lining a farm pond

[MNpurple]

Not quite sure where this Q belongs but...I'm aquiring 20 acres of property of a which a small portion is pasture and has two ponds. One of the ponds is right next to the woods, is a triangle about 75 feet per side and maybe 4-5 feet deep. A perfect spot for deer. The ponds holds water for 2-3 days after a good rain and then goes dry, so I would like to line it so it holds water. I;ve been researchign online and for a pond this size, I'm looking at spending $2500-3000 just for the liner. WAY more than I am willing to spend especially when their guarantee is 10 years.

SO what, if any, are some cheaper alternatives for me? I wouldnt even need to line the whole thing, maybe just the lowest part. Would a large, heavy duty tarp, buried under a few inches of soil do the trick? I've had hauling clay in suggested to me but thats not a guarantee. ANy ideas for me?

[Sandmannd]

Liner is going to be the best bet. A tarp isn't going to hold up. If you don't go all the way up the water is going to go over it and underneath and cause problems. Liners are expensive but they hold up better. I would put old carpet under it as well so it's softer and nothing pokes through and ruins it.

[Jameson]

Burry a kiddie pool in the middle of your pond, when the pond is dry. When the pond fills and dries up again, your kiddie pool should still hold water. May need to clean out the kiddie pool once a year.

[fisherking01]

Liner is the way to go. Clay has a tendency to leak unless a layer of aproximately 2 feet is compacted, keeping in mind moisture content to layer it in. I've seen clay lined ponds dry up more often than not, one in particular had a 3 foot liner, It held water well, became over run with cattails, and the school found this to be unattractive, and wanted open water for observing wildlife. Long story short they treated the weeds, the weeds died, roots decayed and unplugged the bottom, dry hole in a couple weeks.

Kiddie pools work well as an attractant for wildlife, you may have to haul water regularly to fill it to keep the wildlife coming to it. Brent

[tunrevir]

You can buy rols of rubber roofing material at menards or home depot, I believe the coverage is like 50x100' for a couple hundred bucks. They say that they are wildlife friendly and that you can use them to line fish ponds. Even had a decorative pond in the photo in the add. Might be an option.

Tunrevir~

[peder]

Bentonite works well, do a google search for more info.

[MNpurple]

Peder,

I have had Sodium Bentonite suggested to me from a couple sources. Where can I get a decent amount of this stuff? I have not seen or heard of it anywhere around here.

[walleye101]

Check with your local well driller for a source of Bentonite clay. that is the way to go. Plastic pond liners + sharp deer feet = dry pond.