Ft Max is good enough…

More information will be required to suggest further…

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@padmanabhan_ganesan

Thanks…I will send out the details…

I will do a write-up on the Pond Design as soon as possible… But I am getting help (from Viks) for drawing the picture…

I don’t know whether the write-up is sufficient but atleast you will get some ideas…

[Chandra]

The Wiki awaits you, Padmanabhan Ganesan!

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@padmanabhan_ganesan

I will do a write-up on the Pond Design as soon as possible… But I am getting help (from Viks) for drawing the picture…

I don’t know whether the write-up is sufficient but atleast you will get some ideas…

The complete write-up without the main picture is ready…Let me know if you have queries…Will be publishing in few mins…

[hegdegg]

apologies for the delayed response

@padmanabhan_ganesan

You have provided the Length & Breadth, what is the Depth of the Ponds in your mind?

I was thinking to have it around 15 ft, one think that i forgot to mention was there is a natural spring at 10 ft, and now the challenge is to store the water

For your first pond, you said you have reached 10 ft and then hit rock…10 ft is a reasonable depth…
If you have to go further, detonating the rock is an option…

I am good with any depth ( that could be done with jcb/hitachi ). It is not a hard rock, this is almost like slate stone, or sort of iron mixed stone which is having layers, we could try detonating too.

For your second pond, you have mentioned 6ft and then soil is falling…

From both the pictures, I can say you need to have slopes in the interior of the pond in the ration 2:1 at the minimum and can the slope can be more based on the soil…

The soil is too loose, jcb guys was saying its very tough to form a slant as he is not able to make the slope.

The JCB guys need to be told to dug the soil in a staggered way rather than digging straight away 10 ft or 6 ft in one place…

Unless you do this, the problem will persist…

Sure

1.Any reason for having 2 ponds instead of one…?
2.Is this for Rain Water Harvesting/Storage or do you want to incorporate Fish Farming as well? For Fish Farming, 5 Ft Max is good enough…

More information will be required to suggest further…

I plan to have two compounds, tough its easily possible to have a simple pond to do the job, i am sort of influenced by permaculture design, so planning for 2 ponds, no actual requirement.

Its for storage, i do not need to harvest rain, it rains cats and dogs there, and then i also have a spring running water almost till feb. And no plans of fish farming though i am open to have some exotic fishes for the sake of it.

Please let me know what else info do i need to provide.

Talked to hitachi owner and one of my friends who is experienced in getting the ponds done. As you mentioned, he suggested slanted walls and stone walls to hold the mud in the slope.

Though in one corner he has hit the rock, not sure about other places, can the soil really hold the stones?

Coming week-end i plan to get it dug again, may be extend it like 50 * 50. I am not sure if i can wait till the end of rainy season to build the stone walls.

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@hegdegg

apologies for the delayed responseI was thinking to have it around 15 ft, one think that i forgot to mention was there is a natural spring at 10 ft, and now the challenge is to store the water
I am good with any depth ( that could be done with jcb/hitachi ). It is not a hard rock, this is almost like slate stone, or sort of iron mixed stone which is having layers, we could try detonating too.

The soil is too loose, jcb guys was saying its very tough to form a slant as he is not able to make the slope.
Sure
I plan to have two compounds, tough its easily possible to have a simple pond to do the job, i am sort of influenced by permaculture design, so planning for 2 ponds, no actual requirement.

Its for storage, i do not need to harvest rain, it rains cats and dogs there, and then i also have a spring running water almost till feb. And no plans of fish farming though i am open to have some exotic fishes for the sake of it.

Please let me know what else info do i need to provide.

Talked to hitachi owner and one of my friends who is experienced in getting the ponds done. As you mentioned, he suggested slanted walls and stone walls to hold the mud in the slope.

Though in one corner he has hit the rock, not sure about other places, can the soil really hold the stones?

Coming week-end i plan to get it dug again, may be extend it like 50 * 50. I am not sure if i can wait till the end of rainy season to build the stone walls.

1. Go for a slope of the ratio 1:5 or above
2. Ask the JCB person to hit the soil so that they become hard. Initially, you can just sprinkle water on the soil just to make them hard
3. May be you can use Clay for the Slopes and then further place stones on top of it…

[hegdegg]

@padmanabhan_ganesan

1. Go for a slope of the ratio 1:5 or above
2. Ask the JCB person to hit the soil so that they become hard. Initially, you can just sprinkle water on the soil just to make them hard
3. May be you can use Clay for the Slopes and then further place stones on top of it…

1. OK
2. What would happen to water source here?. i am thinking of stone walls to have the spring open
3. Clay will help retain water, but what about blocking the water source? My pond will not get water from outside, it should get from the spring in the pond itself.

[padmanabhan_ganesan]

@hegdegg

1. OK
2. What would happen to water source here?. i am thinking of stone walls to have the spring open
3. Clay will help retain water, but what about blocking the water source? My pond will not get water from outside, it should get from the spring in the pond itself.

All the suggestions is for the slopes and not for the ground soil… You need not cover the ground soil with clay or stones…

I hope the spring is not in the slopes and only in the ground level…