"Derek Broughton" wrote in message
...
Stephen Henning wrote:

"Reel Mckoi" wrote:

We have to redo 3 sides of
my 2000 gallon pond this summer because they were made too steep! The
guy
said it would help keep predators out of the pond. YEAH RIGHT! He
didn't mention that the pressure from the surrounding soil would
eventually allow
the sides to "fall in." And that's what's happening. It should have
been dug more bowl shape to let the water pressure and weight keep that
from happening.

Your "expert" was correct. You need to make the sides steep to prevent
predators from having a picnic in the pond. What he didn't do was build
up a vertical wall out of cement blocks at the periphery and then build
the steep slope out of something that wouldn't shift. Also, don't
forget shelves around the edge for marginal plants.

A lot of people don't like those. There won't be any on my next pond.

## Will you set your plants on something or eliminate them altogether?

It sounds like you don't have very good drainage around your pond. That
is a big problem and needs to be addressed. Most ponds don't do well in
a bog area unless they have masonry retaining walls.

Yes. It's not pressure from the surrounding _soil_ that will cause
slumping. I built a pond in sandy soil, very well drained, with almost
vertical sides down to 5 feet. No problem with collapsing. The pressure
from the water will easily hold that in place. If you've got water on
both
sides, though, there's no pressure differential.

## My ponds are not in a bog area and the surrounding soil is not water
logged. They're on a gentle slope. All water runs down the slope, through
a sluice pipe and to the nearby lake. What could be causing the sides to
belly in?
--
derek
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
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